The source for Rice sports news

  • Football
    • Recruiting
    • Offer Tracker
    • Roster
    • Schedule
    • NFL Owls
  • Premium
    • Patreon
    • Season Preview
    • Join / FAQ
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Store
    • News
    • Basketball
    • Baseball
    • About
    • Contact
  • Login

Rice Football 2025: NFL Owls Week 4 Roundup

September 29, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice Football is well represented on 2025 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action in Week 4.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

TeamNFL Owl(s)This WeekResultNext Week
Washington CommandersLuke McCaffrey (WR)at FalconsL, 34-27at Chargers
Philadelphia EaglesKylen Granson (TE)at BucsW, 31-25vs Broncos
New York GiantsElijah Garcia (DL)vs ChargersW, 21-18at Saints
Jacksonville JaguarsAustin Trammell (WR)at 49ersW, 26-21vs Chiefs (MNF)
Detroit LionsJack Fox (P)vs BrownsW, 34-10at Bengals
Green Bay PackersBrant Banks (OL)at CowboysT, 40-40— BYE —
Pittsburgh SteelersChris Boswell (PK)
Calvin Anderson (OL)
vs VikingsW, 24-10— BYE —

Defense

Elijah Garcia – DL, Giants

Garcia saw action on both defense and special teams this week against the Chargers but did not record any statistics.

Offense

Luke McCaffrey – WR, Commanders

McCaffrey did not find the endzone during his rookie year, but now has reached paydirt on back-to-back Sundays, hauling in a touchdown reception against the Falcons this weekend. He’s also become a mainstay on special teams, totaling 285 return yards on nine kickoff returns so far this season.

Mariota throws a dart to Luke McCaffrey to get @Commanders on the board

WASvsATL on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/CR8Z4zwbNi

— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025

Calvin Anderson – OL, Steelers

Anderson saw his first action of the season this week against the Vikings in Europe, playing five snaps with the Steelers’ special teams.

Brant Banks – OL, Packers

Banks saw his second bout of action this week, playing a few snaps on special teams in the Packers’ Week 4 marathon tie against the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

Austin Trammell – WR, Jaguars

Trammell was promoted from the practice squad this week and active for the Jaguars’ game against the 49ers but did not see the field.

Kylen Granson – TE, Eagles

Granson saw limited usage on offense this week, instead logging a season high 23 snaps on special teams in the Eagles’ Week 4 win over the Bucs.

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox punted five times in the Lions’ Week 4 victory over the Browns, averaging a 44.2 yards per kick with a long of 53 yards. He pinned all five of his kicks inside the 20 yard line.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell is no longer perfect on field goal attempts this year after having one kick blocked against the Vikings on Sunday. He is 6-of-7 on field goals this season.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are other Owls on the cusp of returning to active rosters. Find more details on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • Rice Football: Midseason Grades
  • American Conference Football 2025: Week 7 Roundup
  • Rice Football Blasted into Bye Week in One-Sided UTSA Defeat
  • Know Your Foe: Rice Football vs UTSA

Filed Under: Archive, Football Tagged With: NFL Owls, Rice Football

Rice Football 2025 Game Preview: FAU

September 28, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice football looks to rebound at home this week when they host Florida Atlantic. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Both Rice Football and their Week 6 opponent head to Houston following a loss. Rice fells in Annapolis, MD to Navy while Florida Atlantic dropped their most recent game at home against Memphis. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Rice and FAU.

Kickoff time | 6:00 PM CT
Venue | Historic Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | ESPN+ (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)

Sizing up the Contenders

To this point, Rice football has losses to a power conference team and one of the American’s preseason frontrunners. They’ve accrued plenty of good will with their 3-2 start under their new head coach, Scott Abell. The other others of Florida Atlantic are less fortunate. Entering the game at 1-3 with a loss to rival FIU, there’s some pressure to get things going. Both programs have a lot to gain with a win, especially with schedules that get more difficult as the year progresses.

Get the Inside Scoop

Get access to practice reports, analysis and special features during the week when you subscribe to our Starting Lineup Tier on Patreon today. If you want updates on how Rice football plans to attack this week’s opponent, position battles, standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. Don’t miss out! Join now!

