The source for Rice sports news

Practice notes – Thanksgiving plans and more Wiley Green

By

Rice football has one more game left in 2018 against Old Dominion. The Owls are hard at work doing everything they can to make it a victory.

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate and be with family, but there’s still plenty of football to be played. Coach Mike Bloomgren has found a way to do both. Rice will practice in the morning on Thursday before joining together for a family-style feast. The meat will be catered and the families will bring sides and share the meal together at the Patterson Center.

Bloomgren has spent his tenure at Rice working to build a family. Nothing says family more than a shared Thanksgiving meal together. Culture is built over time — and over food. Now, a few notes on practice from Wednesday.

More quarterback shakeup?

Shawn Stankavage started against Louisiana Tech and LSU after returning from injury, giving freshman Wiley Green enough of a break to ensure he would retain his redshirt this season. Green is eligible to play one more game in 2018 and should be in the mix to see significant minutes on Saturday.

Neither of the other backup quarterbacks are expected to play meaningful roles on Saturday. Jackson Tyner attempted one pass against LSU. Parker Towns has run a spread package which incorporated his legs and saw limited success.

D’Angelo Ellis continues to impress

Ellis led the team in receptions and yardage against LSU with a pair of acrobatic sideline catches. His ball skills might be the best on the team. Combine those with top-flight speed and Rice has a weapon they’ll continue to feature on offense. He had a few more head-turning catches at practice on Wednesday.

Injury update

  • Collin Whitaker suffered a foot injury in the second quarter against LSU and was in a boot during practice on Wednesday. He won’t be available against Old Dominion.
  • Wide receivers August Pitre and Brendan Harmon are both doubtful. Harmon will be evaluated on game day and has the better chance to play of the pair.
  • Prudy Calderon injured his shoulder against LSU but will be available to start and play as usual.
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Mike Bloomgren talks about finishing strong, Old Dominion press conference notes

By

Rice football had the chance to go up against an SEC foe in Week 12. The team learned a lot, but now they look ahead to Old Dominion and the last game of the 2018 season.

Mike Bloomgren on the team’s performance against LSU

They stood toe to toe with those guys and they hit, and they hit, and they hit. I thought it was a physical football game.

Bloomgren on the upcoming game against Old Dominion

It’s going to be a great challenge for us. We know it’s going to be a four quarter battle. We want it to be a four quarter battle. We’ve got to get it to deep water and give our guys a chance to win this game. If we can play like we’re capable of on O and D and let special teams be the difference for us we’re going to be happy with those results.

Bloomgren on how big a win would be this weekend

For my sanity, it would be huge. For the direction of the program, it would be a big boost in recruiting. I think winning this football game would mean a lot to this program…It’s a constant battle of doing the things you win football games, preparing the right way. We always use the word process around here.

Bloomgren on his confidence in the program

I am disappointed that our record wasn’t better for these kids. I am not wavering in our belief that we’re going to get it done. We’re going to play in bowl games and we’re going to win championships here.

Captain Zach Abercrumbia on the significance of a win over ODU

Faith is believing in things unseen. Right now we’re holding onto the faith that we’re making progress. And we are… but to get a win would finally get us something tangible to hold on to.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Defensive back Kirk Lockhart commits to Owls

By

The 2019 Rice football recruiting class continues to pick up steam, this time with the commitment of Cedar Hill defensive back Kirk Lockhart.

More: Complete list of 2019 Rice football commits after the early signing period

As the early signing period approaches the only thing better than one commitment is two. Safety Hunter Henry made his pledge Sunday. The Owls got another commit on Monday. Rice doesn’t intend to fill every spot in their 2019 recruiting class by mid-December, but getting some key pieces in early will go a long way toward building momentum for the stretch run into National Signing Day.

The latest addition to the 2019 Rice football recruiting class was Cedar Hill safety Kirk Lockhart from Cedar Hill High School. His teammate, defensive back Josh Landrum is also on the Owls radar.

Rice had 10 members in their 2019 class before Lockhart made his commitment. That number now sits at 11 meaning the Owls are likely about halfway through a haul that could be rather sizable for head coach Mike Bloomgren’s first complete class after taking over the job last winter.

Lockhart had offers from East Texas Baptist and Carroll College. His offer list isn’t very long, a fact that is somewhat surprising giving the intensity and aggression he plays with on the defensive side of the ball. He flies to the ball quickly and makes tackles — something that Owls’ fans have learned not to take for granted this season.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound safety plays like he was shot out of a cannon. He knows where the ball is at all times and puts himself in position to make a play, whether that’s in the air or taking a player to the ground himself.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Safety Hunter Henry commits to Owls

By

The 2019 Rice football recruiting class just picked up an important addition. Safety Hunter Henry has committed to the Owls.

More: Complete list of 2019 Rice football commits after the early signing period

It seemed like only a matter of time before Lake Travis safety Hunter Henry made it official and committed to Rice. He was on campus this summer and loved the experience. He was back for the Owls’ game against UTEP and although the result wasn’t what he’d hoped for, he saw an opportunity to contribute.

247 Sports tabbed Henry as a 3-star recruit and the No. 269 player in the state of Texas. At the time he committed to Rice he had offers to play for Texas State, Princeton, Liberty and Houston Baptist. Rice has long been considered a leader in his recruitment and now he’s pulled the trigger and decided to be an Owl.

Henry is a hard-hitting safety that plays with physicality from all areas of the field. He’s already bought into the Intellectual Brutality culture and loves what this coaching staff is building at South Main. It finally got to the point where he couldn’t wait any longer, making the decision midweek following the UTEP game to tell the staff he was all in.

The Owls’ secondary doesn’t have a ton of depth, making the commitment of Henry a huge get for the 2019 class. More should follow. Expect this coaching staff to add to the back end of the defense with a few more key recruits before the class is finished.

Henry checks in at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds — plenty of power that comes in from center field in a hurry. It doesn’t take much more than a cursory look over his film to understand what the staff loves about Henry as a prospect. He’ll be hitting ballcarriers wearing the blue and grey soon enough.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Why playing the blue bloods matters

By

Rice football fell 42-10 in Death Valley to LSU in Week 11, but a score doesn’t accurately convey how meaningful this game was to this program.

Optically a 30+ point defeat doesn’t look good in a box score. Rice was outgained on the ground and through the air. The defense bent and bent some more. In the midst of what ended up becoming a one-sided affair, this team grew up.

Trailing by multiple touchdowns from the first quarter on, Rice fought. “In this world where it’s so easy to hit the reset button and to just quit, I don’t think you say any of our guys quit today,” said head coach Mike Bloomgren after the game, “I thought you saw them fight until the scoreboard said 0:00.”

As alluded to in the initial postgame reaction, playing the best teams makes you better. Against LSU, Rice had to play faster, hit harder and be more aggressive than they’d been at any point this season. Leaving Tiger Stadium with a loss is indicative of more work that needs to be done, but senior running back Aston Walter said the team was glad to have this chance.

“It was a great experience,” relayed Walter, “I feel like I got better this game, I fell like a lot of my teammates got better this game. It was good to say we played one of the top 10 teams in the country.” Their resolve was tested. Nevertheless, tucked away in a one-sided affair on the scoreboard were moments that individuals on this team will remember forever.

Freshman running back Juma Otoviano scored his first career touchdown. Hayden Tobola drilled a 51-yard field goal. Senior punter Jack Fox silenced the crowd with a booming kick, scampering down the field to make the tackle on his first punt of the day. All on one of the nation’s biggest stages against one of the nation’s best teams.

Fox called the moment “indescribable” and Walter echoed it, speaking positively about the trial-by-fire moment that forced he and his teammates to grow up quickly. Both players and Mike Bloomgren shared a crystal clear message. Winning and losing is what matters the most at the end of the day, but getting a chance to go 10 rounds with the best of the best is an unforgettable experience. One that, if you let it, impacts how you play your game moving forward.

The Owls are hoping they can harness those feelings and produce one more win next Saturday at home against Old Dominion.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts