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Owls in the NFL – Week 17

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Rice football has nine alumni currently active on NFL rosters. Here’s how the NFL Owls fared in their respective Week 17 games.

Chris Boswell, K (Steelers) – Boswell missed the Steelers 2018 regular season finale with a groin injury. His replacement, Matt McCrane connected on all three of his field goal attempt and an extra point, accounting for 10 of the Steelers’ 16 points in their win over the Bengals. Pittsburgh missed the Playoffs.

Bryce Callahan, CB (Bears) – Callahan was placed on injured reserve after breaking a bone in his foot against the Los Angeles Rams. The Bears defeating the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17 and will host the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Wildcard Round.

Christian Covington, DE (Texans) – Covington was credited with one tackle and one quarterback hit in the Texans’ Week 17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Next week the Texans host the Colts in the Wild Card Round.

Phillip Gaines, CB (Browns) – Gaines missed the last four games of the Browns’ season with an injury. The Browns lost their Week 17 game to the Ravens.

Vance McDonald, TE (Steelers) – McDonald was targeted six times in the Steelers’ Week 17 loss. He caught three of those passes for 39 yards including a long of 22-yards, Pittsburgh’s second-longest reception of the day. McDonald caught 50 passes for 610 yards and four touchdowns this season, all career bests.

Andrew Sendejo, S (Vikings) – Placed on injured reserve after missing extended time following a groin injury. The Vikings’ missed the Playoffs.

Jordan Taylor, WR (Broncos) – On the PUP list following off-season surgery. The Broncos missed the Playoffs and have since fired head coach Vance Joseph.

Luke Wilson, TE (Lions) – Wilson missed the Lions’ final game of the regular season. His season ends with 13 receptions for 87 yards. This was the first season of his professional career in which he did not record at least one touchdown.

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Rice Football: 3 Resolutions for 2019

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Rice football made encouraging progress in 2018 in the first year under Mike Bloomgren. Here are three resolutions for the Owls on the gridiron in 2019.

1. To finish off another strong recruiting class

When asked about his 2018 recruiting class in fall camp head coach Mike Bloomgren said he didn’t think there was a miss in the group. On one hand, that feels a lot like coachspeak, but after seeing the season play out how it did, he might be right.

Rice’s depth chart will be filled with underclassmen again this year, but there’s still plenty of room for impact players at the right positions. The Owls signed 17 players in the early signing period. They still have room for several more before the 2019 class is in the books.

2. To not have to play the backup backup backup backup quarterback

Injuries are a part of every football season, but few seasons play out as unfortunate on the injury front as the Owls’ 2018 campaign. Rice lost Shawn Stankavage and Evan Marshman to injury during the year. Jackson Tyner and Sam Glaesmann were bumped down the depth chart for performance and scheme considerations leaving freshman Wiley Green as the next man up when “next man up” was called against FIU.

Entering 2019, Green and Marshman will battle it out for the starting position. Green is probably the frontrunner at this point, but regardless who takes the first snap of the season, Rice would like to not have to find their next starter working with the scout team at the start of the New Year.

3. To win more games

At risk of stating the obvious, the end goal of this game is to win. Rice tallied two victories in 2018, bookending their season with wins over Prairie View and Old Dominion. Two wins is the new floor for the Owls in 2019 and Mike Bloomgren himself said “we will not put a ceiling on this team at any point… what we will do is talk about how we’re going to work.”

The “process” has been talked about for a full year at South Main. 2019 will be Year 2. It won’t be the finished product by any means, but the wheels have been turning long enough for the results to start flowing and they will. Rice had close calls in games against Houston, Hawaii, North Texas and UTEP, among others. If the Owls play more complete games in 2019 the wins will come.

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Rice Athletics 2018: A Year in Review

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Rice athletics produced some memorable moments in 2018. Here’s an overview of how the Owls faired on the court, the field and in the gym over the past year.

Baseball

The Wayne Graham era at South Main came to an end this year. Graham’s 27-season tenure at Rice included 1,173 wins, 23 NCAA Tournament appearances, seven College World Series appearances and one National Championship in 2003. He owns the best winning percentage in school history (.689). Following the season, new head baseball coach Matt Bragga was introduced as the Owls’ next manager.

Basketball (men’s and women’s)

The men have a  roster filled with young players who have fought through growing pains in 2018. The Owls won seven games last season and enter CUSA play with five wins already under their belt.

After making it to the second round of the WNIT last March, the women’s team started strong again in the 2018-2019 season. The squad went 8-3 in non-conference play with one game remaining on Dec. 29 and has aspirations of a CUSA Title and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Football

2018 was an important year for Rice football. Mike Bloomgren earned his first win regular season win and first conference win as a head coach against Prairie View and Old Dominion, respectively. Owls’ star running back Trevor Cobb was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The team finished the year by signing 17 players during the early signing period including Jake Bailey, a Top 15 recruit in Conference USA.

Tennis (men’s and women’s)

The women’s team earned an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament, dropping a heartbreaker to Texas A&M in the Austin Regional. The men failed to make the NCAA Tournament, but Eric Rutledge and Sumit Sarkar were awarded All-CUSA First Team honors in doubles. Rutledge was named to the first team for singles. Sarkar was named to the second.

Soccer (women’s)

The team hung in through a tough 2018 campaign. Needing a tie in their final regular season game to clinch a spot in the CUSA Tournament, Rice topped Charlotte in the finale. The Owls finished the regular season at 4-5-1 before a loss in the conference tournament. There were a couple close calls with a 3-0 shutout of Louisiana Tech marking the top performance of the year.