Become a Patron!

Already a Patron and not part of our Discord channel? Follow these instructions to link your account.

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 | Rice leads, 3-2
Last Five | Rice leads, 3-2
Last Meeting | Home 2023, Rice won 24-21

Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | Jenkins – 47/69 (68.1 percent), 383 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Jackson – 73 carries, 353 yards (4.8 yards per carry), 2 TD / Jenkins – 69 carries, 248 yards (3.6 yards per carry) – 3 TD / Alexander – 45 carries, 228 yards (5.1 yards per carry), 2 TD
Receiving | Dickmann – 18 receptions, 168 yards (9.3 yds/rec) / Turner – 13 receptions, 76 yards (5.9 yds/rec) / Thompson – 4 receptions, 66 yards (16.5 yds/rec), 1 TD
Tackles | Awe – 38 / Morris – 33 / Williams – 24
Pass Breakups | Crump – 6 / Porter, Williams – 3 / Kane, Daley – 2
Interceptions | Kane, Wyatt – 1

FAU Stat Notables

Passing | Veltkamp – 121/189 (64.0 percent), 1198 yards, 8 TD, 7 INT
Rushing | Sands – 38 carries, 245 yards (6.4 yds/car), 0 TD / Terrell – 34 carries, 92 yards (2.7 yds/car), 1 TD / Veltkamp – 31 carries, 49 yards (1.6 yds/car), 2 TD
Receiving | Messer – 37 receptions, 363 yards (9.8 yds/rec), 1 TD / Platt – 19 receptions, 247 yards (13.0 yds/rec), 1 TD / Waseem – 15 receptions, 184 yards (12.3 yds/rec), 3 TD
Tackles | Hart – 24 / Williams – 21 / Keys – 17
Pass Breakups | Reid, Philord – 3 / Williams, McGhee – 2
Interceptions | None

FAU X-Factor | Limit the big play

Florida Atlantic is a far cry from the elite defenses in the conference, but the Owls have been mostly good enough on that side of the ball with one glaring exception: the big play and, specifically, the big play on the ground. They entered their Week 4 game against Memphis dead last in the American in explosive runs allowed.

The Owls might have had the makings of an upset brewing before they allowed a 90-yard touchdown run to open the third quarter. From there, the rout was on. That could be extremely problematic when facing a team as committed to running the football as Rice will be.

Florida Atlantic ranks in the middle of the conference in yards per carry allowed and rush defense. Outside of the big breakdowns, this defense has been serviceable against the ground game. If they want to win this one, they’ll need to show they can be more disciplined and avoid the busts that swing this game against them.

Rice X-Factor | Start Faster

Rice has scored first once in five games, that coming in a loss to Houston. Prior to their defeat at Navy, Rice had been 3-0 when their opponent scored first. While that’s a compliment to their resiliency, it’s an equally concerning reality for an offense that hasn’t really started fast this season.

The Owls are averaging 1.8 points in the first quarter against FBS opponents this season. They’re scored just once in the first frame against FBS foes, an opening drive touchdown against Charlotte two weeks ago. Other than that, Rice hasn’t really gotten things in gear until the middle of the second quarter, where Rice has scored 41 of its 102 points (40 percent).

Outside of being stopped on the one-yard line against Louisiana, Rice has scored at least a touchdown in every fourth quarter they’ve played this season. The offense usually picks things up by the end. But goodness, Rice could really separate themselves against an FAU defense which ranks near the bottom of the league in scoring with a few early game points on Saturday.

Injury Report (Subscribers only)

Subscriber content. Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.
Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?

One Final Thing

To this point, the Rice football losses under head coach Scott Abell have been explainable, if not understandable. Houston had more talent and a power conference NIL fund. Navy had experience and a veteran quarterback at the helm. Neither have lost a game this season.

FAU doesn’t fit that mold. The Owls are, at best, one-sided and at their worst, a flawed football team. The defense has been exploited by all of their FBS opponents and the offense, while productive, will have a Rice defense that has been one of the better units in the conference to this point.

