Rice football kicks off its season at home game against Sam Houston this week. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.
A pair of nearby Texas teams meet in Week 1 for the first time as FBS peers. Sam Houston made the leap from the FCS ranks to Conference USA last season, going 3-9 in their debut campaign. Rice football will be the favorite in this one, but head coach Mike Bloomgren would be the first to tell anyone he’s not looking past anyone on the schedule, particularly a school from right down the road. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Rice and Sam Houston.
Kickoff time | 6:00 PM CT
Venue | Historic Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | ESPN+ (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)
Audio / Visual Preview
We’ll preview Rice football vs Sam Houston on this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, kicking off live on Tuesday night at 7:00 pm 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 football has high expectations for its 2024 season and those start with a win in Week 1 against a team that was playing at the FCS level until a season ago. The Bearkats are a better team than they were a year ago, but the transition to the FBS level is still likely to take a few seasons before they get rolling again. That makes this a game Rice should expect to win.
For Sam Houston, it’s a new season with new aspirations. With the adjustment period to upper-level football out of the way, theirs hope around Huntsville that this team can take a step forward. Those hopes really begin with a strong performance in Conference USA, but early signs of life here, especially on offense, would go a long way to building the confidence of this team as it moves forward.
Series History
All Time | Rice leads, 16-1
Last Five | Rice leads, 4-1
Last Meeting | Home 1993, Rice won 14-13
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Captains announced
Rice football announced their 2024 captains on Sunday evening. They are: LB Chike Anigbogu, RB Dean Connors, DT Izeya Floyd, FB Geron Hargon and DE Josh Pearcy.
Rice Football Stat Notables
Passing | Warner (Temple) – 256/445 (57.5 percent), 3076 yards, 23 TD, 12 INT
Rushing | Connors – 121 carries, 771 yards (6.4 yards per carry), 7 TD / Alexander – 18 carries, 35 yards (1.9 yards per carry), 5 TD
Receiving | Connors – 43 receptions, 403 yards (9.4 yds/rec), 3 TDs / Groen – 39 receptions, 383 yards (9.8 yds/rec), 3 TD / MacNeill – 26 receptions, 379 yards (14.6 yds/rec), 2 TD
Tackles | Morrison, Wyatt – 80 / Taylor – 61 / Conti – 53
Pass Breakups | Taylor – 9 / Fresch – 7 / Wyatt – 6
Interceptions | Taylor – 2 / Conti – 1
SHSU Stat Notables
Passing | Bauer (CMU) – 163/287 (56.8 percent), 1881 yards, 12 TD, 8 INT
Rushing | Gentry – 119 carries, 392 yards (3.3 yards per carry), 3 TD / Ducker (Memphis) – 8 carries, 41 yards (5.1 yards per carry), 0 TD
Receiving | Smith – 79 receptions, 782 yards (9.9 yds/rec), 6 TD / Adeyi – 7 receptions, 74 yards (10.1 yds/rec), 0 TD
Tackles | Gaither – 72 / Weaver – 49 / Jackson – 29
Pass Breakups | Weaver – 4 / Fisher – 3/ Gaither – 1
Interceptions | Weaver – 2 / Gaither – 1
SHSU X-Factor | Is this (offense) on?
Sam Houston ranked 118th nationally in scoring offense a season ago, scoring more than 28 points on just two occasions, both against Conference USA defenses that also finished in the bottom half of the country in scoring. The miserable showing on that side of the ball marred what was a largely successful year for the defense. Expecting a herculean improvement in the span of one season might be too much to ask, but gaining some ground on that side of the ball is going to be an important measuring stick for this program in 2024.
The Bearkats don’t have to be spectacular on offense just competent. That starts with quarterback play — SHSU hasn’t yet announced a starter, but it’s expected to be either Jase Bauer or Hunter Watson. Whoever wins the job has some playmakers to throw to. Receiver Noah Smith is a potential all-conference guy on the outside and those near the program have been encouraged by Ife Adeyi, among others.
If Sam Houston is going to keep this one close, they’re going to have to score. We’re talking multiple touchdowns. Otherwise, it’s going to be a long night at Rice Stadium for the visitors from just outside of town.
Rice X-Factor | Execute
Rice football will have a clear talent advantage at almost every position in this game. When that’s true, winning can typically be secured by playing sound, fundamental football. That has to be the most important refrain in the walls of South Main this week. If the Owls avoid penalties, take care of the football, and perform at the level they’ve played all camp long, they should cruise to a comfortable victory on Saturday.
It shouldn’t taken a perfect performance, but too many self-inflicted wounds have sunken the Owls in similar situations beforehand. Underdogs tend to be remarkably opportunistic. If Rice puts the ball on the ground and repeatedly makes things harder on themselves the Bearkats are a well-coached squad that played for a FCS national championship in the recent past. Talent advantage or not, this isn’t the group you want to have an off day against.
Week 1 jitters will inevitably occur. For Rice, it will come down to how they respond to those hiccups as they happen and whether or not they possess the mental fortitude to work through those challenges as they come and not let things spiral out of control. If they can do that, this should be the first win of many for the Owls this season.
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One Final Thing
We’ve made it. Rice football season is here.
First off, thank goodness. To some extent we do this to ourselves, analyzing and hypothesizing every possible scheme and scenario for the season ahead. It’s part of the content machine, but it’s also driven by a real love for this sport and for this community, for a love of the program Rice Football has established. No season is quite like another. For Mike Bloomgren, none have been set up in quite this way. Reaching Year Seven takes a combination of good fortune and good execution. Going further from here is a different task entirely.
Before kickoff on Saturday, read through The Roost’s season preview content which includes:
- Breakdowns of every position group, including projected starters and key reserves
- Previews of all eight conference opponents
- Preseason predictions and superlatives
- Fall camp updates including scrimmage notes and a final depth chart prediction
For $10, you can get access to all of that as well as practice notes every week, special features — like this one on breakout freshman running back Taji Atkins — access to our premium discord channel and more. The Roost is entirely funded by the support of our readers. Please consider subscribing for the season and joining us for a ride that will undoubtedly be filled with twists, turns and (hopefully) many wins along the way. Try it out for a month. If you like it, stick around. Hopefully, we (and the Owls) make it worth your while.
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Thanks for reading and Go Owls.
