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Rice Football 2021 Game Preview: Bayou Bucket vs Houston

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Rice Football continues its tour of former Southwest Conference foes, squaring off with Houston in Week 2. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Rice football fans experienced the full range of emotions last, ending with a heartbreaking thud. The Owls saw a 10-point lead vanish as they fell on the road to Arkansas.

Houston had the good fortune of playing in their own city, squaring off with Texas Tech at NRG Stadium. Houston led by as 14 points on two separate occasions, but the Cougars were outscored 28-0 in the second half. Both teams enter Week 2 with a sour taste in their mouths and plenty of motivation.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 5:30 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | CSB Sports Network
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Houston this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, streaming live on Wednesday at Noon on the Rice Athletics YouTube channel. You can also catch the recap of last week’s game on The Roost Podcast, which should be released shortly. 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

During our preseason survey of the Rice football opponents, the significance of the Bayou Bucket was noted in a conversation with Sam and Dustin of The Scott and Holman Pawdcast on The Roost Podcast. After opening losses, both rife with reasons for each respective fanbase to voice their frustrations, this Week 2 game looms large.

For Rice, this contest is sandwiched between Power 5 opponents. And if the Owls were unable to close against Arkansas, the task won’t be any easier against Texas in Week 3. Losing this week against Houston could pave the way for an 0-3 start for a team touted as one of the program’s best in recent history.

Houston has reason to worry, too. No matter how realistic they might have been, the Cougars have conference championship expectations. Outside of Cincinnati and possibly UCF, the rest of the AAC looked decidedly underwhelming in Week 1. Houston could rise from 0-2 to challenge for a conference title, but the optics would make such an endeavor seem like wishful thinking at best. All those factors combined make for a rather significant Week 2 rivalry game.

Series History

All Time | Houston leads 31-11
Last Five | Houston leads 5-0
Last Meeting | Home 2018, Houston won 45-27

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Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Green – 12/25 (48.0 percent), 152 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing | Griffin – 13 carries, 35 yards (2.7 yards per carry)
Receiving | Pitre – 4 receptions, 97 yards (24.3 yards per reception), 1 TD / Bailey – 4 receptions, 47 yards (11.8 yds/rec)
Tackles | Montero – 11 / Chamberlain – 10 / Morrison – 9
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Smith – 1 PBU, Fresch – 1 INT

Houston Stat Notables

Passing | Tune – 27/38 (71.1 percent), 174 yards passing, 2 TD, 4 INT
Rushing | Car – 13 carries, 37 yards (2.8 yards per carry)
Receiving | Dell – 7 receptions, 80 yards (11.4 yards per reception), 1 TD / Trahan – 6 receptions, 42 yards (7.0 yds/rec)
Tackles | Mutin – 8 / Jones – 8 / S. Williams – 5
Interceptions/Pass Breakups | D. Williams / Anenih – 1 PBU, no interceptions

Houston X-Factor |  Calm Tune

Houston jumped out to a 21-7 lead over Texas Tech last week but was unable to hold the early advantage thanks in large part to the play of their quarterback Clayton Tune. At one point in the game, ESPN gave the Cougars an 88.6 percent chance of victory. Then tune threw four interceptions, including one that was returned for the game-tying touchdown.

After several disjointed years marred by injuries, COVID-19 cancelations and an uncertain quarterback room, 2021 was supposed to be the year Tune put it all together. The depth chart is rather bare behind Tune. For better or worse, he’s the guy. If he turns in a similar performance against a ravenous Rice defense, Houston is going to be in for a very long day.

Rice X-Factor | First and second down

The quarterback situation is clearly at the top of the priority list for Rice, but given what we’ve seen about this team to this point and the dominance of the defense, the Owls shouldn’t need a herculean effort on that front to position themselves for a win.

No matter the trigger man, Rice has to do better on first and second down.

Rice started the Arkansas game facing third down lengths of the 8-yards, 9-yards, 3-yards, 5-yards, 14-yards, 6-yards, 8-yards and 9-yards. They converted twice.

It’s one thing to remain committed to running the football. It’s another to set yourself up to have to convert third and long too often. If Rice does that, they’re not going to find any sort of rhythm.

Pick ‘Em Contest (Subscribers only)

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Injury Report (Subscribers only)

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Need More?