It’s hard to say this is a game Rice football should expect to win, given where they are in the state of their rebuilding process, yet it does have the potential to chart the course for what kind of season the remainder of 2025 will be. A win against FAU lifts Rice football to four wins in six tries, already matching their total from a year ago. It validates aspirations of a bowl berth and the potential to be a disruptor in the conference.

A loss doesn’t prevent the Owls from achieving those things, but the schedule isn’t very forgiving down the stretch and beating an incomplete FAU team at home should, in theory, be easier than taking down conference heavyweights such as Memphis and USF. Either way, we will learn a lot about the program this weekend.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • Rice Football: Midseason Grades
  • American Conference Football 2025: Week 7 Roundup
  • Rice Football Blasted into Bye Week in One-Sided UTSA Defeat
  • Know Your Foe: Rice Football vs UTSA

Filed Under: Featured, Football, Premium Tagged With: Game preview, Rice Football

The Roost Podcast | Ep 214 – Rice Football sunk by Navy

September 28, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

Navy handed Rice football its first conference loss, winning in both trenches and controlling the game. Jason Metko joins us to react to the loss.

Rice football fell to 3-2 with a road loss against Navy. The game was rather one-sided, serving as an education for this program on just how far they have to go to reach the standard for option football as its being played in the FBS right now. Still, there were some encouraging nuggets to salvage from the defeat. Sideline analyst Jason Metko joins the show to help us dig into all of it. You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 214.

Follow @TheRoostPod

Episode Notes

Patreon

Get exclusive insight on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes practice updates, analysis and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better. Join our discussion on Discord here.

Become a Patron!

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite as is the Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Make sure you check out the sailor hat (pictured below) as you shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Homefield

Rice Football vs Navy Game Recap

  • Crisis Averted: Owls avoid what could have been a blowout
  • Offense has some growing up to do, and that’s probably okay
  • Chase Jenkins could probably learn a lot from Blake Horvath
  • Defense has been great, in spite of their third down woes
  • A turnover check? And Plae Wyatt’s big moment

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s College Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner. If it’s happening in college football in Texas, we’re talking about it. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • Rice Football: Midseason Grades
  • American Conference Football 2025: Week 7 Roundup
  • Rice Football Blasted into Bye Week in One-Sided UTSA Defeat
  • Know Your Foe: Rice Football vs UTSA

Filed Under: Archive, Podcast Tagged With: game recap, podcast, Rice Football

American Conference Football 2025: Week 5 Roundup

September 27, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

American Conference Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron this week.

TeamRecord This WeekResultUp Next
Army1-3 (0-2)at ECU (Thr)L, 28-6at UAB
Charlotte1-3 (0-1)— OFF — —at USF
ECU3-2 (1-0)vs Army (Thr)W, 28-6— OFF —
FAU1-3 (0-1)vs MemphisL, 55-26at Rice
Memphis5-0 (1-0)at FAUW, 55-26vs Tulsa
Navy4-0 (3-0)vs RiceW, 21-13vs Air Force
North Texas5-0 (1-0)at ArmyW, 36-22— OFF —
Rice3-2 (1-1)at NavyL, 21-13vs FAU
Temple2-2 (0-0)— OFF — —vs UTSA
Tulane4-1 (1-0)at TulsaW, 31-14— OFF —
Tulsa2-3 (0-2)vs TulaneL, 31-14at Memphis
UAB1-2 (0-1)— OFF — —vs Army
USF2-2 (0-0)— OFF — —vs Charlotte
UTSA2-2 (0-0)— OFF — —at Temple

Storylines // Standings // Preseason Poll

Middies and Mean Green Take Care of Business

September is over and North Texas and Navy have yet to see the loss column and while the Mean Green did have a scare a few weeks ago against Western Michigan, both of these teams have largely looked the part through the first month of the season. Both handled potentially troublesome opponents with relative ease this week.

