Rice football hits the road this week to take on UConn. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.
UConn (4-3) saw a three-game home wining streak snapped this weekend in a one-score loss to Wake Forest. They’ll play host to a Rice football squad still reeling from a missed opportunity in New Orleans in which the Owls were tied with the Green Wave in the fourth quarter but were unable to finish the game. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Rice and UConn.
Kickoff time | 2:30 PM CT
Venue | Pratt & Whitney Stadium – East Hartford, CT
TV | CBS SN (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)
Audio / Visual Preview
We’ll preview Rice football vs UConn on this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, kicking off live on Wednesday on the Rice Athletics YouTube channel.
Update: The Rice Football Blue and Gray Preview Show has been canceled this week because of scheduling conflicts. We’ll be back next week.
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
If Rice football wants to make a bowl game, it’s hard to envision a path to six wins that doesn’t include the Owls winning this game. They still have Navy and Memphis on the schedule after this and haven’t yet played South Florida which could have quarterback Byrum Brown back at some point before they meet up in the season finale.
UConn is hunting for a bowl berth, too, something they achieved in Year One under Jim more in 2022 but not in either of the previous two seasons. The Huskies have more wiggle room than the Owls do should they lose this game, but getting one win away with four more to go would be reassuring for UConn which ends the season with a road trip to UMass.
Series History
All Time | UConn leads, 1-0
Last Five | UConn leads, 1-0
Last Meeting | Home 2023, UConn won 38-31
Get the Inside Scoop
Get access to practice reports, analysis and special features during the week when you subscribe to our Starting Lineup Tier on Patreon today. If you want updates on how Rice football plans to attack this week’s opponent, position battles, standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. Don’t miss out! Join now!
Become a Patron!
Rice Football Stat Notables
Passing | Warner – 160/263 (60.8 percent), 1573 yards, 10 TD, 9 INT
Rushing | Connors – 74 carries, 472 yards (6.4 yards per carry), 6 TD / Atkins – 24 carries, 158 yards (6.6 yards per carry), 2 TD
Receiving | Sykes – 38 receptions, 452 yards (11.9 yds/rec), 3 TD / Campbell – 21 receptions, 250 yards (11.9 yds/rec), 1 TD / Connors – 41 receptions, 282 yards (6.9 yds/rec), 1 TD
Tackles | Morris – 37, Fresch – 35, Taylor – 34
Pass Breakups | Fresch/Ahoi – 5, Taylor -2
Interceptions | Flowers/Williams/Mutombo – 1
UConn Stat Notables
Passing | Fagnano – 57/98 (58.2 percent), 999 yards, 11 TD, 3 INT
Rushing | Robinson – 59 carries, 433 yards (7.3 yards per carry), 4 TD / Edwards – 71 carries, 346 yards (4.9 yards per carry), 3 TD
Receiving | Bell – 25 receptions, 534 yards (21.4 yds/rec), 4 TD / Sheffield – 29 receptions, 312 yards (10.8 yds/rec), 2 TD / Gathings – 18 receptions, 174 yards (9.7 yds/rec), 1 TD
Tackles | McDonald – 63, Faumuina-Brown – 54, Dixon-Williams – 32
Pass Breakups | McClean/Barton – 3, McDonald/Faumuina-Brown/Brinson – 2
Interceptions | Five tied with one each
UConn X-Factor | Hit some big plays
UConn, yes UConn, ranks in the Top 10 in the nation in offensive plays from scrimmage of 40+ yards. Widen that scope to plays of 30+ yards or more and this is still a Top 12 team, nationally. The Huskies have been an explosive play factory and it’s helped spur them to some of their biggest wins and keep them in the hunt against a couple of Power Conference opponents, too.
Rice has been vulnerable to the big play this season and more than once escaped it against Tulane than to some dropped passes by Green Wave receivers. Forcing the Owls to play catch up has been the best recipe for success against Rice this season. That’s a formula UConn should be able to replicate if they can get things going with a big play or two early.
Rice X-Factor | Don’t lose the turnover battle
Rice football turned the ball over five times against Tulane and (predictably) lost the game. Yet the crazy reality of that contest was that the game was still winnable with Rice trailing by three in the turnover battle and wasn’t until a backbreaking defensive touchdown scored by Tulane with two minutes left in the game that things were really ever out of reach.
Rice is 2-1 in games this season in which they’ve been at least neutral in turnover margin. Had a last-second field goal against Charlotte gone in instead of out, Rice could very well be sitting at 3-0 in games in which they don’t turn the ball over against their opponents and winless when they do.
Rice is -2 or worse in that measure in every game they’ve lost this season except the Charlotte game. If they could just hang onto the football and maybe, just maybe, force a turnover or two themselves they should have enough just to win one.
Injury Report (Subscribers only)
Become a Patron!
One Final Thing
All that’s left to play for this season is a third straight bowl appearance. While admittedly underwhelming considering the expectations this team had before the season, such an accomplishment would in itself be a rarity for this program. It’s a cause worth seeking, no matter how far it deviates from prior aspirations. This isn’t the NFL. You can’t tank for a better draft pick. If you can find a way to win, you gotta win.
There will be plenty of time to adjudicate blame and decipher the failures that have started to accumulate during a frustrating 2024 campaign. But this collection of players and coaches still has something to play for and they’re going to play five more games, regardless of how the first seven have transpired.
UConn has yet to lose to a non-Power conference team this season. Their only losses came at the hands of Maryland, Duke and Wake Forest, two of which were one-score games. A win over the Huskies would mean something to this team. Hopefully, they can find a way to get it done and buy themselves some hope for one more week.
