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Rice Football 2019 Game Preview: Week 14 vs UTEP

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Rice Football will take a winning streak into their 2019 finale against the UTEP Miners. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

Fresh off a slew of program firsts, Rice football is riding high. The Owls are in the midst of their first winning streak since 2016 and their first C-USA West win of the Mike Bloomgren era. They achieved both with a Senior Day win over North Texas in Week 12. Buoyed by a defense that continues to make highlight-reel plays, Rice is aiming to finish strong.

UTEP was less fortunate. The Miners feel for the tenth consecutive time last week, succumbing to a New Mexico State team that had yet to beat an FBS team this season. Here’s what you need to know about UTEP and Rice before their season-ending showdown in the desert.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 2:00 PM CT
Venu | Sun Bowl – El Paso, Tx
TV | ESPN3 (Streaming)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview the UTEP game on Episode 19 of The Roost Podcast which will be released on Thursday. Find us on the podcast page or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. (And consider leaving us a 5-star review while you’re at it.)

Sizing up the contenders

Mike Bloomgren and Dana Dimel both took over their respective programs during the same offseason. It’s been a tough road for both headmen, but to this point, Dimel has one notable upper hand. UTEP beat Rice in Houston last year, marking the only win for Dimel’s crew in his first season.

Each team has a win over an FCS squad in that time. UTEP beat Houston Baptist to open its 2019 campaign. Rice beat Prairie View at the start of last season, the first win of Bloomgren’s tenure. In total, though, Rice has four wins to UTEP’s two with the Owls’ tripling the Miners’ C-USA victories in that span.

Both programs can show quantitative improvement in the win column with a win on Saturday. UTEP can move from a one-win 2018 to a two-win 2019 with Rice hoping to go from 2-11 to 3-9. For two programs which haven’t done as much winning as they’d have liked to so far, the difference made by a single win would be huge.

Series History

All Time | Rice leads 14-8
Last Five | Rice leads 3-2
Last Meeting | Home 2018, UTEP won 34-26

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Stewart – 84/137 (61.3 percent), 939 yards passing, 7 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Walter – 129 carries, 622 yards (4.8 yards per carry), 7 TD
Receiving | Rozner – 52 receptions, 751 yards (14.4 yards per reception), 5 TD | Trammell – 56 receptions, 672 yards (12.0 yards per reception), 3 TD
Tackles | Alldredge – 88, Montero – 72, Chamberlain – 60
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Nyakwol – 6 PBU, Smith/Chamberlain – 2 INT

UTEP Stat Notables

Passing | Locksley – 95/169 (56.2), 1229 yards passing, 5 TD, 5 INT
Rushing | Hughes – 154 carries, 653 yards (4.2 yards per carry), 12 TD
Receiving | Cowing – 24 receptions, 494 yards (20.6 yards per reception), 3 TD | Wolf – 32 receptions, 397 yards (12.4 yards per reception), 2 TD
Tackles | Lewis – 93, Rogers – 68, Hynson – 54
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Caldwell – 11 PBU, Ross – 2 INT

UTEP X-Factor | Weathering the early storm

The Rice offense has been at its best in the first half over their last two wins. Rice scored 75 points in the first halves of their first nine games, all losses. In their two wins, they’ve scored 51 points before the break.

The offensive explosion hasn’t been without its drawbacks. Rice hasn’t scored a point in the second half of a game since October. Middle Tennessee and North Texas, neither of which is known for their defensive prowess, were able to shut the Owls out in the second half.

UTEP isn’t going to blow anyone away with their defense, but recent history suggests they might not have to play their best game to keep the game close. If the Miners can keep the game close before the halftime whistle and make the necessary adjustments, they’ll have a punchers chance.

Rice X-Factor | Winning on third down

The Owls have seen their third down successes slow down after halftime in each of their last two wins. Rice saw their conversion rate drop from 50 percent to 38 percent in the two halves of the Middle Tennessee game. They experienced a similar dip against North Texas, falling from 44 percent before the break to 38 percent afterward.