Memphis has to work for it

Memphis trailed Florida Atlantic midway through the second quarter and never truly had a comfortable advantage until the midpoint of the fourth quarter when Cortez Braham Jr. hauled in a 73-yard touchdown reception from Brandon Lewis. An onslaught of later scores made the final score appear more one-sided than this game actually was. Nevertheless, 5-0 is 5-0.

Army’s struggles compound

The same cannot be said for Army, which looks to be falling fast from their perch atop the American Conference standings they held at the conclusion of last season. It looked for a moment as if they would rebound from their defeat against an FCS opponent with an upset win over Kansas State, but they’re completely one-sided loss at East Carolina proves there are more systemic problems at hand.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

First Conference Test

Some quirky scheduling have left three American Conference teams without a conference game under their belts entering Week 6: South Florida, UTSA and Temple. The Bulls have established some street-cred with impressive non-conference wins, but the Roadrunners and Owls are less proven. Naturally they taken on each other to open conference play.

Armed Forces, Defenders of Rivalry Games

With so many rivalries going by the wayside with conference realignment, it’s refreshing to take in the ones that have stuck around. Air Force had been riding a four-game winning streak before Navy snapped that streak last season. Can the Midshipmen remain undefeated a make a bid for their second consecutive claim to the Commander in Chief Trophy?

Dilfer Watch Continues

As previously established, Army isn’t quite the same team they were a year ago. They’re mortal, in every sense. That’s what makes their trip to Birmingham next weekend intriguing. UAB head coach Trent Dilfer needs to start stacking wins to save his job. And while a down-on-their-luck Army team seems beatable, a poor performance could serve as just another strike against his ledger.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • Rice Football: Midseason Grades
  • American Conference Football 2025: Week 7 Roundup
  • Rice Football Blasted into Bye Week in One-Sided UTSA Defeat
  • Know Your Foe: Rice Football vs UTSA

Filed Under: AAC, Archive Tagged With: AAC

Rice Football comes up short against Navy

September 27, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

A slow start proved too much for Rice Football to overcome as the Owls suffered their first conference of the season, falling to Navy 21-13 on the road.

First place in the American Conference standings was on the line when Rice football visited Navy on Saturday afternoon. The Midshipmen got off to a fast start and seized the momentum early, sinking the Owls’ upset hopes and handing Rice it’s first conference loss of head coach Scott Abell’s tenure. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Dominated up front

By far the most concerning development of the afternoon was the Owls’ inability to get push in either the offensive or defensive trenches. The Rice offensive line, down their starting center and a rotational tackle could not handle the strength of Navy’s Landon Robinson on the interior. He routinely won at the point of attack and created negative plays, starting with a five yard loss on the Owls’ first snap from scrimmage.

The Owls’ base offense accounted for 19 total yards on 15 plays through four drives. The running game had been effectively silenced with the penetration on the interior and the Midshipmen’s ability to get to the edge on the handful of times Rice tried to win there. Chase Jenkins was sacked two times and Navy tallied seven tackles for a loss.

Head coach Scott Abell didn’t shy away from that harsh reality. “I thought Navy won the battle in the trenches,” he said. “Offensively, we let their movement kind of dictate early what we were going to try to do… we overthought that.”

He went on to emphasize Navy’s offensive experience and execution as the biggest differentiator on the other side of the ball. Navy was routinely able to exploit the spacing of the Rice football defense, averaging a staggering 7.9 yards per play in the first half, finishing the game with a still robust 7.5 yards per play.

Ultimately, in a game pitting two option offenses against each other, getting pushed around on both sides of the line of scrimmage put this team in a place that proved too difficult to overcome.

Dealing with the First Negative Game Script

The trench woes contributed to a two-touchdown deficit for the Owls on the road. That their opponent scored first is nothing new — Rice entered the game 3-0 when falling behind after the first score — but the lack of a counter punch from the offense was quite different.

After scoring in nine consecutive quarters, Rice was shut out at halftime. At the break, Navy was outgaining Rice 308-51 and Rice had picked up just three first downs and was 1-of-6 on third down tries. Remarkably, because both sides had only exchanged a handful of possession each, Rice hadn’t really been forced to abandon their primary offensive philosophy to that point.

