Rice football travels to San Antonio this weekend to take on the UTSA Roadrunners. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.
Both Rice football and it’s Week 7 opponent, UTSA, are coming off disappointing losses suffered last weekend to teams sporting Owl mascots. Rice fell at home to Florida Atlantic while UTSA stumbled on the road against Temple. Both teams are seeking a bounce-back this weekend in San Antonio. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Rice and UTSA.
Kickoff time | 6:30 PM CT
Venue | Alamodome – San Antonio, TX
TV | ESPNU (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)
Sizing up the Contenders
Even though they didn’t receive any first place votes, UTSA (2-3) was picked to finish fourth in the preseason media poll. Every successive loss dials up the pressure on a season not going according to plan. They’d been on an eight-game winning streak against Rice until the Owls defeated them in Houston last season making the potential for a two-game skid rather unpalatable for Roadrunner fans.
As for Rice, building a winning streak over UTSA in head coach Scott Abell’s first season would help perpetuate the belief that the program is ahead of schedule and keep the Owls above .500, a mark they’ve yet to be below under Abell to this point.
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Last Time Out
Make sure you check out The Roost Podcast every week this season as we review the Owls’ most recent game, breaking down the key moments, decisions and their impact on the outlook of the program moving forward.
Series History
All Time | UTSA leads, 8-4
Last Five | UTSA leads, 4-1
Last Meeting | Home 2024, Rice won 29-27
Rice Football Stat Notables
Passing | Jenkins – 59/86 (68.6 percent), 520 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Jackson – 92 carries, 481 yards (5.2 yards per carry), 3 TD / Jenkins – 77 carries, 268 yards (3.5 yards per carry) – 4 TD / Alexander – 51 carries, 241 yards (4.7 yards per carry), 2 TD
Receiving | Dickmann – 22 receptions, 229 yards (10.4 yds/rec), 3 TD / Turner – 18 receptions, 126 yards (7.0 yds/rec) / Walker – 6 receptions, 49 yards (8.2 yds/rec)
Tackles | Awe – 48 / Morris – 41 / Williams – 33
Pass Breakups | Crump – 6 / Williams – 5 / Porter – 3
Interceptions | Kane, Stevenson, Wyatt – 1
UTSA Stat Notables
Passing | McCown – 111/175 (63.4 percent), 990 yards, 9 TD, 4 INT
Rushing | Henry – 80 carries, 666 yards (8.3 yds/car), 7 TD / Henderson III – 40 carries, 159 yards (4.0 yds/car)
Receiving | McCuin – 28 receptions, 277 yards (9.9 yds/rec), 3 TD / Wilson – 10 receptions, 223 yards (22.3 yds/rec), 2 TD / Amador II – 15 receptions, 104 yards (6.9 yds/rec)
Tackles | Banks Jr. – 37 / Wyrick – 24 / Blackshire – 24
Pass Breakups | Rodgers, Meier – 3 / Wyrick, Martin – 2, 11 others tied with one
Interceptions | Banks Jr. – 2 / Martin – 1
UTSA X-Factor | Be Ready for the Shots
UTSA owns the fourth best run defense in the American Conference. That’s the good news when it comes to facing off against the Owls’ run-first option attack. However, the Roadrunners rank dead last against the pass, allowing opponents to complete 64.6 percent of their passes and allowing 11 passing touchdowns, second most in the conference.
Rice has been progressively demonstrating competency in their downfield passing attack, buoyed by the return of Braylen Walker to the lineup in recent weeks, even in a limited capacity. Rice might not throw it a ton, but they’re going to make it a point to test this UTSA secondary through the air. If the Roadrunners can hold up on the back end, it could be a long day for the Rice offense.
Rice X-Factor | Get Off the Field
Third down defense will continue to be the x-factor for the Rice football defense until they find a way to sort it out. The Owls are one of eight teams nationally that allow opponents to convert on 50 percent or more of their third down attempts. Of those teams, only one other (Central Michigan) has won multiple games. Many of them are 1-4 or worse.
That Rice isn’t hapless speaks to how potent their defense has been in so many other areas. The variance will probably balance itself out sooner or later, but if it takes too long Rice will allow more winnable contests to slip through their fingers because they were unable to get off the field when they needed to do so.
Injury Report (Subscribers only)
One Final Thing
Even when looking at the Rice football offense through the most optimistic of lenses, it feels like a bye week is necessary, at a minimum, for the group to take a material step forward in the imminent future. There are just too many players banged up and too much inconsistency when it comes to execution to believe this offense is going to click to a degree it wasn’t capable of just a few days prior against Florida Atlantic.
However, just because the offense might not be in its final form doesn’t mean Rice can’t win this game. Their ability to be in every game they’ve played at the middle of the fourth quarter is proof they have the mental fortitude to hang tough, absorb a few punches and find a way to respond. The key right now is not waiting until the curtains begin to close to throw that next punch.
Winning ugly is a skill, and often a prerequisite to winning comfortably, a hopeful reality which seems a ways away from this current iteration of Rice football. Still, a stout defense and just enough grit can go a long way against an imperfect team, which UTSA certainly measures up to in their current state. That’s going to require all phases to step up just a bit and find a way to get it done in San Antonio for the first time since 2013.