Swimming (women’s)

Rice ended their year with a bang. The Owls finished second out of 31 scoring teams at the CSCAA National Invitational in March. Kaitlyn Swinney broke the school record for the 400-IM at the meet.

Volleyball

It was a banner year for the Owls’ volleyball squad. They set a program-best winning streak, reeling off 15-straight victories on their way to a Conference USA regular season championship. They’d add a CUSA Conference Championship too, thereby securing their fourth NCAA Tournament berth in school history.

Nicole Lennon, Lee Ann Cunningham and Grace Morgan were named to the CUSA First Team while Anota Adekunle and Carly Graham were selected to the CUSA All-Freshman team.

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Owls in the NFL – Week 16

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Rice football has nine alumni currently active on NFL rosters. Here’s how the NFL Owls fared in their respective Week 16 games.

Chris Boswell, K (Steelers) – Boswell was perfect on a pair of field goals and two extra points against the Saints with a long of 49 yards. Next week the Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals.

Bryce Callahan, CB (Bears) – Callahan was placed on injured reserve after breaking a bone in his foot against the Los Angeles Rams. He will be out the remainder of the season. Next week the Bears travel to the Vikings.

Christian Covington, DE (Texans) – Covington registered two tackles in the Texans last-second loss to the Eagles. Next week the Texans travel host the Jaguars.

Phillip Gaines, CB (Browns) – Gaines was inactive for Sunday’s game against the Bengals. This was his third straight game missed as he works to recover from a knee injury. He’s questionable for next week’s game. The Browns travel to the Ravens.

Vance McDonald, TE (Steelers) – McDonald caught one pass for 49 yards in the Pittsburgh’s loss to the New Orleans Saints. It was the longest play of the day for the Steelers who host the Cincinnati Bengals next week.

Andrew Sendejo, S (Vikings) – Placed on injured reserve after missing extended time following a groin injury. Next week the Vikings host the Chicago Bears.

Jordan Taylor, WR (Broncos) – On the PUP list following off-season surgery. He will not play this season. Next week the Broncos travel to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Luke Wilson, TE (Lions) – Wilson exited the Lion’s Week 16 game against the Minnesota Vikings to be evaluated for a possible concussion. His status is uncertain for next week’s game on the road against the Green Bay Packers.

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Breaking down the 2019 offensive signees

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The 2019 Rice Football signed 17 players during the early signing period including seven on offense and one on special teams. Here’s a further breakdown of the offensive signees.

Offensive line (3) – Hunter Jones, Nick Leverett, Regan Riddle

As long as Mike Bloomgren is in charge at South Main, offensive lineman are going to be a priority. Winning in the trenches is important for this offense so bringing in a high level of talent up front will be a focus of each successive recruiting cycle.

Rice brought in three different offensive lineman, each with a unique set of skills. Nick Leverett, a grad transfer from NC State, will slide into one of the starting tackle positions immediately. He played for offensive coordinator Jerry Mack at NC Central and was described by Bloomgren as someone with “NFL potential.”

Jones and Riddle profile as interior pieces, both of which with plenty of athleticism and ability. Jones was a team MVP in high school and Riddle led a line for a potent Highland Park offense which just won their third straight state championship this year.

Running back (1) – Jawan King

The graduation of Austin Walter plus the transfer of Emmanuel Esukpa presents a much thinner depth chart at the running back position for the Owls in 2019. Juma Otoviano and Aston Walter, who is petitioning the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility, will be the primary backs, but adding talent to this group was still important.

Jawan King isn’t just more talent; he has the potential to be special. King isn’t afraid to initiate contact and run through tackles, and he’s also a tremendous pass catcher with quick acceleration. It’s months before he’ll step foot on the practice field for Rice, but he’s already one of the best ambassadors for the culture coach Bloomgren is working to instill: high-quality football players who are getting a high-quality education.

Tight end (1) – Jack Bradley

There was limited involvement from the tight end position in year one under Mike Bloomgren, but growth should be expected going forward. The Owls utilized this position more for blocking than pass catching, but new addition Jack Bradley can do both. He’s 6-foot-5, 230-pounds and isn’t afraid to get physical at the point of attack. Yet another weapon for a developing offense.

Wide receiver (2) – Bradley Rozner, Zane Knipe

This duo brings complementary skill sets to the table. Zane Knipe is a shifty slot receiver who can stretch the field and take the top off the defense. Adding speed to both sides of the ball was a focus of this class and Knipe will be one of the fastest players on this team in 2019.

Bradley Rozner is the other side of the coin. Rozner led JUCO in receiving touchdowns last year with 13, the same number of receiving scores totaled by the entire Rice offense in 2018. He’s big (6-foot-5, 190 pounds) and physical. Offensive coordinator Jerry Mack called him “explosive” and a key piece in building an even better receiving corps.

Quarterback (o)

The Owls lost their lone quarterback commitment on the first morning of the early signing period. Trevor Bycznski backed out at the 11th hour, leaving the staff with a blank at the position in December. They’re currently evaluating their options — expect Rice to target one more signal caller before National Signing Day in February.

Coach Mack was clear they weren’t going to start throwing out offers at random. “We’re going to take the right person. We want people that want to be here,” he said, before adding, “We want people that are talented enough to be elite players at this level.”

Specialists (1) – Zach Hoban

Rice faces a seemingly insurmountable challenge on special teams next year. They’ll have to find a way to replace to senior specialists with both Jack Fox and Hayden Tobola playing their last games for the Owls in 2018. Zach Hoban could ease the pain from the place kicking perspective.

Hogan has incredible range, recently kicking a 61-yard field goal in Dallas Cowboy Stadium following. The Owls struggled as a unit from deep range, adding someone with that much power is a big win for special teams coach Pete Lembo.

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