That’s largely been true of this team through five games. The Houston game was the only one-sided result, but even that contest was competitive in the fourth quarter.

“My [game] script changed, but it changed more because of schematics. I didn’t feel like we had to change our approach and start slinging the football around, but I knew we needed to find some ways to stay on the field offensively and give our defense some breaks,” Abell shared.

“We didn’t really change the approach until midway though the fourth quarter.”

That Rice was able to cling to their core offensive philosophy was a credit to the resiliency of the defense and just enough progression from the offense from start to finish. It’s also a positive sign of things to come for the future.

Passing Problems More Pronounced with Low Volume

A scattershot passing game was responsible, at least in part, for the Rice football offense being stuck in neutral for so long in this game. The Owls had the right approach with how the dialed up their shots, but their ineffectiveness — for multiple reasons — really hamstrung the Owls’ offense, particularly in the first half.

A wide open Braylen Walker dropped what should have been at least a 25 yard gain. That the pass came in a constant rain in Walker’s first game back after an extended absence didn’t help, but the results were the same. A little while after, Jenkins couldn’t connect on a deep throw that landed just beyond the reach of a streaking Aaron Turner.

Again, that any singular passing play failed isn’t the point. But when you only run 22 total plays in the first half and attempt seven passes — even fewer thrown down the field — you end up at the mercy of variance, perhaps more often than you’d like.

More: Join the Conversation on The Roost Discord

Rice started to move the ball in earnest in the second half, but still saw the passing game thwart their momentum in key moments. Drayden Dickmann had the ball fall just out of reach in the front corner of the endzone. Rice settled for a field goal and kept the deficit at the time at two scores rather than pulling within a touchdown.

Jenkins did hit Dickman in the fourth quarter to set up the Owls’ touchdown on fourth-and-goal, but the effort would prove to be too little, too late.

If Rice hits a few more of those passing plays, the game might very well have gone differently. However, that they fell incomplete made it abundantly clear this offense desperately needed the boost they would have provided.

Wrestling with Elevated Expectations

The frame of reference for how we evaluate Abell’s program has shifted wildly in the span of a few short weeks. Fair or not, this team was projected to be a bottom dweller in the American Conference. That they started 3-1 and won their conference opener on the road made it clear they wouldn’t be keeping company with the worst teams in the league, but where was their ceiling?

A loss to a now 4-0 Houston team provided a glimpse of that upper bound. Saturday’s road tilt against Navy gave further clarity. Through five games, this 3-2 team has shown itself to be flawed, yet resilient.

“We’re still in the fight. As we get back to Houston, we’ve got to turn the page. We’ve got to see the film from right here and turn the page and get ready for FAU at home. One of the things I’m proud about this team is our fight and our grit. You can see it out on the field, every play, regardless of outcome, we fought. That’s something I’m proud of,” quarterback Chase Jenkins said after the game.

“We didn’t get the result we wanted, obviously, but going forward you’re going to see a team full of heart.”

Effort has never been in question with this group, they’ve mastered the want-to. Saturday’s result made it clear there is still work to be done on the how-to, on both sides of the ball.

Digging Deeper

Every week we’ll have a stat, storyline or key learning from the game reserved for our subscribers. Haven’t joined yet? Sign up here:

Become a Patron!

Third Down Woes

Subscriber content. Please login to see the full post or visit our Patreon page.
Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts
  • Rice Football: Midseason Grades
  • American Conference Football 2025: Week 7 Roundup
  • Rice Football Blasted into Bye Week in One-Sided UTSA Defeat
  • Know Your Foe: Rice Football vs UTSA

Filed Under: Archive, Football, Premium Tagged With: Aaron Turner, Braylen Walker, Chase Jenkins, Drayden Dickmann, game recap, Rice Football

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • …
  • 608
  • Next Page »
  1. Item 1
  2. Item 2
  3. Item 3
  4. Item 4
  • Jack Ben-Shoshan, Rice Baseball
  • Rice Baseball, David Pierce
  • Rice Football
  • “He’s a Bulldog”: Parker Smith’s Journey to Rice Baseball Ace
Become a patron at Patreon!
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter