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Rice Football 2025 Game Preview: UConn

October 19, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice football is off the bye, readying to host UConn this week in the Owls’ final non-conference game. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Rice football returns to the gridiron this Saturday for an extended stretch of home games following a much-needed bye week on bye after a one-sided rout at the hands of UTSA. UConn faired much better in their last two weekends, taking their bye week two weeks ago while Rice was in San Antonio before knocking off Boston College on Saturday. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Rice and UConn.

Kickoff time | 2:00 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | ESPN+ (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)

Sizing up the Contenders

UConn will almost assuredly reach bowl eligibility with five wins so far and games remaining against UAB and Florida Atlantic after their game at Rice. The question now is how high can the Huskies climb? If things break the right way, this team could win nine games for a second consecutive season. That would likely require a win in Houston, though.

As for Rice football, they have bowl aspirations of their own, which took a hit with a three-game skid going into the bye week and games still remaining against conference heavyweights like Memphis, North Texas and South Florida.

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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 | UConn leads, 2-0
Last Five | UConn leads, 2-0
Last Meeting | Away 2024, UConn won 17-10

Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | Jenkins – 60/89 (67.4 percent), 553 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Jackson – 96 carries, 487 yards (5.1 yards per carry), 3 TD / Jenkins – 80 carries, 275 yards (3.4 yards per carry) – 4 TD / Alexander – 63 carries, 370 yards (5.9 yards per carry), 3 TD
Receiving | Dickmann – 24 receptions, 262 yards (10.9 yds/rec), 3 TD / Turner – 21 receptions, 136 yards (6.5 yds/rec) / Walker – 6 receptions, 49 yards (8.2 yds/rec)
Tackles | Awe – 53 / Morris – 45 / Williams – 37
Pass Breakups | Crump – 6 / Williams – 5 / Porter – 4
Interceptions | Kane, Stevenson, Wyatt – 1

UConn Stat Notables

Passing | Fagnano – 154/226 (63.4 percent), 1918 yards, 15 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Edwards – 113 carries, 694 yards (6.10 yds/car), 7 TD / Brown – 16 carries, 159 yards (9.9 yds/car)
Receiving | Bell – 58 receptions, 687 yards (11.9 yds/rec), 7 TD / Neider – 14 receptions, 254 yards (18.1 yds/rec), 1 TD / Murphy – 18 receptions, 228 yards (12.7 yds/rec), 3 TD
Tackles | Bryun – 61 / Diomande – 55 / Chadwick – 37
Pass Breakups | Brinson – 6 / Mills – 4 / Molette, Pringle – 3
Interceptions | Five tied with one apiece

UConn X-Factor | Offset the Owls’ Attack

Given the productivity of the UConn offense, Rice will be doing all it can to find success of its own when they have the ball and keep it out of the Huskies’ hands. Questions in the Owls’ secondary and uncertainty at quarterback are already going to make things difficult for Rice. UConn can multiply those woes by frustrating the Rice offense with negative plays and excellent third down defense.

UConn ranks 14th in the nation in third down defense, allowing just 30.1 percent conversions. Top-flight pressure has contributed to that. Only 17 schools in the nation average more than UConn’s seven tackles for loss per contest. The Huskies’ formula has been consistent and it’s worked. All they need to do is replicate it in Houston.

Rice X-Factor | Corner Room Chaos

Rice football ranks third in the American Conference and top 50 nationally in passing defense. They’ve gotten to that mark with a makeshift safety room, which finally appears to be nearing full strength at the midpoint of the season. However, in reaching those marks the Owls have had the luxury of trusting the same two starting corners for the long haul.

Khary Crump is not with the program right now after he was indefinitely suspended following an altercation with officials last week. Omari Porter was briefly sent to the bench against UTSA for Lavonte Johnson. That tandem will now be asked to UConn quarterback Joe Fagnano, who is one of only two quarterbacks in the nation with 10 or more touchdown passes and no interceptions.

If Rice can hold up on the outside and control the UConn passing attack, they’ll have a very good chance to win this game, but that’s something that certainly would have seemed much easier before their last game in the Alamodome.

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One Final Thing

The 2024 Rice football team, which struggled to such a degree that Mike Bloomgren was fired, never lost more than three consecutive games. There was a stretch when the Owls lost five of six contests, but a win over UTSA in Houston was sandwiched between those losses to steal some fleeting hope. That’s really what’s at stake for Rice this coming weekend.

No, Abell isn’t getting fired, nor is his vision for the program in doubt in any material capacity. But hope? That’s in low supply around South Main right now and could use a boost. A boost that could come in the form of a skid-stopping win at home.

More than anything, fans want to see progress, something that has seemed largely evasive over their losing streak. They want to see a team that is getting better, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, where Abell has honed his craft for decades. And while he’s at it, getting back to .500 before a brutal closing schedule would certainly be a nice way to come out of the off week.