In totality, Rice converted seven third downs on 16 tries in each of their last two games. That’s better than their 5.1 conversions per game average entering the winning stretch, but a 37 percent season clip makes it extremely difficult to sustain offensive production.

With their defense playing as well as it’s been in the past several weeks, a few more drive-extending plays could give Rice some much-needed breathing room down the stretch.

Injury Report

Center Shea Baker missed the North Texas game as the flu ran rampant through the Rice locker room. True freshman walk-on Isaac Klarkowski started in his place. Baker is expected to be back in action this week, along with a healthy running back Aston Walter who could not finish the North Texas game after giving it a go early on.

The availability of defensive ends Anthony Ekpe and Trey Schuman is in question. Ekpe seemed closer than Schuman last week, but neither played. There’s a possibility Ekpe can go for the season finale.

Running back Juma Otoviano and quarterback JoVoni Johnson were both kept out of last week’s game as they recovered from lower body injuries. Their return to the field seems plausible this week, but their status will be something we’ll track closely this week.

Need More?

The Roost’s 2019 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth chart, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for each foe. Better yet, it’s not just speculation, each profile was created with insight from local experts who cover those teams day in and day out. Pick up your copy today and get four pages and more than 1,000 words on every foe.

Pick ‘Em Contest

If you haven’t yet, make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and submit them on the forum thread to enter.

  1. How many points does Rice score after halftime?
    Over 7.5 / Under 7.5
  2. Will either team have a touchdown play of longer than 35 yards?
    Yes / No
  3. How many sacks will the Rice defense register?
    Over 3.5 / Under 3.5
  4. Which team has more pass break ups?
    Rice / UTEP (or tie)
  5. Will UTEP lead at any point during the first half?
    Yes / No
  6. Who wins?
    Rice / UTEP
  7. Bonus (3 pts)
    How many points does Rice score? (Must be exact score)

One Final Thing

Saturday marks the second time this season Rice football has been the oddsmaker’s favorite to win. The other instance came on the road against UTSA, a game Rice led in the final minutes of the fourth quarter but was unable to close out.

Rice has learned a lot this season. Beating UTEP would be proof they’ve taken those lessons to heart. It was Dimel himself who said during Conference USA Media Days that a coach should be measured by his ability to win the games he is “supposed to win”.

Winning on the road in conference is never easy, but Rice has done that already this season. Beating UTEP would be proof of this team taking that next step and moving further into the process. Plus, a three-game winning streak entering 2020 would do wonders for the team this offseason.

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Rice Football 2019: Owls in the NFL Week 12 Update

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A game-winning field goal from former Rice Football kicker Chris Boswell highlighted the top moments from the NFL Owls in action during Week 12.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

Week 12 results

Vikings (Sendejo) — BYE
Bills 20 – Broncos 3 (Anderson, Callahan)
Patriots 13 – Cowboys 9 (Covington)
Seahawks 17 (Ellerbee, Willson) – Eagles 9
Steelers 16 (Boswell, McDonald) – Bengals 10
Texans 20 (Gaines) – Colts 17

Calvin Anderson, OT, Broncos

Anderson remained inactive this week, delaying his first action with the Broncos for another week. He has yet to play since being signed from the Jets practice squad earlier this year. The Broncos host the Chargers in Week 13.

Bryce Callahan, CB, Broncos

Callahan was placed on injured reserve earlier this season, never playing for the Broncos in 2019. He will be sidelined for the remainder of the year. The Broncos host the Chargers in Week 13.

Christian Covington, DE, Cowboys

Covington notched four tackles against the Patriots, the most he’s tallied in any one game since joining the Cowboys during the offseason. The Cowboys host the Bills on Thanksgiving in Week 13.

Andrew Sendejo, Saf, Vikings

The Vikings were on bye in Week 12. They visit the Seahawks on Monday Night Football in Week 13.

Emmanuel Ellerbee, LB, Seahawks

Ellerbee was placed injured reserve prior to the start of the season. The Seahawks host the Vikings on Monday Night Football in Week 13.

Luke Willson, TE, Seahawks

Even with the bye week to recover, Willson was ruled out prior to the Seahawks’ Sunday win over the Eagles. His status going forward remains in question. The Seahawks host the Vikings on Monday Night Football in Week 13.

