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Rice Football 2023: ECU presser quotes and depth chart

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Rice football hosts East Carolina this week. Here’s what Mike Bloomgren had to say about the matchup at hand and a few depth chart notes.

Head coach Mike Bloomgren and a set of players met with the media for their customary weekly availability. They recapped last week’s game and looked ahead at their upcoming matchup with ECU.

Listen Now: The Roost Pod – Breaking down Rice Football vs USF

We touch on those items, then dig into the Rice football depth chart and what the team looks like heading into the weekend. First, the quotes:

Press Conference Quotes

“JT’s health is better today than yesterday, and certainly better and Sunday… I certainly don’t expect him to go full speed today, but he’s preparing to start this weekend… [Number] 18 is playing pretty good football and we’re not going to take him off the field on purpose.” – Mike Bloomgren on the status of quarterback JT Daniels

“You look at their defense, a lot of similarities to what they did last year. Offensively with the new quarterbacks that they’re rolling through, it’s a little bit different, but we can’t forget that this is a balances offense in a lot of ways, right? They’re going to have the ability to take shots. It’s going to look more pro-style, than maybe a collegiate offense.” – Mike Bloomgren on ECU

“My relationship with [ECU head coach Mike Houston] goes back to 2002 when he was the head coach of TC Roberson High School and Asheville, North Carolina and I was coaching Catawba College and I was recruiting his school and going in there talking ball and just hanging out. And now the fact that we’re playing each other on a Saturday in major college football, it’s pretty cool.” – Mike Bloomgren on ECU head coach Mike Houston

“I feel like they’re pretty balanced. They want to run the ball. I feel like the’re a pretty good group, well well coached. Definitely a lot of strain on their offensive line. It’s always good going against competitors so we can’t wait to get in there. But for the most part, they’re pretty balanced.” – Defensive linamen De’Braylon Carroll on ECU

“It was the first time I’ve ever looked up at the jumbotron driver to see if there’s anything behind me. I’ve always watched athletes do that and I was like, ‘How do they do that?’ I don’t understand how they look up while they run, but I just kind of saw it in my peripheral [vision] and used it as a tool.”– Running back Dean Connors on his long TD against USF 

Depth Chart

Rice Football

Depth Chart Notes

The depth chart continues to lack much in the way of fireworks and, as usual, that’s probably a good thing. The uncertain status of quarterback JT Daniels did see the Owls list a third quarterback as a precaution, despite head coach Mike Bloomgren’s optimistic comments at the podium on Tuesday. We’ll have more updates on the latest on the Owls’ quarterback situation in practice notes later this week for subscribers.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 161 – Rice Football falls to USF

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Rice Football came back to earth this weekend, dropping their AAC conference opener to South Florida in painful fashion.

A halftime lead would not be enough for Rice football on the road. The Owls lost quarterback JT Daniels at the tail end of the third quarter and were unable to keep pace with a USF offense that began to score at will. For better or worse, there was a lot to talk trough this week. Let’s recap the game.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 161.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite. Shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Patreon

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Recapping Rice Football vs South Florida

  • JT Daniels was phenomenal
  • State of the quarterback position right now
  • Rawson MacNeill makes a statement
  • The running game remains a concern
  • How much of the defensive woes are systemic? Or was USF that good?
  • What’s the prognosis for this team moving forward?

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

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

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Rice Football 2023: NFL Owls Week 3 Roundup

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Rice Football is well represented on 2023 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 3.

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

Team NFL Owl(s) Week 3 Result Week 4
Denver Broncos Elijah Garcia (DL) at Dolphins L, 70-20 at Bears
Detroit Lions Jack Fox (P) vs Falcons W, 20-6 at Packers
Indianapolis Colts Kylen Granson (TE) at Ravens W, 22-19 (OT) vs Rams
New England Patriots Calvin Anderson (OL) at Jets W, 15-10 at Cowboys
Pittsburgh Steelers Chris Boswell (PK) at Raiders (SNF) W, 23-18 at Texans
Seattle Seahawks Myles Adams (DL) vs Panthers W, 37-27 at Giants (MNF)
Tampa Bay Bucs Nick Leverett (OL) vs Eagles (MNF) L, 25-11 at Saints

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Patriots

Anderson saw only special teams duty this week after starting each of the Patriots’ first two games.

