Rice Football 2026: HCU Game Week Practice Notes

Rice Football kicks off its 2026 season against HCU with a bevvy of running backs ready to make their marks. Here’s the latest from the field.

After what has felt like forever, Rice football is back. Everyone on campus is ready to hit someone else, and it feels as if as much as could have been uncovered has been uncovered when it comes to understanding how useful each player will be this fall.

More: 2026 Rice Football Season Preview

Scott Abell summed it up like this. “The things I don’t know about him, I won’t know til we play a game.”

The player who spurred that comment seems largely irrelevant. We’re all about to learn a lot about the 2026 Rice Football team when they take the field on Saturday against Houston Christian.

Quinton Jackson, Athlete

In reality, nothing changed this week regarding how the Owls plan to use star athlete Quinton Jackson. However, that the official depth chart listed No. 10 at slot rather than running back was impossible to miss.

Jackson worked overwhelmingly in the slot during the spring and stayed outside throughout fall camp. Ironically enough, it was until last week, when the team was getting closer to playing an actual game, that Jackson saw more frequent snaps in the backfield than he had in the prior six months.

“I think we’ll move him around, keep the defense on their heels,” Abell said. “For us, its about getting him touches in a lot of different ways that hopefully is better suited for him for the whole game instead of a ton of inside zone or gap scheme so he’s able to get out in space a little more.”

Abell has maintained from the start that he wouldn’t be pulling Jackson out of the backfield permanently. The increased reps as a running back this week give credence to those claims.

Pinning down an exact split is impossible at this juncture. At one touchpoint this spring, there was an indication it might skew closer to 60/40 in favor of touches out of the backfield. Given the positive developments at that position, that ratio might have flipped. We won’t know for sure until Saturday and even then, it could vary a good amount from game to game.

The one thing that seems certain is Jackson will get 15-20 touches a game in a variety of ways. That’s a net positive for the Rice football offense, no matter how those touches materialize.

Insert Nickname Here

The comfortability with moving Jackson all around the formation is driven, at least in part, to the level of confidence the Owls have in their current backfield setup. There is no hesitation when it comes to turning over a large portion of those carries to the tandem of second-year running backs Tyvonn Byars and D’Andre Hardeman.

Perhaps anonymous outside of South Main, those two are set to become integral pieces of what the Owls expect to be a reinvigorated offensive attack.

“It’s been part of my career,” Abell said. “Backs who kind of come out of the woodwork, and no one knows a lot about them.”

Byars is listed atop the depth chart and has been at the front of the line when it comes to divvying up snaps in team drills over the last week or two, but whether he gets the first carry on Saturday or to what degree being “first” matters is up for debate.

“We want the two of them to be one human, one person,” Abell declared. “They’re both starters.”

The duo seems ready to step into the larger role, which likely would see them both reach carry-high marks in rushing, sooner rather than later.

“It was definitely an adjustment,” Hardeman said, reflecting on his journey from backup to essentially a co-starter. “But coming to practice, you find your role and then you just try to excel with the opportunities that you’ve been given and I feel like that’s what I did.”

Byars echoed that eagerness and was clearly excited to get onto the field on Saturday after appearing in just eight games last fall. “It just feels like a big blessing to be in a position to show my abilities and talents,” he said. “I just feel like we both got lots to show, lots to still prove for the season.”

Given the expectations Hardeman and Byars have for themselves and the amount of workload that will be entrusted to them, the subject of a potential nickname for the duo was broached. Neither had put much thought to it yet.

“We’re gonna let the people decide that,” Hardeman said. “That’s not for us to decide.”

Consider this an open suggestion box. If the Owls have indeed found their new one-two punch in the backfield, how will they be referred to this fall?

Depth Chart Movers in Pencil

There were a handful of new faces to the Rice football depth chart when it was officially released earlier this week. For one, a pecking order was (loosely) set at corner with Kyren Condoll getting the nod to start opposite of Jamir Benjamin this coming Saturday against Houston Christian.

Abell identified Condoll as someone who showed significant improvement throughout camp and likes the upside potential in his game. He referred to the Duke transfer as “probably our most physical corner,” a trait Abell has been emphatic would define the program this coming season.

Bailey Fletcher joined Condoll on the two-deep, too. As for Fletcher, and several others who saw their names on the depth chart for perhaps the first time, they’re going to have to perform to keep their spots.

“I think this non-conference schedule, we’ll play quite a few guys to see who’s ready for the moment,” Abell said.

Outside of linebacker, where both positions were listed with OR designations, the rest of the starting spots look to be fairly secure. This weekend’s game will be a chance for players on that edge of the second and third team to make their marks.

For example, offensive lineman Ian Bothwell is listed as a backup at guard entering Saturday and was someone Abell identified as “probably the most improved offensive player” in fall camp. Can he crack the circle of trust and become a rotational player this fall? That mission starts on Saturday.

Odds and Ends

• Payton Matthews saw much more work this week with the offense than the defense. It’s entirely possible that whether or not that shift becomes permanent will depend on the production from both the corner and wide receiver positions look over the next several weeks. For now, Matthews seems to be part of the offensive game plan and not tracking towards meaningful snaps on defense, if any.
• On the injury front, the team got tight end James Falk back at practice, a boost to the Owls’ weapons on offense. That might prove to be particularly fortunate in the even that potential starting tight end Preston Zinter is limited to any degree. He was limited in practice this week and his official status for this week is uncertain. That goes for safety Daveon Hook, as well. Given the opponent, Rice might not want to push either too hard.
• This won’t impact Saturday at all, but freshman quarterback Ayden Wilhelm put together some impressive reps as a scout team receiver in practice this week. He’s one of the fastest members of the team and gave some great looks for the first team defense, including a long grab downfield. He’s not switching positions or competing for snaps out wide, but it is a nice reminder of the athleticism Rice brought in with its most recent recruiting class.