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Rice Football: Toughness up front a focal point of Owls’ weekend (8/3)

August 4, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

The top position battles are beginning to surface as Rice football marches onward. Here’s where we stand with three days of fall camp in the books.

Several interesting position battles on the offensive line

The Owls’ revamped offensive line will receive plenty of attention throughout fall camp as a trio of grad transfers vie for starting jobs. One of those new additions, Nick Leverett, seems to have solidified his spot. Leverett was with the team during spring practices and has taken advantage of the extra time in the system. He’s going to claim one of the two starting guard spots, most likely on the left side, where he’s lined up so far during camp.

The other two grad transfers, Brian Chaffin and Justin Gooseberry, have less certain futures.

Rice Football Season Preview
Buy Now | 2019 Rice Preview

Shea Baker looks to have the starting center job locked down, at least for now, and Cole Garcia has been taking the majority of the reps with the first team at the right guard spot. Chaffin is an interior guy with experience coming off the bench at Stanford. It’s possible he’ll serve as a “sixth man” for the Owls’ offensive line, spelling starters on drives throughout games.

Another plug — if you haven’t downloaded a copy of the 2019 Rice Football Preview yet, there’s five pages and 2,000+ words on the offensive line.  

Gooseberry is listed as the co-starter with Uzoma Osuji at right tackle on the pre-camp depth chart. The battle between those two has been intense and could go down to the wire. Osuji raised his level of play last year, beating out Florida grad transfer Andrew Mike. Gooseberry looks to be a more formidable challenger.

Wide receiver remains up in the air

There are a lot of reps available at wide receiver. As mentioned in the first camp update, August Pitre III has taken up the majority of the reps with the first team. A new wrinkle, though, has been freshman Zane Knipe forcing his way into the mix. He’s got sticky hands and moves well in the field. He’s a step ahead of some of the returning veterans and he’s just beginning to learn the ins and the outs of the offense.

Rounding out the rest of the starters, Austin Trammell looks as reliable as ever. Bradley Rozner has been steady, but hasn’t yet shown the ability to fully utilize his size downfield. He’s tall, but he’s lankier than Aaron Cephus. He’s going to have to get more physical to meet the demands of the Owls’ offense, which lacks any semblance of size apart from him.

Toughness will be the bedrock of this team

The Oklahoma drill is a favorite at South Main. Energy has been high this week, but things seem to crank up an extra notch when pads start popping. Several veterans flashed during Saturday’s session; Blaze Alldredge, Tyrae Thornton, Justin Gooseberry, Anthony Ekpe, Shea Baker and Clay Servin stood out the most.

All practice updates will be available for all to see during fall camp. Once the regular season starts they’ll be reserved for members. Becoming a member is 100% FREE and takes 30 seconds. You can register here.

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

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Filed Under: Football, Archive, Featured Tagged With: Bradley Rozner, Brian Chaffin, Justin Gooseberry, Nick Leverett, practice notes, Rice Football, Uzoma Osuji, Zane Knipe

2019 Rice Football Season Preview by The Roost

July 8, 2019 By Matthew Bartlett

 

The staff of The Roost is pleased to announce the release of the 2019 Rice Football Season Preview, a 143-page digital magazine detailing everything you could imagine about the Owls’ upcoming season.

This preview is the culmination of months of research, interviews and analysis. Consider it your one-stop-shop as you prepare for the Owls’ 2019 season.

Available as a downloadable PDF for on-the-go access, this preview contains the following:

1. A breakdown of every position group on the team

Who are the favorites to start entering fall camp? What sort of production should you expect from returning starters? Which of the incoming transfer players should make their mark the quickest? Answers to all of those questions are included, as well as notes on every single player on the 102-man roster.

2. An exclusive interview with head coach Mike Bloomgren

We sat down with coach to get his honest evaluation of where the Rice football program is right now and how he views the progress the team is making as they approach 2019. He’s sticking to a process, one which he remains confident will bring success to South Main.

3. Previews of each 2019 opponent and all 14 CUSA Teams

Supported by local beat writers and experts who cover each team, this section has a wealth of knowledge about every CUSA Team and all the Owls’ 2019 opponents.

Rice fans will want to familiarize themselves with the teams they’ll be facing this year. Get to know which players each squad will have to replace, which newcomers could make noise in 2019 and what outstanding questions those in the know have about their respective squads.