Kylen Granson – TE, Colts

A week removed from his first NFL touchdown, Granson caught two passes for nine yards. That didn’t spoil the fun week he had prior, including this photo shoot with the ball.

Nick Leverett – OT, Buccaneers

Leverett was active for the Bucs again this week, but did not see action in their Week 3 game against the Eagles.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks

For the third consecutive game, Adams was active but did not record any statistics.

Elijah Garcia – DL, Broncos

After being inactive in Week 2, Garcia was active in the Broncos’ Week 3 game against the Dolphins but did not register any tackles.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox was busy on Sunday, punting six times against the Falcons. He placed three balls inside the 20 and had a long of 62 yards.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell was stellar once again, drilling a 57-yard field goal on Sunday Night football, one of three field goals he made on the night, helping propel the Steelers over the Raiders.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are other 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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Rice Football 2023 Game Preview: East Carolina

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Rice football hosts ECU in their first-ever AAC home game this weekend. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

East Carolina dismantled FCS Gardner-Webb this past weekend, much in the same way Rice Football disposed of their FCS opponent, Texas Southern, two weeks ago. The Owls were less fortunate in their conference opener on Saturday against USF, falling 42-29. Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s matchup between Rice and ECU.

Kickoff time | 6:00 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | ESPN+ (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs ECU on this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, streaming live on Wednesday at Noon on the Rice Athletics YouTube channel. Look for a recap of the game on the site afterward as well as on The Roost Podcast, which should be released early next week.

Sizing up the contenders

Rice owns the lone FBS win between these two programs, upsetting Houston to clinch the Bayou Bucket in Week 2. Since then the Owls have seen their star quarterback JT Daniels get knocked out of a game with injury and are in need of some good news. ECU is still searching for an FBS win to alleviate some concerns in Greenville over the sluggish start. It’s a bit early in the season for a must-win game, but both programs really want this one.

Series History

All Time | Tied, 2-2
Last Five | Tied, 2-2
Last Meeting | Home 2010, Rice won 62-38

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Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | Daniels – 80/125 (64.0 percent), 1237 yards, 11 TD, 3 INT
Rushing | Connors – 29 carries, 139 yards (4.8 yards per carry), 1 TD / Alexander – 17 carries, 35 yards (2.1 yards per carry), 5 TD
Receiving | McCaffrey – 20 receptions, 370 yards (18.5 yds/rec), 4 TDs / Walker – 8 receptions, 178 yards (22.3 yds/rec), 2 TD
Tackles | Wyatt, Morrison – 27 / Conti – 22 / Taylor – 20
Pass Breakups | Fresch – 4 / Jean – 3 / Wyatt, Taylor, Narcisse – 2 
Interceptions | Devones – 1

ECU Stat Notables

Passing | Flinn – 34/68 (50.0 percent), 365 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT / Garcia – 32/55 (58.2 percent), 234 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing | Harris – 42 carries, 171 yards (4.1 yards per carry), 3 TD / Garcia – 32 carries, 178 yards (5.6 ypc), 1 TD
Receiving | Johnson – 16 receptions, 178 yards (11.1 yards per reception), 0 TD / Hatfield – 9 receptions, 128 yards (14.2 yds/rec), 0 TD
Tackles | Wood – 30 / Edwards – 29 / Jackson – 19
Pass Breakups | Davis, Wilk, Rogers, Jones tied with 2
Interceptions | Jackson – 1

ECU X-Factor | Protect the Football

ECU enters the game +1 in turnover differential, but they were -3 entering their game against Gardner-Webb before posting a +4 differential in that contest. Even in that game, ECU still turned the ball over once. Through four games, they have yet to post a turnover-free result. That might not matter against an FCS opponent, but it has mattered in their FBS games so far. 

