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Owls prep for Homecoming vs UTEP, practice notes (11/1)

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Rice football put the finishing touches on their gameplan for their Homecoming game against UTEP, the Owls’ Week 10 opponent.

After a few rough weeks in the middle of the season, the Rice offense is starting to come together. The atmosphere with the unit at practice was extremely positive on Thursday. Injured quarterbacks Shawn Stankavage and Evan Marshman were both there to offer encouragement and participate in the offensive huddle.

They stood by as receivers Austin Trammell and Aaron Cephus flashed in redzone work. Cephus has come a long way from where he started the season and is beginning to understand how to use his large frame to go up and rebound the basketball. His technical skills still need some refinement, but there are few better endzone targets on this offense than him right now. High-pointing the ball was a significant component of these sessions.

Dubbed “Mr. Consistent” by head coach Mike Bloomgren during fall camp, Trammell might have had glue for hands on Thursday. Coming off a career-best 10 reception, 94 yard game against North Texas last weekend, Trammell continues to be the focal point of the passing attack in practice and will continue to absorb targets in the games.

Injury update

The biggest new addition to the Owls’ this weekend will be cornerback D’Angelo Ellis. He’s been close to a return for a few weeks now, but Saturday should be his first action. He credits the strength program with the strides he’s made in recover thus far, saying Hans Straub’s program has helped him gain weight and get bigger and stronger.

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Rebuilding starts in the trenches

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Rice football yearns to be a team that pounds the rock and relies on strong offensive line play. It’s taken some time, but the players in the trenches are starting to gel.

The phrase Intellectual Brutality traveled with Mike Bloomgren from Palo Alto to South Main. The practice is still a work in progress, and that’s largely because the Owls are still working to find their identity in the trenches.

The Rice offensive line started the year as a veteran-laden group of starters which has gotten progressively younger as the season has advanced. From left to right Uzoma Osuji, Jack Greene, Shea Baker, Joseph Dill and Sam Pierce started the Owls first six games together. Then some of the Owls’ true freshman pushed themselves into the mix and stayed there. Clay Servin from Richardson, Tx and Cole Garcia from Dallas, Tx each earned their first starts on the road against FIU at left tackle and left guard, respectively, and kept the starting jobs through the Owls’ next game at North Texas.

“I think this offensive line, with the five guys we’ve got right now, is the best five guys we can have on the field,” Mike Bloomgren said excitedly, adding that Pierce is playing at the best level he’s seen him play this year and center Baker continues to develop into a leader of the unit.

Rice FootballTo get to this point has been a journey. The message from Bloomgren and his staff has been clear to the entire team from day one, something offensive line coach Joe Ashfield echoed regarding his offensive line, “It’s a true meritocracy,” he confirmed, “It doesn’t matter what age you are or how long you’ve been here.”

As the season has progressed freshman have risen through the ranks of that meritocracy at several positions. This system isn’t easy, but the players that have picked it up the quickest have already made their marks on the program.

Players like Antonio Montero, Prudy Calderon and Treshawn Chamberlain have all risen from backups to starters on defense. Garcia, Servin and starting quarterback Wiley Green fought their way to the top of the depth chart in the same fashion. After weeks of churn, the Owls have found consistency. The next step is turning that familiarity into success.

For many of these young guys, adapting to the speed and tenacity of the college game has proven to be the most challenging learning curve. Understanding the schemes and protections are one thing, but being able to implement them in live action is another.

It’s a six-second street brawl every time we’re throwing the ballCole Garcia

Left guard Cole Garcia called it “a six-second street brawl every time we’re throwing the ball” while Servin emphasized the need to “put your hand in the dirt and just go.” That instinct and raw talent, refined with careful coaching, should produce fruit that will pay dividends for years to come. Balancing the long-term goals with the immediate needs is one of the challenges this staff is facing right now.

From a practical standpoint, the Owls need a combination on the line that can keep their quarterback upright. The current situation, as Garcia described it, is that the Owls are “really down to [their] last quarterback.” Something Garcia and the rest of the line take very seriously. “I want my quarterback to leave the game with the cleanest jersey on the field and no scuffs on his helmet,” he said with a jovial, yet serious demeanor.

The coaching staff believes they’ve found the right pieces to succeed. Now it’s time to see if those pieces can come together and play as one, protecting their young quarterback and giving this team an opportunity to win again. Bloomgren tasks every player with doing their one-eleventh, but the offensive line has to do their five-elevenths. If they can work as one, the future up front is bright, not just for this season, but for the very ethos of this Intellectual Brutality culture for years to come.

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Injury updates, healthy quarterbacks, practice notes (10/29)

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Rice football returned to the practice field with a few new faces in the mix on Monday. Here’s the latest from Mike Bloomgren and the Owls.

Quarterback depth chart

There seems to be a bit more clarity at the quarterback position. Wiley Green is the new starter. Behind him, Jackson Tyner saw reps with the second team and Parker Towns threw behind him.

Juma Otoviano and the wildcat package were effective against North Texas. He’ll be in the mix for some reps, but barring an injury, it doesn’t appear that Austin Trammell will see any snaps at quarterback.

Injury update

Wiley Green is healthy. After back-to-back weeks with a banged up signal caller that seemed worth mentioning here. Joining Green in the offensive backfield next week will be Emmanuel Esukpa, who should be 100 percent against UTEP after missing the last two games.