4. A complete 2019 Conference USA Football Preview

Available separately to purchase, everyone who purchases the 2019 Rice Football Season Preview will also get The Roost’s 2019 Conference USA Football Preview. We made our picks for preseason honors, top games to watch in 2019 and a closer look at how every team in the conference stacks up.

Don’t need any more convincing? Get a copy for yourself today

Buy Now

 

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

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Filed Under: Featured, Football Tagged With: Adam Nunez, Adrian Bickham, Andrew Bird, Anthony Ekpe, Antonio Montero, Ari Broussard, Aston Walter, August Pitre, Austin Conrad, Austin Trammell, Ayden Noriega, Bennett Mecom, Blaze Alldredge, Bradley Rozner, Brandt Peterson, Brendan Suckley, Brian Chaffin, Cam Montgomery, Cam Riddle, Cameron Valentine, Charlie Booker, Charlie Mendes, Chike Anigbogu, Chris Barnes, Chris Boudreaux, Clay Servin, Cole Elms, Cole Garcia, Collin Whitaker, Connor Hughes, D'Angelo Ellis, Dasharm Newsome, De'Braylon Carroll, Derek Ferraro, Dylan James, Dylan Silcox, Edmond Lahlouh, Elijah Garcia, Evan Marshman, Garrett Braden, Garrett Grammer, George Nyakwol, Hunter Hanley, Hunter Henry, Hunter Jones, Isaac Klarkowski, Isaiah Richardson, Izeya Floyd, Jack Bradley, Jacob Doddridge, Jacob Grams, Jaeger Bull, Jake Bailey, JaQuez Battley, Jashon Palmer, Jason White, JaVante Hubbard, Jawan King, Jerry Johnson, Jonathan Sanchez, Jordan Myers, Josh Landrum, Josh Pearcy, Jovoni Johnson, Juma Otoviano, Justin Gooseberry, Kebreyun Page, Kenneth Orji, Kirk Lockhart, Luke Armstrong, Matthew Sams, Miles Adams, Miles Mccord, Myles Adams, Myron Morrison, Naeem Smith, Nahshon Ellerbe, Nick Leverett, Nick McQuarry, Nick Wagman, Parker Towns, Prudy Calderon, Reagan Williams, Regan Riddle, Rhett Cardwell, Rice Football, Robbie Blosser, Robert French, Sam Glaesmann, Shea Baker, Tom Stewart, Tre'shon Devones, Treshawn Chamberlain, Trey Schuman, Tyrae Thornton, Uzoma Osuji, Wiley Green, Will Harrison, Will Martinez, Zach Hoban, Zane Knipe

2019 WR Zane Knipe commits to Owls

July 26, 2018 By Matthew Bartlett

Houston, speed is not a problem. Rice football has secured the commitment of blazing-fast wideout Zane Knipe from Lamar High School.

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

Houston speedster Zane Knipe is staying home. After bringing in several out-of-state prospects early on this summer the Owls returned to their own stomping grounds to reel in another big-time commitment. The 3-star wide receiver out of Lamar High School in Houston announced his commitment to the Owls on Twitter :

https://twitter.com/k_zane28/status/1022298969425231873

This one was a big one for the Owls. Knipe put himself into the spotlight with a strong showing at The Opening – Houston. He’s got great finesse and moves well on the field, but his speed is what could make him a gamebreaker on the next level. A 4×100 relay runner, Knipe has the ability to turn on the jets and go.

Knipe’s recruitment has been relatively quiet up to this point. When he decided the time was right to commit to Rice he’d only reportedly received one other D1 scholarship offer from Illinois. Regardless of whether it was the allure of the Owls or his happiness with home cooking, Knipe’s commitment is one more brick in a message that coach Mike Bloomgren has been building for some time. Rice is good enough on every front for kids to stay in town rather than go out of state. Knipe obviously believes it, and more could follow.

The commitment from Knipe will bump the Owls back up to No. 6 in Conference USA, sliding in one spot in front of the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. That’s a good start for mid-summer, especially considering where the Owls have been in the ranks at this point in prior years (hint: think bottom).

Bloomgren’s first full recruiting class continues to move along. Whether it’s the dead period, the quiet period or the normal course of the season, he’s working. His efforts to get Knipe into the fold have paid off. Who’s next?

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

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Filed Under: Football, Archive, Featured, Football Recruiting Tagged With: Rice Football, Rice Football recruiting, Zane Knipe

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