Rice football aims to keep their bowl eligibility hopes alive with a Homecoming game against UAB. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.
Four-win Rice football is still mulling the possibility of a postseason berth, but getting their will likely require a win over UAB following a Halloween night loss at the hands of No. 25 Memphis. The Blazers didn’t fair much better in their most recent action, falling to UConn who had lost to Rice the week prior. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Rice and UAB.
Kickoff time | 1:00 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | ESPN+ (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)
Sizing up the Contenders
A fifth win would exceed the program’s total a season ago and mark a significant step forward for head coach Scott Abell in his first season, but it would also keep those bowl hopes alive for one more week. That gives Rice football plenty of motivation to avoid another misstep against UAB.
The Blazers are playing under an interim head coach, but still technically have an outside shot at the postseason by virtue of their upset of Memphis prior to the Tigers’ trip to South Main. At a minimum, this is a program eager to put the Trent Dilfer era behind them and move forward.
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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 | UAB leads, 7-5
Last Five | UAB leads, 3-2
Last Meeting | Away 2024, UAB won 40-14
Rice Football Stat Notables
Passing | Jenkins – 88/127 (69.3 percent), 844 yards, 6 TD, 2 INT
Rushing | Jackson – 126 carries, 677 yards (5.4 yards per carry), 6 TD / Jenkins – 112 carries, 366 yards (3.3 yards per carry) – 4 TD / Alexander – 74 carries, 392 yards (5.3 yards per carry), 3 TD
Receiving | Dickmann – 32 receptions, 305 yards (9.5 yds/rec), 3 TD / Turner – 32 receptions, 214 yards (6.7 yds/rec)
Tackles | Awe – 71 / Morris – 61 / Williams – 51
Pass Breakups | Crump (Suspended) – 6 / Williams – 5 / Porter – 4
Interceptions | Kane, Stevenson, Wyatt – 1
UAB Stat Notables
Passing | Burton – 42/58 (72.4 percent), 467 yards, 5 TD, 3 INT
Rushing | Jackson – 97 carries, 503 yards (5.2 yds/car), 3 TD / Beebe – 34 carries, 249 yards (7.3 yds/car), 5 TD
Receiving | Hooks – 45 receptions, 588 yards (13.1 yds/rec), 5 TD / Hawkins Jr. – 30 receptions, 344 yards (11.5 yds/rec), 2 TD / Milliner – 21 receptions, 294 yards (14.0 yds/rec), 3 TD
Tackles | Hightower – 55 / Small – 39 / Royster – 37
Pass Breakups | Crumpley – 6 / Fisher – 3 / Four tied with two apiece
Interceptions | Royster – 2 / Hightower – 1
UAB X-Factor | Limit the Owls’ Opportunities
Part of what has led to a more feisty UAB squad in recent weeks has been the Blazers seemingly newfound ability to maintain drives. UAB ranks fourth in third down conversion rate on offense in conference games, converting at a 49.1 percent clip. That’s a massive jump from their 39.6 percent conversion rate against non-conference opponents.
Rice has shown they’re good for a few strong offensive drives each game. The likeliest way for UAB to prevent those from happening is not to produce an abnormally potent defensive showing, but rather to keep the Rice offense off the field and dare the Owls to not waste limited opportunities.
Rice X-Factor | Avoid Negative Plays
Consistency on offense will remain the focal point for Rice football until the unit fully hits its stride. There were moments where that seemed to be the case coming out of the bye, but eight offensive drives without a first down against Memphis underscores how much work to be done. To get there, Rice has to eliminate the negative plays.
Rice allowed 11 tackles for a loss against Memphis, two more than nine allowed against UConn (in two overtimes). That drops Rice down to 136th in the nation — dead last — in tackles for loss allowed per game. That’s the opposite of what should be normative for an option offense. Navy is No. 2. Army is No. 17.
The Owls could see their offensive success sky rocket and ensure themselves a better chance to win this game if they can turn those second down runs that lose a yard into ho-hum three yard gains that set up manageable third down opportunities. It’s not a Herculean ask, but it could make all the difference.
Injury Report (Subscribers only)
One Final Thing
A repurposed roster and a slew of injuries have contributed to an inconsistent Rice football team this season. This isn’t a group that has reliably bested teams it should, nor has it been a bunch that’s been afraid to out-punch it’s weight class and dare to deliver a marquee upset or two. Two wins as double-digit underdogs already this season is proof to all opponents this isn’t a team to be underestimated.
That won’t be the case this coming weekend, though. Rice and UAB are more closely matched in terms of talent and projected margins. That shouldn’t have any impact on the Owls’ preparation, but it does make this game one the team probably needs to win if they want to keep those dreams of a bowl berth alive.
That Abell brought up a bowl game in his post game comments on Friday was bold. It would have been much easier to sweep those thoughts under the rug, only to mention them if the team had taken care of business and gotten within a game of that crucial sixth win. But Abell didn’t play it safe and spoke confidently about his team.
If this team is going to defy the odds, double their preseason win projections and make a bowl game, beating a flawed UAB team is the best place to start.