Two faces the Owls’ haven’t seen on the field yet this year were back in action on practice on Monday. Cornerback Isaiah Richardson participated in individual drills and continues to progress. He’s day to day, as is freshman wide receiver August Pitre. He did individual drills and is scheduled to participate in 7-on-7 drills tomorrow. Both these players are on track to available soon but haven’t been ruled in or out against UTEP quite yet.

Running back platoon in full effect

In addition to Esukpa at practice, there were plenty of mouths to feed in the backfield. Aston Walter, Nashon Ellerbee, Austin Walter and Otoviano all saw some touches during practice. They won’t be able to get each guy a ton of volume every week, but the backfield will have plenty of fresh legs whenever Esukpa or Austin Walter need a breather.

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This week in CUSA – Looking ahead at Week 10

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Rice football gave North Texas a scare, but dropped the road contest in Denton, Tx. How did the rest of the conference fare and what’s next for Conference USA football in Week 10?

Team Last Week Result This Week
Charlotte vs Southern Miss W, 20-17 at Tennessee
FAU vs LaTech L, 21-13 at FIU
FIU at WKU W, 38-17 vs FAU
LaTech at FAU W, 21-13 at Mississippi State
Marshall — OFF — — at Southern Miss
MTSU at ODU W, 51-17 vs WJU
North Texas vs Rice W, 41-17 — OFF —
ODU vs MTSU L, 51-17 — OFF —
Rice at North Texas L, 41-17 vs UTEP
Southern Miss at Charlotte L, 20-17 vs Marshall
UAB at UTEP W, 19-0 vs UTSA
UTEP vs UAB L, 19-0 at Rice
UTSA — OFF — — at UAB
WKU vs FIU L, 38-17 at MTSU

Notable Week 9 results

Rice came close

The process continues to churn for Rice football in 2018. The Owls have lost eight consecutive games, but each successive contest feels more and more winnable. Rice was tied 17-17 with North Texas with minutes to play in the third quarter before a late rally turned the game into a blowout. It’s only a matter of time before this team breaks through.

The Lane Kiffin hype train is off the tracks

When Lane Kiffin signed his 10-year contract last season people balked. How could Kiffin stay at FAU that long? Losing appears to be the answer. The former NFL and college coach has only dirtied his resume this year with a few high-profile losses and no shot at a conference title. Kiffin could very well turn it around, but at the moment he seems to be fighting an uphill battle.

Conference USA East is pretty good

Outside of a hapless Western Kentucky team and a woefully inconsistent ODU squad the rest of CUSA East is looking fairly competitive. Charlotte’s win over Southern Miss made for the fourth team in that division with three wins or more in conference play. The 49ers weren’t supposed to be here, and they’re two games better than FAU. Nothing makes sense, but that’s where we are.

Week 10 storylines

Who will rule the sunshine state?

FAU was projected to be the favorite in the East, instead, it’s FIU that sits atop the division at the midpoint of conference play. The two Florida schools meet in Week 10 with bragging rights on the line. A win against their in-state rivals would do wonders for the Panthers’ momentum.

Battle for the bottom

UTEP and Rice meet in Houston with last place in CUSA West on the line. Neither of these schools have a win in conference play and Rice’s only win came two months ago in Week 0. Both of these schools are in rebuilding mode, but proving progress is being made will be extremely important for both Mike Bloomgren and Dana Dimel.

SEC surprise?

There will be a handful of SEC matchups with CUSA teams in the month of November. Both Charlotte (at Tennesee) and Louisiana Tech (at Mississippi State) will get their crack at an upset in Week 10. Both teams have shown some punch this season, but a win over an SEC school would be a tall order. Nevertheless, that’s why they play the games.

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Owls’ need to turn three-quarter performance into full game

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Head coach Mike Bloomgen and Rice football were close for most of their loss to North Texas, right up until the fourth quarter.

Four. There are four quarters in a college football game. That’s what put head coach Mike Bloomgren’s analysis of the Owls’ play on Saturday into the proper context. “For three quarters I couldn’t have been prouder of how we played,” Bloomgren remarked following the loss. “We started off the game the way we wanted to,” he said, “but when the game is on the line… their guys made more plays than we did.”

That’s not the first time Bloomgren has sung that tune following a Rice loss this season. Hopefully, it is the last.

Remedying those woes is an objective shared by the Owls’ new starting quarterback, Wiley Green. “That fourth quarter is definitely something we gotta to work on,” Green said, “We just gotta learn how to finish. At the end of the day that’s what matters and that’s how you win football games.”

Winning football games is something Rice hasn’t done in eight consecutive tries. More often than not, this team shows progress. But they haven’t reached the point where they can overcome their own mistakes. As good as the Owls’ opponents have played of late, there’s been a steady undercurrent of Rice beating themselves. The coaching staff has seen it, too.

“From a mental standpoint, we’re not able to overcome those things,” Bloomgren admitted, “When we make a mistake or have something go against us like that we fold instead of poking out our chest and finding a way to get over it.”

Through all the bad, glimmers of hope still remain. On Saturday it was three quarters. Prior to that the Owls had been looking for a full half, or even a single touchdown at all. The effort is there. It’s the execution that’s lacking. Execution can be coached; effort can’t.

Bloomgren summarized his session with one reassuring comment, “As long as the coaches and the players are going to give everything they have to this program we’re going to find a way. The wins are going to come. We just gotta keep working.”

The Owls’ next game is against UTEP at home for Homecoming. There’s no better time to pick up their first conference win like the present.

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