The Pirates lost the turnover battle in each of their first three games and were tied for fourth-worst in the AAC in turnovers entering Saturday. That’s a recipe for disaster, especially on the road. Rice has only forced three turnovers so far this season, but they’ve been close on a few other plays and have enough playmakers on defense to make ECU nervous. They can’t afford to tempt fate here.

Rice X-Factor | Get off the field

For all the missteps Rice football suffered in their loss to South Florida, the inability to get off the field on defense was the most concerning.  Excluding drives that ended in the end of the half, Rice kept USF from scoring three times. Five touchdowns allowed and two field goals, seven scoring drives, against three stops is not sustainable, particularly when everyone in the stadium knows who is getting the ball before the play happens.

If JT Daniels is available, winning a shootout will always be a possibility, and backup quarterback AJ Padgett has flashed in limited duty before, but winning football for Rice will always rely in some capacity on a competent defense. The Owls didn’t have that last weekend and the results were, unfortunately, predictable.

ECU is converting a modest 36 percent of their third downs on offense and scoring 22 points per game, which includes their recent thumping of Gardner-Webb. This shouldn’t be an offense that can run circles around the Rice defense. The Rice pass rush needs a bounce-back game in the worst way, as does the secondary. No matter the quarterback, this one is going to depend on a solid defensive showing. 

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One Final Thing

Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren always likes to fall back on the mantra that things are never as good and never as bad as they feel in the moment. The Owls’ season seemed to be rocketing upward after the Houston win and falling to pieces after the USF loss. This team has to hope the reality is somewhere in between.

There are no more Power 5 opponents on the schedule. Instead, the road ahead should be manageable. If Rice proves they can bounce back and take care of business at home against a sub-.500 team, things will revert back toward their optimistic beginnings. If not, there probably should be some soul-searching done after a strong start.

Regardless, no referendums should be made as a result of any one game. That’s a statement, as I write it, feels doomed to be ignored no matter how the East Carolina game goes. But in all fairness, that’s how this sport is consumed, more often than not and this program showed Saturday it has work to do before it fully earns the benefit of the doubt. 

So, as Bloomgren and his players often say, Rice needs to go 1-0 this week in a very winnable and very much-needed game.

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“We were not at our best”: Rice Football wrestling with AAC opening dud

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Rice football did not impress in their first-ever American Conference game, squandering a halftime lead in disappointing fashion.

Even before star quarterback JT Daniels left the game with an injury in the third quarter, it was a disappointing showing across the board for Rice football in its first-ever American Conference game. The Owls defense got torched for a staggering 597 yards. The running game posted just one (not a typo, that’s literally just one) total yard on the ground. Special teams contributed two missed field goals and a series of well below-average punts.

“Every phase of this game that we played today, offense, defense special teams, we were not at our best, to say the least,” head coach Mike Bloomgren said in the aftermath, specifically singling out his teams’ second half performance.

The Owls led 14-13 at halftime and were outgaining the Bulls while limiting their opponents to just 2-of-5 conversions on third down. When the second half arrived, everything fell apart, starting with the opening series in which USF raced down the field and took the lead before the team was (mentally) back from halftime.

USF scored touchdowns on three successive drives in the second half. Slicing and dicing a Rice defense that had no answers. Rice lost one-on-one matchups over and over again.

“I didn’t think anybody could do that to our defense,” Bloomgren said, stunned.

Even though it reached 29 points, the offense had its own woes. Bloomgren said he decided to “scrap the run game” because of how the Owls were having success down the field. That fizzled when Daniels left, giving way to backup quarterback AJ Padgett who took some time to settle into the game. Unfortunately for the Owls, time was not on their side.

The typically even-keeled Luke McCaffrey, who reeled in nine passes for a career-best 199 yards, owned up to the team’s lackluster day. “I don’t think next Saturday can come soon enough,” he said. “I think this is one of those games you want to make up for.”

Rice plays its first AAC home game next Saturday against East Carolina. JT Daniels’ status is uncertain, but no matter who plays quarterback, Rice has a lot to fix before they return to the field again.



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