The Roost’s 2021 Rice Football Season Preview has FIVE pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and positional breakdowns for every team in Conference USA sourced from local beat writers and sources on the ground who cover these teams every day. It’s the most thorough C-USA publication on the market.

One Final Thing

No definitive answer was given following the Owls’ Week 1 loss to Arkansas regarding how the quarterbacks would be deployed going forward. Head coach Mike Bloomgren is fiercely loyal, but and his staff have some hard conversations to have this week about the most important position player on the field.

Wiley Green was 12-for-25 in the opener, throwing for 152 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Luke McCaffrey was 5-for-10 for 75 yards in what amounted to two drives and a short portion of garbage time.

Given the defense Rice brings to the table, they might not need a perfect outing this week under center. But establishing some semblance of a rhythm is paramount with conference play looming soon. Bloomgren frequently preaches that teams make the biggest jump from game one to game two. They need to see that adjustment at quarterback this week.

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Rice Football squanders halftime lead as Arkansas rallies past Owls

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Rice Football put Arkansas on the ropes in Fayettville, but couldn’t muster enough on offense to finish the job as the Owls fall in their season opener.

Those inside the hedges believed 2021 could be a special season for Rice football. The Owls’ schedule wasn’t going to allow them to ease into the season, opening on the road against Arkansas. Rice hadn’t won a game against an SEC opponent since 1980, but the defense came out throwing haymakers and made it clear from the start this was going to be a competitive game.

Arkansas would score first, but Rice would chip away, taking a 10-7 lead into halftime courtesy of a touchdown run from Jordan Myers. Then Wiley Green turned up the volume on the Rice football offense on this connection from Green to August Pitre:

That touchdown pass put Arkansas on notice. From that point, the game was officially on. Rice withstood Arkansas’ initial second-half surge, but the momentum turned when Wiley Green made a crucial mistake. Green was intercepted on a pass in which his arm was hit while he threw. Perhaps excusable, even if costly, Green doubled-down with an interception on his very next pass: a third down attempt in relief of McCaffrey whose helmet had come off on the prior play.

When the dust settled, Arkansas would score 24 unanswered points. The defense which had held up for so long was unable to support a Rice offense that was shut out for the final 25 minutes of regulation after the touchdown from Green to Pitre to start the second half.

The Roost Podcast: Stay tuned for the game recap this week 

Green was given the vast majority of the snaps and finished 12-for-25 with one touchdown, three interceptions and a fumble. McCaffrey attempted seven passes, completing four of them for 60 yards and carrying the ball four times for eight yards. Head coach Mike Bloomgren will have a lot to think through when it comes to how he handles the quarterback position moving forward. Green finished extremely poorly and even still, McCaffrey never really got much of a chance.

Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Surviving early missed opportunities

Whether it was early game jitters or just bad luck, there were a few significant moments early in this game that did not favor the Owls.

The first was a third-down snap for Arkansas. Quarterback KJ Jefferson was greeted in the backfield almost immediately by a charging Treshawn Chamberlain but was able to bounce free. His 245-pound frame was too much to bring down with the glancing blow. Then he rumbled for a the first down. Rather than punt or attempt a long field goal, Arkansas would score late on the drive.

On the ensuing Rice possession, Arkansas linebacker Grant Morgan was ejected for targeting, setting the Owls up near midfield. They were unable to score. The Owls’ next two drives would begin at the Arkansas 35-yard line and the Arkansas 21-yard line. They walked away with three points.

Rice football kept this game at arms-length early, but it’s not unreasonable to think they should have been leading Arkansas at the start of the second quarter, quite possibly by two scores.

Quarterback carousel

Bloomgren announced before the game that Wiley Green would start and Luke McCaffrey would enter the game for the third series. He was true to his word, with one exception: McCaffrey did enter the game for one play following Grant Morgan’s ejection, presumably so Green could regroup after the hit. Green was back in on the next play.

McCaffrey led the offense from the Arkansas 35-yard line to the 18-yard line, but wasn’t able to hit Cedric Patterson in the corner of the endzone on third down. That would be his final full drive of the first half, but not his final snaps.

McCaffrey would return to the game for two third down plays later in the first half. On both occasions, he handed the ball off, creating a rather odd sequence. Green would operate the offense on first and second down before McCaffrey entered for a running play to someone other than himself. The lack of cohesion was evident.

The offense did not move the ball well under Green, but the flip-flopping mid-drive didn’t seem to do either quarterback any favors. McCaffrey would get a series in the third quarter. When he was allowed to operate he moved Rice down the field with a big completion to August Pitre.

Field position and time of possession

Neither field position, nor time of possession, are particularly “sexy” stats. Most people, understandably, turn their eyes to touchdowns, yards and points in the boxscore at first blush. But those two less-than-glamorous stats proved pivotal for Rice in this game, and they’ll like be staples in how the Owls hope to play this season.

Rice football controlled the time of possession battle. The defense forced five three-and-outs in the first half, stopping the Razorbacks’ up-tempo offense from gaining much momentum. Then the Owls took over and grinding out the clock.

Rice dominated the field position as well. There were a couple of touchbacks they’d like back on Charlie Mendes punts, but the special teams and the defense more than made up for those with a white-hot start. Rice’s average field position in the first half was the 50-yard line. Night and day different from Arkansas’ average start of their own 17.

In the first half alone, Rice began drives at the Arkansas 49, Arkansas 24, Arkansas 7, Rice 48 and Arkansas 49.

Digging deeper

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Defense, Defense and more defense

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Rice Football 2021 Game Preview: Season opener vs Arkansas

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Rice Football is set to open its 2021 season on Saturday at Arkansas. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

The 2021 Rice Football season opens this coming Saturday against Arkansas. The quarterback battle remains unsettled, but expectations for the Owls’ 2021 season remain high.

The Owls’ first opponent, Arkansas, also finds itself riding a wave of increasing expectation. The Razorbacks showed progress under Sam Pittman last fall, proving to be a tough out in the SEC despite their first-year coach at the helm. Getting back to a bowl game is part of the marching orders in 2021, and that starts, they believe, with a home tilt with Rice.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 1:00 PM CT
Venue | Razorback Stadium – Fayetteville, AR
TV | ESPN+ / SEC+ (Streaming)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Arkansas on this week’s episode of The Roost Podcast which will be released later in the week. 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.) If you haven’t yet, consider checking out our extended offseason interviews with folks like Phil Steele, Shehan Jeyarajah, and notable Owls like Christian Covington, Jack Fox, Austin Trammell, Aston Walter and more!

Sizing up the contenders

Rice football is kicking off its season on Labor Day Weekend, more than a month ahead on the calendar of when they opened their 2020 season. Last fall the Owls played their first game on October 24, just barely getting two games in before the calendar turned to November. This time around they’ll open against another team playing their first game, rather than their seventh.

Last season went better for Arkansas than in years past, but the Hogs have had trouble in their most recent outings with Conference USA opponents. They fell to Western Kentucky 45-19 in 2019 and lost to North Texas 44-17 in 2018. That was under a different coaching staff, but the losses still sting.

Series History

All Time | Arkansas leads 35-29-3
Last Five | Arkansas leads 4-1
Last Meeting | Road 1991, Arkansas won 20-0

Rice Stat Notables (Returning 2020 Leaders)

Passing | McCaffrey (at Nebraska) – 48/76 (63.2 percent), 466 yards, 1 TD, 6 INT
Rushing | Griffin – 72 carries, 249 yards (3.5 yards per carry)
Receiving | Myers – 24 receptions, 209 yards (8.7 yards per reception), 1 TD / Bailey – 23 receptions, 276 yards (12.0 yds/rec), 2 TD
Tackles | Garcia- 28 / Chamberlain – 27 / Montero – 24
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Bird – 3 PBU, Five returning players tied with 1 INT

Arkansas Stat Notables (Returning 2020 Leaders)

Passing | Jefferson – 20/41 (48.8 percent), 295 yards passing, 3 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Smith – 134 carries, 710 yards (5.3 yards per carry), 5 TD
Receiving | Burks – 51 receptions, 820 yards (6.1 yards per reception), 7 TD / Smith – 22 receptions, 159 yards (7.2 yds/rec), 1 TD
Tackles | Morgan – 110 / Pool – 101 / Catalon – 99
Interceptions/Pass Breakups | Morgan, Pool, Brown – 5 PBU / Catalon, Clark – 3 INT

Arkansas X-Factor | Will the front seven turn the corner?

Arkansas was, for the most part, unable to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks last season. Their 14 sacks in the span of 10 games were the fewest of any SEC team and nine of those sacks came in their first four games. The more they put on tape, the less pressure they were able to generate.

That’s going to have to change if Arkansas is going contend with the rigors of an SEC schedule, but it’s equally imperative against the Owls, too. Rice hasn’t been particularly effective on third and long under Mike Bloomgren and has seen drives stall out when the sticks get too far away. If Arkansas can put Rice behind the chains early, they’ll force them off schedule.

There’s optimism that the Rice passing game is going to be better in 2021 than in the recent past, but that doesn’t change the Owls’ commitment to running the football. More pressure will throw those plans out of whack. Arkansas needs to find a way to make that happen.

Rice X-Factor | Generate explosive plays

Rice averaged 1.3 gains of 30+ yards per game in 2020, near the bottom of Conference USA. The Arkansas defense allowed 1.9 such explosive plays last fall, one of the better marks in the SEC. If Rice ends this game anywhere in that ballpark when it comes to field-flipping type plays, they’ll be in trouble.

The defense proved it could win games on its own in 2020, accounting for five turnovers and a defensive score in the shutout win against Marshall. But that’s more likely to be the exception than the rule moving forward. Rice is going to have to help its defense by sprinkling in some big offensive plays, too.

Whether it’s via the legs of one of Luke McCaffrey, their stable of running backs or a big catch from a suddenly deep receiving corps, Rice needs to find ways to shorten drives and maximize every offensive possession. If they can get a couple of big plays in each half they’ll force Arkansas onto their heels, in turn, enabling the Rice defense to feast.

Pick ‘Em Contest (Subscribers only)

Make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. There will be swag and prizes for the top finishers at the end of the season. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and comment on this post on the Patreon page to enter. It’s that easy.

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?

Injury Report (Subscribers only)

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Need More?

The Roost’s 2021 Rice Football Season Preview has FIVE pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth charts, important new arrivals and positional breakdowns for every team in Conference USA sourced from local beat writers and sources on the ground who cover these teams every day. It’s the most thorough C-USA publication on the market.

One Final Thing

There hasn’t been any beating around the bush when it comes to discussing expectations at South Main. Rice football expects to be playing in a bowl game at the end of this season, which makes the nonconference slate all the more important. The schedule is brutal (at Arkansas, vs Houston, at Texas, vs Texas Southern), but postseason rules won’t be as forgiving in 2021.

We’re going to learn a lot about this team over the next four weeks, starting with the opener against Arkansas. Be patient. The schedule will get easier and the talent on this team will shine through.

With that quick caveat, it’s also worth noting oddsmakers give Rice a better chance of beating Arkansas (the Owls are currently 20-point underdogs) than they did to beat Marhsall (Rice entered that game as 24-point underdogs). Math isn’t deciding the outcome of this game, but the “experts” are giving Rice a fighting chance. Sometimes, that’s all you need.

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Rice Football 2021 Media Days Roundup: Top Quotes

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Members of the 2021 Rice football team and coaching staff met with the media this past weekend to preview the 2021 season. Here are some highlights.

Shortly after the first scrimmage of fall camp, members of the Rice football team and coaching staff traded the grass for microphones to discuss the upcoming 2021 season. Below are a selection of quotes from members of the staff and players.

Mike Bloomgren on the timeline for a starting QB decision

“I don’t feel a need to call a winner anytime soon. I’d rather it not drag into game week and I’d rather it not drag into the third week [of camp], if we can help it.”

Bloomgren on the depth on defense

“We roll guys in and out and there shouldn’t ever be a big difference depending on who’s in the game and who’s not. I mean, that’s the way they set the standard over there. If you’re going to play in the top two you’re going to play meaningful snaps and you better be ready to come in and do your job.”

Defensive Coordinator Brian Smith on the experience of the defense:

“Returning all the starters that we have, the experience that we have, so when we get in a tough situation I know how they’re going to respond. That level of trust that’s been built, that’s what gives me the most confidence. We’ve been through some battles before with most of these guys and I know how they’re going to respond to adversity. We’re playing together right now as a defense. Guys are communicating. They know what they’re doing, and when you know what you’re doing, you can play faster.”

Offensive Coordinator Marques Tuiasosopo on training camp:

“We’re right in the meat and potatoes of installs and training camp. We’ve said scrimmage you make the biggest strides, usually, In my experience, from scrimmage one to scrimmage two and I think I’m really excited to see what that looks like in the next four or five days.”

“Training camp is supposed to be tough, and our staff we challenge our guys daily. We try to make it as hard as possible. So when we get to game day it becomes easy. And I think they’re right on track.”

Tuiasosopo on the quarterbacks and the scheme

“We’re going to run the football and we want to have a smart passing game where we take advantage of what the defense is giving us. Regardless of who we bring in here [at quarterback], it’s being able to mold what they do well, individually, and how it fits within the structure of our system.”

Special teams coordinator Chris Monfiletto on the continuity of the coaching staff

“Yeah, I mean, it’s unbelievable. It’s everything that you want in a job, right? It’s everything that you want in a boss, somebody that if you provide value to the program is going to be able to promote you. I’m so grateful for that. I think that that gives the guys on the team tangible evidence that if you’re going to provide value to the team there’s going to be a role for you and we’ll find a role for you on the field. It’s not just the coaching staff, it’s every member of the team from the walk-ons to the guys that maybe haven’t played in the past. You keep working hard and you keep providing value, and then there’s going to be an opportunity.”

Tight end Jordan Myers on his confidence in the offense

The more you’re in the offense, the more comfortable you get in it, the calmer you can be. That’s just when you go out and play football and that’s what we can here to do, paly football and have fun.”

Myers on expectations for the season

“The standard is always be 1-0 at the end of every week. We want to prepare like we’re going for championsips. We want to prepare like we’re going to win bowl games. That’s the thing that we always talk about in this building and that’s never changed”

Safety Naeem Smith on the defense

“I’m happy where we’re at, but at the same time, we have even higher expectations… Two things we gotta do better is just try and create turnovers and sacks and things like that, but overall, happy with where we’re at but we still have a long ways to go before the season.”

Wide receiver Bradley Rozner on returning to action

“I just want to be on the field playing again. I love this game. I’ve been playing it for a very long time and I’m gonna keep playing for as long as I can because I know these days are numbered. It’s a fun game. I love the grind, the competitiveness of all of it. Wherever the coaches see me, that’s where I’ll be.”

Rozner on the wide receiving corps

“We can stretch the ball vertically, horizontally, diagonally, it doesn’t’ matter. I feel like we can go anywhere with the guys we have and we can be really explosive and make plays all over the field.”

Safety Treshawn Chamberlain on defensive improvement

“There’s always ways to get better. A lot of people might miss the small errors, but when we are in the film room, we’re critiquing ourselves to a tee… There’s always another level that you can take it. And that’s what we’ve been attacking, we’ve been focusing on where our mind needs to be before the play even starts.”

Quarterback Wiley Green on the leap he expects on offense

“There’s always room for improvement. But we expect that jump to be now. We expect that jump to be happening this season. We expect that jump to be week one against Arkansas so we really expect to be able to put some points on the board, especially when we’re down close in the red zone and make it happen.”

Quarterback Luke McCaffrey on the type of player he is

It depends. I think the biggest thing that I want to be as a football player, I want to be somebody who goes out there and has the ability to make a play when it’s needed and has the ability to run an offense when that’s needed. And so I think that that is a very diverse skill set and, and I’m lucky enough to have the guys around me to let that happen.”

What’s next?

Rice football will play their second scrimmage of fall camp this coming Saturday. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the week (including a deep-dive on the quarterback position) and look for a debrief following that scrimmage.

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Rice Football 2021 Fall Camp Report: Defense dominates in first scrimmage

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As has been the case in recent years, the Rice football defense stole the show in the first scrimmage of fall camp. Here are a few things we learned.

The first official scrimmage of fall camp is in the books and there’s a lot to unpack. As expected Wiley Green and Luke McCaffrey split first-team reps, but they were the only players who had their performances scrutinized on Saturday. There will be more on them coming soon. For now, a few notes of impressive performers and takeaways from who was (and wasn’t) available.

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For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Practice reports are reserved for our subscribers. If you want updates on the quarterback battle, camp standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. You can get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and special features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

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