Chris Boswell, K, Steelers

Chris Boswell was busy on Sunday. The Steelers’ placekicker connected on three kicks, including what proved to be the game-winning 47-yard blast midway through the fourth quarter. He also knocked through the team’s lone extra-point attempt. The Steelers host the Browns in Week 13.

Vance McDonald, TE, Steelers

McDonald didn’t see much action on Sunday, catching the only pass thrown his way for one yard. The Steelers host the Browns in Week 13.

Phillip Gaines, CB, Texans

Gaines was placed on injured reserve following an ankle injury suffered during the Texans’ Week 8 game against the Colts. The Texans host the Patriots on Sunday Night Football in Week 13.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are others Owls on the cusp of returning to active rosters. Find more detail on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

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For the Rice Football defense, this is only the beginning

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The Rice football defense delivered when at the moment the Owls needed them the most, an occurrence becoming more common with every passing game.

“Thwack.”

For a split-second, there was nothing but the sound of shoulder pads colliding at breakneck speed in the Rice football endzone. The entire stadium held their collective breath, waiting with trepidation for the result of the collision which would decide the game.

The collision was between North Texas wide receiver Michael Lawrence and Rice defensive back Treshawn Chamberlain. Lawerence had just been fed a beautiful ball from quarterback Mason Fine. The preseason C-USA Offensive Player of the Year had been kept at bay all evening by the Rice defense, but he’d gotten the ball to his man in the endzone when it mattered most — on fourth down with the game on the line.

If the pass was caught, North Texas could take the lead for the first time on the ensuing extra point. If it wasn’t Rice would have a good chance to kill the clock and win the program’s second game in its last two tries.

“Thwack.”

“[Chamberlain’s hit] reverberated through everybody’s body,” Bloomgren said. When the mass of bodies cleared, the coach exhaled, blinked, and saw the football lying harmlessly near the “I” in the Rice insignia scrawled across the endzone. Chamberlain’s vicious thump had separated Lawrence from the ball. Incomplete. Rice football.

While what happened next was not a formality, it almost felt predetermined. The Rice defense had won their stand. The offense ran off the remainder of the clock. Rice won.

At risk of stating the obvious, Chamberlain was all smiles after the game. “That hit was one of my biggest hits I’ve ever had,” he said. “I’m going to keep that one for show.” That confidence, a swagger almost, has been building for this defense all season. Had it not been Chamberlain who made the play, it could have been someone else.

More: Takeaways from Rice Football vs North Texas

Blaze Alldredge, who broke Larry Izzo’s school record with his 18th tackle for a loss from the linebacker position this season, was all over the field on Saturday night. Antonio Montero had the first sack of his career. True freshman Tre’shon Devones, Kirk Lockhart and Josh Landrum all had tackles out of the secondary.

Someone was going to step up. That’s how this defense has been built.

“I’m ready when my number’s called,” Alldredge said after the game. “I think everybody on the defense kind of embraces that same mentality that we’re not going to shy away from the limelight. We’re not going to make excuses that we’re too tired. We want to be on the field because we want to show how dominant we are.”

Dominant. That word hasn’t been used in conjunction with the Rice defense for some time. Rice hasn’t finished in the top half of Conference USA in total defense since 2014. After Saturday’s performance, the Owls will be in the top six in total defense in conference games.

On the rise

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Rice will return 10 defensive starters next season. Myles Adams was the lone senior starter for the Rice defense against North Texas. His backup, De’Braylon Carroll, has played extremely well this season, matching Adams’ sack total while making some splash plays of his own.

The 2019 season has been an appetizer for what this collection of talent playmakers is capable of becoming. The growing pains exhibited over the course of the year are being refined before our eyes. This defense is young, really young. And they’re getting better.

Bloomgren cited their passion and energy following the win. Alldredge took it a step further. “Fatigue isn’t something that we even process in this program,” he said. He’s right. When things got tough, the defense didn’t get tired. They got mad. Then they made the hit that changed the game.

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Conference USA Football 2019: Week 13 C-USA Roundup

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Rice football won for their second time in two weeks. FIU pulled a massive upset of their own. That and more from a wild Week 13 for Conference USA Football.

Team Week 13 Result Week 14
Charlotte vs Marshall W, 24-13 at Old Dominion
FAU at UTSA W, 40-26 vs Southern Miss
FIU vs Miami W, 30-24 at Marshall
LA Tech at UAB L, 20-14 vs UTSA
Marshall at Charlotte L, 24-13 vs FIU
MTSU vs Old Dominion W, 38-17 at WKU
North Texas at Rice L, 20-14 vs UAB
Old Dominion at MTSU L, 38-17 vs Charlotte
Rice vs North Texas W, 20-14 at UTEP
Southern Miss vs WKU L, 28-10 at FAU
UAB vs LA Tech W, 20-14 vs North Texas
UTEP at New Mexico St L, 44-38 vs Rice
UTSA vs FAU L, 40-26 at LA Tech
WKU at Southern Miss W, 28-10 vs MTSU

Notable Week 13 results – Standings

Rice Wins Again

After going nine games without wins, Rice football has won twice in the last eight days. The Owls followed up their first road win of the Mike Bloomgren with his first victory over a C-USA West team, holding on to take down Mason Fine and the North Texas Mean Green on Senior Day at Rice Stadium.

Butch Jones gets revenge

There was a time when Butch Davis walked the other sidelines of the former Orange Bowl Stadium. The former Miami head coach led FIU against the Hurricanes this weekend and wasted no time making his mark. FIU jumped out to a 16-0 lead against their crosstown rivals, finishing off Miami for their first Power 5 win in program history.

FAU moves a step closer to clinching the East

FAU took care of business at the Alamodome, beating UTSA with relative ease. Then they got some help from fellow C-USA East squad, Charlotte. The 49ers upset Marshall, knocking them down a peg in the race for the division title. Marshall still holds the tiebreaker against FAU, but sits a game back in the loss column. If FAU wins next weekend they’ll host the C-USA Championship Game.

Potential C-USA Championship Scenarios

Week 14 storylines

Who wins the west?

As the East cleared up the West got messy. Saturday’s results left three teams tied atop the division standings. Louisiana Tech, UAB and Southern Miss all hold 5-2 records entering the final week of the regular season. LA Tech has a step up in the race right now but all three are alive, making the last games of the year particularly intriguing.

Will there be a surprise in the East?

Marshall is still alive and well, even after their Week 13 loss. Marshall hosts FIU in Week 14. If they can beat the Panthers and FAU falls at home to Southern Miss, the Thundering Herd will take the top spot in the East. After watching last weekend’s results, it’s probably fair to assume that just about anything could happen in the final weekend.

Donut watch

Neither UTEP or Old Dominion have managed a win in conference play. The Miners lone victory came over FCS Houston Baptist (by two points). The Monarchs claim a singular win, also over an FCS opponent. They beat Norfolk St (by three points). Both programs will be underdogs at home in Week 14. Will either find enough to pull an upset?

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Rice Football: Owls outlast North Texas on Senior Day

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The 2019 Rice Football senior class went out with a bang, winning their final home game at Rice Stadium over preseason C-USA favorite North Texas.

The hot start exhibited by Rice football in their win over Middle Tennessee last weekend carried over into their final home game of 2019. Before North Texas had run their fifth offensive play the Owls held a 10-0 advantage.

Rice rode that hot start to their second consecutive win, the first time they’ve won back-to-back games since 2016 (at Charlotte, vs UTEP). Here are a few immediate thoughts from the win:

1. Out execute everybody

The Rice offense has morphed a bit throughout the 2019 season. The playbook has been slimmed down and the offense has incorporated more spread concepts than it had in recent weeks. Despite the shift, the Owls have remained loyal to some of their staple in the ground game.

Rice runs the ball out of dozens of different formation. In need of one yard or less on fourth down or on the goal line, they’ve gone to this play more often than not:

Rice stacks the line of scrimmage and puts multiple fullbacks in the box. All 22 players on the field are within five yards of the line of scrimmage. Everyone knows what’s going to happen next — Rice runs this play all the time — it doesn’t matter. The ball is snapped, and Rice gets the first down or the touchdown. Every time.

