Rice football leaves the state this week for the first time this season to take on Army. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.
The first AAC game can’t get here soon enough for Rice football which wrapped up the bulk of its nonconference action this past weekend with a 33-6 loss to crosstown rival Houston. Army was idle, completing their first bye week of the season after a 2-0 start to the year. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Rice and Army.
Kickoff time | 11:00 PM CT
Venue | Michie Stadium – West Point, NY
TV | CBS SN (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)
Audio / Visual Preview
We’ll preview Rice football vs Army on this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, kicking off live on Wednesday 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
The losses are already beginning to stack up for Rice football and head coach Mike Bloomgren who have suffered two painful defeats to begin what was meant to be a breakthrough season. While a road loss at West Point would be far from the most painful defeat, the Owls need to start putting numbers in the win column before things spiral further. As for Army, the Black Knights view themselves as AAC contenders and already own a conference win, taking down FAU in Week 2. A 2-0 start in a new league would put them among the leaders from the jump.
Series History
All Time | Tied, 4-4-1
Last Five | Army leads, 3-2
Last Meeting | Away 2019, Army won 14-7
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Rice Football Stat Notables
Passing | Warner – 59/95 (62.1 percent), 466 yards, 3 TD, 4 INT
Rushing | Connors – 32 carries, 197 yards (6.2 yards per carry), 5 TD / Atkins – 17 carries, 115 yards (6.8 yards per carry), 2 TD
Receiving | Sykes – 10 receptions, 127 yards (12.7 yds/rec), 1 TD / Groen – 10 receptions, 63 yards (6.3 yds/rec) / Connors – 18 receptions, 81 yards (4.5 yds/rec)
Tackles | Pearcy/Fresch – 14, Morris/Taylor – 13, Boenisch – 11
Pass Breakups | Fresech – 3, Green/Ahoia/Jean/Fresch – 1 each
Interceptions | Flowers/Williams – 1
Army Stat Notables
Passing | Daily – 4/10 (40.0 percent), 79 yards, 1 TD
Rushing | Daily – 35 carries, 195 yards (5.6 yards per carry), 2 TD / Udoh – 29 carries, 143 yards (5.0 yards per carry), 3 TD / Noah Short – 19 carries, 243 yards (12.8 yards per carry), 1 TD
Receiving | Reynolds – 2 receptions, 66 yards (33.0 yds/rec), 1 TD / Schurr – 2 receptions, 22 yards (11.0 yds/rec)
Tackles | Fortner – 12, DiDomenico – 10, Thomas – 9
Pass Breakups | Shields – 2, DiDomenico/Modozie/Williams – 1
Interceptions | DiDomenico/Mayes/Platt – 1
Army X-Factor | Don’t get cute
A year ago Army head coach Jeff Monken dabbled in modernizing the Army scheme, moving away from the traditional option and taking to the air more often. That lasted about half a season before returning to what the Black Knights have always done best, running the ball. To that end, Army completed one pass in their thorough drubbing of Florida Atlantic in their first AAC game.
When it comes to taking on one of the conference’s other Owls, Army shouldn’t have to overthink it. Rice struggled to contain the quarterback run game against SHSU and while the Owls were better against Houston, they still were prone to give up an explosive play on the ground here and there. Against a team like Army which will stress the Owls’ schematic soundness time and time again, it might only take a few opportunities to take control of this game.
Rice X-Factor | Fix the offense, stat
Bloomgren said it best in the aftermath of the Houston defeat. “The worst thing you can do in the world against any of the academies is to go three and out because you put your defense in such a tough situation. So we’ve got to make sure we’re moving the sticks offensively, doing our part,” he said. “Also, the thing that comes with that is knowing that every offensive possession is like gold because they’re going to be minimized so much. You’re talking about getting eight nine or ten possessions in a game against an academy instead of 11 or 12. Everything’s magnified.”
That’s the reality Rice football is facing. How they go about addressing it remains to be seen. Bloomgren had some theories as to the root cause of the offensive issues so far this season, a topic addressed in detail here, but no matter the cause, an answer is essential. Rice might only get a few cracks at putting up points this weekend. They can’t afford to continue to walk away empty-handed.
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One Final Thing
The last time this staff went to West Point they handled the option extremely well. Army won that 2019 game 14-7 and had it not been for a failed fourth down conversion and a relatively young, unproven quarterback, Rice might have walked away with a victory. The result of that game is less important to this one as was the Owls’ discipline and ability to stay fundamentally sound on defense. The 2024 version of the Rice defense is faster and more athletic which, on paper, bodes well for the Owls’ chances of rebounding this weekend.
But as any Rice football fan is painfully aware of right now, games aren’t played on paper. If they were, Rice wouldn’t have been blown off the field last weekend in their rivalry game and wouldn’t be entering conference play with a losing record. There’s evidence this team is capable of neutralizing Army’s biggest advantage, but they’re going to have to prove they can do it again before anyone feels comfortable asserting they’ve got this one in the bag.
Rice has a home game against Charlotte looming and the chance to get to their first bye week with a winning record. This team can’t afford to look past anyone, but the optics of a rebound are within the range of possibility. That all starts with getting the offense moving and finding a way to get revenge on the troops from that loss at West Point a few years back.