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

American Conference Football 2025: Week 8 Roundup

October 18, 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
Army3-4 (2-3)at TulaneL, 24-17— OFF —
Charlotte1-6 (0-4)vs TempleL, 49-14vs North Texas (FRI)
ECU4-3 (2-1)vs TulsaW, 41-27— OFF —
FAU3-4 (2-2)at USFL, 48-13at Navy
Memphis6-1 (2-1)at UABL, 31-24vs USF
Navy6-0 (4-0)— OFF — —vs FAU
North Texas6-1 (2-1)vs UTSAW, 55-17at Charlotte (FRI)
Rice3-4 (1-3)— OFF — —vs UConn
Temple4-3 (2-1)at CharlotteW, 49-14at Tulsa
Tulane6-1 (3-0)vs ArmyW, 24-17— OFF —
Tulsa2-5 (0-4)at ECUL, 41-27vs Temple
UAB3-4 (1-3)vs MemphisW, 31-24— OFF —
USF6-1 (3-0)vs FAUW, 48-13at Memphis
UTSA3-4 (1-2)at North TexasL, 55-17— OFF —

Storylines // Standings // Preseason Poll

Memphis’ Winning Streak is No More

Memphis entered Saturday tied with Ohio State with the nation’s longest winning streak. The Buckeyes now hold that distinction alone as Tigers fell as three touchdown favorites on the road against a UAB team under an interim head coach. In a conference title race expected to go down to the wire, it’s the kind of loss that could prove costly down the road. If nothing else, Memphis’ margin for error just got significantly more narrow.

Tulane gets Revenge

The conference title rematch was a much more competitive contest this time around. Army successfully held the ball and milked the clock, forcing Tulane to be effective every time they touched the ball; they came close. Tulane punted just one time before quarterback Jake Retzlaff hit receiver Shazz Preston for the go-ahead touchdown with 27 seconds on the clock.

North Texas Gets Right

A week removed from suffering their first loss of the season, the Mean Green made it abundantly clear they wouldn’t be adding to that ledger again any time soon. Despite a close game at half, North Texas would go on to outscore UTSA 31-3 in the second half including a forth quarter shutout to secure an important home win.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

A GameDay-less Big Game

So much for College Gameday. Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti talked this week about the possibility of the American pitting two ranked teams against each other next weekend, but Memphis loss to UAB will assuredly skuttles that dream. GameDay or not, though, this is a massive game for the conference title race and potential College Football Playoff bids.

Well Rested Rice

Rice football got off to a strong 3-1 start to the season before injuries and a tough schedule began to take their tole on the team, which got a much needed bye this past weekend. The road doesn’t get easier against a 5-2 UConn squad, but the Owls hope they’ll be in a better place after the off week and more capable of playing their best brand of football.

Can Temple Take Care of Business?

Winning on the road is never a sure thing, especially under a new head coach, but Temple can get within one win of bowl eligibility with a road win over Tulsa this coming Saturday in a game they’ll more than likely be favored to win. The schedule gets tougher after this with games against ECU, Army, Tulane and North Texas to close out the year.

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Filed Under: AAC, Archive Tagged With: AAC

2025-2026 Rice Women’s Basketball Season Preview

October 17, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

Fifth-year head coach Lindsay Edmonds leads a Rice women’s basketball squad with high expectations that is looking to rebound from a rocky season a year ago.

The 2025-2026 Rice Women’s Basketball will look to quickly step past what was largely a disappointing season a year ago, one which began with NCAA Tournament aspirations only to end with a middling 17-17 campaign. This time, the year would not be salvaged by a conference tournament run, although the Owls certainly gave it a shot.

No, this season doesn’t come with vocal proclamations or lofty promises. Just work. At the American Conference Tipoff event, Edmonds sported a bracelet with the initials TNT, which stands for “Today, Not Tomorrow.”

In her eyes, focusing on the present will help alleviate some of those stumbles the program has gone through in prior years.

“[We have to be] making sure that we’re taking care of today. When we get to the tournament, we’ll worry about the tournament,” Edmonds said. “But making sure that we’re taking care of each and every day because all those wins are going to matter, all those games are going to matter.

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Filed Under: Archive, Basketball, Premium, Sidebar, Women's Athletics Tagged With: Rice Women's basketball, Season Preview

Rice Football 2025: Bye Week Practice Notes

October 16, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

Rice Football is in recovery mode this week, working to get the roster healthy and well-rested during the bye week, particularly at the quarterback position.

The health of Rice Football starting quarterback Chase Jenkins is, understandably, at the front of everyone’s minds as the team enters their first bye week of the season after a brutal seven game run to open the year. This update shares what is known on Jenkins at this point, discusses the implications of corner Khary Crump’s suspension and a few important bye week items the team is addressing.

The Quarterbacks Quandary

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  • Rice Football 2025: Memphis Game Week Practice Notes
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Filed Under: Archive, Football, Premium Tagged With: Chase Allen, Chase Jenkins, Drew Devillier, Enoch Gota, Ephraim Dotson, Jerrick Harper, Khary Crump, LaVonte Johnson, Lucas Scheerhorn, Moh Bility, Omari Porter, Patrick Crayton, practice notes, Rice Football

The Roost Podcast | Ep 216 – A Night to Forget for Rice Football at UTSA

October 15, 2025 By Matthew Bartlett

Almost from opening kickoff, Rice Football got run out of town in San Antonio in a one-sided loss to UTSA. How does that impact this team’s outlook?

Rice football finally gets its much-needed bye week, but the price to get past that final game before the break was costly. Rice allowed 61 points in a horrific contest against UTSA which included two players ejected, four quarterbacks and plenty of questions.

Head coach Scott Abell told The Roost on Wednesday that one of the ejected players, CB Khary Crump, has been suspended from the program indefinitely. We hit on that at the top of the show. You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 216.

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Episode Notes

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Rice Football vs UTSA Game Recap

  • First Quarter Debacle
  • Defensive execution was a problem
  • Quarterback Injuries and what to make of the offense
  • Khary Crump
  • Abell’s Year One’s
  • What to make of this team going forward
  • Thank goodness for bye weeks

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
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  • Rice Football 2025: Memphis Game Week Practice Notes
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Filed Under: Archive, Football, Podcast Tagged With: game recap, podcast, Rice Football

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