Rice Football (1-4) had the ball in the fourth quarter within two points of UTSA and came up short in a frustrating conference opener.
A great showing from the Rice football defense was not enough to overcome another injury to a key offensive player and another missed field goal from the Owls’ special teams. Ultimately, it was a competitive showing from a double-digit home underdog in the Owls who, once again, came up just short of what Abell termed a potential program-defining win earlier in the week. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:
Defense Buys Time
In the three games in which they did not face Texas, the No. 1 team in the country, the UTSA offense scored 45, 31 and 59 points, an average of 45 points per game. Head coach Scott Abell’s called the Roadrunners “as good as anybody we’ve played all year offensively, and that includes Notre Dame.”
So when Rice football spotted that UTSA offense a first down inside their own red zone following a fumble on the Owls’ second offensive possession, things looked pretty grim. The Rice offense followed that up with a three-and-out on their second drive. Not ideal.
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And still, when Jacurri Brown got leverage on the Owls’ third offensive possession and finished his scamper in the endzone 38 yards later, Rice had the lead. That wouldn’t have been possible without a sterling defensive effort against a formidable Roadrunner offense.
“I’m proud of the defense,” Abell said. “That’s a great effort. I think they showed a ton of grit.”
UTSA scored on their first four offensive possessions, but three of them were field goals. Rather than start to sag, as was the case a week ago against Fresno State, they got better.
Daveon Hook picked off UTSA quarterback Owen McCown in the closing minutes of the first half. A long punt killed the ensuing offensive possession as time expired before the break. Seth Clarke opened the second half with a forced fumble which safety Koa Akui recovered. Then UTSA punted.
After four straight scoring drives, the defense produced two turnovers and two stops before the Roadrunners missed a short field goal. Altogether, the Rice defense held one of the conference’s best scoring offenses to 16 points. It still wasn’t enough.
Offense Plays Through More Injuries
Although the Rice offense did eventually put together a solid drive, it was far from a textbook night from Abell’s primary focus. The Owls were held to 144 rushing yards, put the ball on the ground twice (although the second was a ball knocked out of bounds on a scramble from brown) and were uncharacteristically sloppy when it came to execution, committing two delay of game penalties and one false start.
Rice was flagged for delay of game twice before halftime and failed to convert a third down. Their biggest play was a 40-yard shot to Ben Grice, which tied the longest pass play from scrimmage for the Owls this season. Unfortunately, Grice got up gingerly and did not return to the contest. That meant the Owls played the final two-plus quarters without their top three slots.
“It is really tough when your explosive players aren’t on the field,” Abell said. “Maybe it kept us from getting in a rhythm. You start building momentum with certain guys and the next thing you know, you have other guys. That’s not always easy.”
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Injuries are never an acceptable excuse when it comes to why a unit failed to succeed, but it’s hard to ignore how drastically the outlook of the unit changes without that speed off the edge. UTSA was able to consistently chase ball carriers down and set the edge. It takes away an element of the triple option attack and forces the other options (Brown and the running backs) to be near-perfect in their responsibilities. That’s not an easy way to live.
Abell noted the offense was forced to adapt during the contest, relying less on their triple option concepts that were incredible successful at earlier points during the year. They found some answers, like an up-tempo package, but couldn’t sustain that for a full game, especially when considering keeping the defense fresh.
“It definitely changes your thought process in the middle of a game,” Abell admitted. “Some of the guys we need to get involved in the passing game were tired when we needed them at times. That’s not their fault. At one point, who do you sub in?”
The inconsistent offensive showing meant a series of fourth down tightrope decisions to walk. The Owls went 4-of-6, which isn’t a bad showing by the numbers, but the sheer volume of fourth down attempts isn’t necessarily indicative of an offense that’s at its best.
Reinforcements Helpful, not Herculean
The long-awaited return of tight end Preston Zinter and safety Daveon Hook produced a mixed bag of results. Zinter started and played a decent complement of snaps but did not record a catch. Even if he was being eased in, Rice is now five games into the season and has yet to record a reception from a tight end with only a handful of pass attempts in their direction.
Abell noted Zinter’s limited practice this week played some part in his usage against UTSA. With Zinter healthy and Will Swartz playing well, heavier packages could be in play moving forward with Abell sharing that he’s had some teams utilize such packages more heavily than others over the years.
Hook made a big play in the second half and was part of the safety rotations throughout the game. He had three tackles and play a meaningful role, but it was his teammate Koa Akui who stole the show. Offensive tackle Luke Miller did not start, but saw action throughout the game. He was charged with a false start in the third quarter, which the Owls were eventually able to overcome.
There’s no timetable yet for Grice’s injury and Quinton Jackson isn’t coming back this season. With the status of Davis Lane up in the air, Rice is running out of reinforcements to wait for. They’re going to have to figure out how to make things work with the guys they have on the field.
Another Frustrating Result
Abell maintains this 2026 version of Rice football is better than the 2025 team. Case in point; Rice lost 61-13 to UTSA last year. They fell 16-14 on Saturday. It’s hard to draw transitive connections in this sport, but that stark dichotomy feels rather telling.
And yet, this is a results business. Abell understands that task in front of him, even if he’s being forced to operate on offense with the bulk of his top playmakers off the field.
“It starts with me. It all starts and stops with me on that side of the football. It’s not for lack of trying to put our guys in the right situation to make plays, but it’s easier said than done sometimes,” he said, going and elaborating its not just the offense that has work to do.
“As the head coach I have to get everybody to play on the same Saturday and execute at a high level on the same Saturday. And that’s what we have to do. We’re not good enough where if all three phases don’t show up, we’re not going to win. All three phases have to show up.”
So back to the drawing board the Owls go after their narrowest margin of defeat so far this year.
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