It’s one thing to put athletes in space and let the best man win. This play is rooted entirely in the 11 guys on offense doing their jobs. If they execute they can get a yard. From my memory, nobody has stopped this play yet this season and Rice has run it at least a dozen times.

2. More opportunities = more points

Midway through the second quarter the Owls looked up at the scoreboard and saw a 20-0 score displayed in the glowing red bulbs. The lead was the largest Rice had achieved this season, amassed in a joint effort from the offense, defense and special teams.

As good as the offense was — and they were great — it was the defensive performance that kept the disparity on the scoreboard so severe. North Texas didn’t get a first down until there were less than three minutes remaining in the first half.

The Mean Green scattered incomplete passes and shortened runs across the field, barely managing a pulse on offense until it was too late. Rice picked off Mason Fine on his second possession, setting up the offense for their first touchdown of the game.

In a potential momentum-swinging moment, Charlie Booker fumbled the ball to North Texas, giving the ball to their opponents in Rice territory for the first time that game. On the very next play, Naeem Smith knocked the ball onto the turf and Rice recovered. The offense took the ball down the field and scored.

The biggest play, though, came on fourth down with 4:20 to play in the game. Mason Fine found Michael Lawrence in the endzone for what could have been the game-winning touchdown. No sooner had the receiver’s fingers touched leather did Treshawn Chamberlain lay a blow that reverberated around Rice stadium. The ball fell to the turf and Rice would go on to win the game.

3. Second half offense is quiet, again

Rice hasn’t scored in the second half of a football game since Oct. 26, a span of 28 days.  Some of that can be explained away by a scheduling quirk, the Owls’ second off weekend came two weeks ago. The rest is a bit puzzling, especially when juxtaposed against the 51 points this team scored in their first halves against Middle Tennessee and North Texas.

The good news for the Owls’ resides in the final box scores of their most recent pair of games. Rice did enough in each of those first halves to not require anything else from their offense after the break.

While it’s not a sustainable strategy and adjustments to any adjustments will need to be made, the results are as positive as Rice fans could ask for. The wins are still wins, but what the offensive looks like in the second half against UTEP will be more heavily scrutinized.

4. Senior Day shows

The 2018 and 2019 Rice football teams have been marked by their youth. Defensive tackle Myles Adams was the lone true senior honored during Senior Day festivities. Those who stood by his side were a mixed bunch.

Their journeys were all unique, but the collective showing from the Owls’ veterans was impressive in their last game at South Main.

  • Aston Walter, playing his final home game in his sixth season of college football, completed his first pass. It went for 27 yards.
  • Charlie Booker, a transfer from Harvard, scored his first Rice touchdown and led the team on the ground with 78 yards rushing.
  • Tom Stewart, also a Harvard transfer, won his first college football game played in the state of Texas.
  • Myles Adams led a front seven that limited North Texas’ starting running back Trey Siggers to 3.2 yards per carry.
  • Nahshon Ellerbe converted the clock-killing run in the final minutes, icing the game for the Owls

5. Finish strong

Rice football won two games in Year Zero under Mike Bloomgren in 2018. Although the rebuilding effort was expected to take several seasons, the lopsided win over Old Dominion to end the year combined with strong efforts on the recruiting front propelled expectations higher entering 2019.

The schedule was unforgiving and the team struggled to finish games. But even after an 0-9 start, Rice now has the opportunity to improve on their win total from last season.

If they can do it, the journey to three wins would have been a wild one — swinging from a certainty to a pipe dream — as the team rattled off a myriad of disparate results. A win their season finale against UTEP would give the Owls tangible improvement in the win column. There have been numerous encouraging moments, but wins and losses will forever be the way athletic success is measured.

Three wins, all coming in the final three games of the season, would be massive for this program, especially considering where things sat just a few weeks ago. Because of Saturday’s Senior Day win over North Texas, the Owls are just one win away. It looks like a lot can happen in one month after all.

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