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AAC Football 2024: Week 11 Roundup

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

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Army 9-0 (7-0) at North Texas W, 14-3 — OFF —
Charlotte 3-6 (2-3) — OFF —  — vs USF
ECU 5-4 (3-2) vs FAU W, 49-14 at Tulsa
FAU 2-7 (0-5) at ECU L, 49-14 at Temple
Memphis 8-2 (4-2) vs Rice W, 27-20 vs UAB
Navy 7-2 (5-1) at USF W, 28-7 vs Tulane
North Texas 5-4 (2-3) vs Army L, 14-3 at UTSA
Rice 3-7 (2-5) at Memphis L, 27-20 — OFF —
Temple 2-7 (1-4) at Tulane L, 52-6 vs FAU
Tulane 8-2 (6-0) vs Temple W, 52-6 at Navy
Tulsa 3-6 (1-4) — OFF —  — vs ECU
UAB 2-7 (1-4) vs UConn L, 31-28 at Memphis
USF 4-5 (2-3) vs Navy L, 28-7 at Charlotte
UTSA 4-5 (2-3) — OFF —  — vs North Texas

Notable Results and Storylines // (Standings)

Home for Christmas

Four AAC teams saw their hopes of postseason play die this weekend. Rice, Florida Atlantic, Temple and UAB each picked up loss number seven, eliminating them from traditional forms of bowl eligibility. Rice has gone bowling as a 5-win team in recent memory, but even if that scenario were still on the table, this isn’t the kind of season any of these programs envisioned and as a result, Rice has already made a head coaching change. Could any of these others follow suit?

Not done yet

East Carolina didn’t get the memo their season was over. Despite firing head coach Mike Houston ECU in mid-October, the Pirates are one win away from bowl eligibility after obliterating Florida Atlantic at home this week as quarterback Katin Houser threw for 343 yards and accounted for five touchdowns. Interim head coach Blake Harrell improved to 2-0.

You can’t stop the troops

Owners of the nation’s longest winning streak, Army has won 13 in a row and is one of four remaining unbeaten teams in the nation. They topped North Texas on Saturday in a game that included a jaw-dropping 21-play, 13:54 minute touchdown drive. When The Black Knights are rolling, they’re hard to stop.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

AAC Game of the Year?

One of the unintended consequences of large conferences without divisions was the uneven scheduling that we’re just now starting to see. Add in the unique circumstances surrounding the Army/Navy Game and you get a regular season devoid of many marquee matchups between the top teams, until next Saturday at least when 5-1 Navy hosts 6-0 Tulane, essentially for a spot in the conference championship game against Army. This one will be appointment viewing.

Last chance

South Florida and UTSA need to win two of their final three games to reach the postseason. That task looks easier, on paper, for USF which doesn’t play a team with a winning record for the remainder of the year. UTSA hosts Temple, but also draws North Texas and Army. Both programs would rather have a win this weekend to make that dream more plausible.

For last place

There’s a heated battle for the bottom spot in the league standings, but it’s entirely possible Florida Atlantic can take pole position with one more loss next weekend against fellow cellar dweller Temple. FAU currently holds the bottom spot and is the only AAC team without a conference win. If they can’t get it done against Temple it’s hard to envision any more wins coming.

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Rice Basketball comes up short against Florida State

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Rice Basketball kept things close but couldn’t get enough shots to fall late, picking up their first loss of the season against Florida State.

Florida State came out swinging and immediately put Rice basketball on the defensive at the Toyota Center on Saturday night, shooting a blistering 76 percent from the field in the first 10 minutes and forcing the Owls to match their torrid pace.

A 7-0 run from the Noles was the Owls’ first test. Rather than rely on any one player, Rice saw contributions up and down the lineup to keep the game within reach. On this occasion, it was Jacob Dar and Trey Patterson who came through with the key layups to get back within four. That was the point when both sides seemed to settle down and the Rice defense was able to set its defense and play the style of game they wanted to play.

Florida State saw their shooting percentage drop from the high 70s to the 40s and their fouls tick upward. After hitting 10 of their first 13 field goals, the Noles missed their next eight shots. A simultaneous shooting slump from the Owls squashed any chance of a rally, but the defensive effort kept Rice afloat until Florida State snapped out of their stupor, a moment which unfortunately came before the Rice offense had recharged.

Rice was held to one field goal in the final eight minutes of the first half, allowing Florida State to go on a 9-3 run and extend their lead to 10 points at the break.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

Alem Huseinovic and Trae Broadnax kicked the team into gear in the second half, knocking down a trio of three-pointers, almost instantaneously evaporating the Florida State lead which shrank to 33-32 in roughly two minutes of play.

Both teams traded baskets and fouls late into the second half, but that crucial spurt of three-point success proved to be the exception, not the rule. Rice would miss 11 of their next 12 three-pointers, slowly watching a close game fade away with each successive clank off the iron. 12 missed free throws didn’t help the cause, either. The box score shows a comfortable Florida State win, but Rice had a real chance to make this one interesting.

“From an overall team connectivity standpoint, we have something good there,” guard Trae Broadnax said postgame. “That’s where we’re close and we just have to lock in on the things that plagued us like the free throws, like the turnovers, like the execution on both ends of the floor so that we can put it together. It’s November. We’ve still got a long ways to go.”

Final Box | FSU 73, Rice 65

What They’re Saying

Key takeaway | Free Throw Woes

There’s been a lot of good to take from the Rob Lanier era of Rice basketball through two games and a 1-1 start. The defensive effort is improved and the effort has been impressive on both ends of the court. The most glaring deficiency that cost the Owls in both games so far? Free throws.

Rice missed 15 free throws against FIU and missed 12 free throws against Florida State. Shooting 100 percent from the charity stripe is unrealistic and even making every foul shot wouldn’t have saved the Owls on Saturday night, but this game takes on a different feel if they make them at a more realistic clip. That change might not be coming soon.

“Today was my 1,091st game coaching division one [basketball] and I’ve never worked with — and I worked with two hall of fame coaches — or been a great free throw coach. Billy Donovan was not a good free throw coach. Rick Barnes was not a good free throw coach and neither am I,” Lanier admitted.

Lanier’s final SMU squad made just 68.6 percent of their free throws last season. The 2024-2025 Owls are sitting at 60.8 percent through two games. Neither of those numbers is going to be better than the bottom quartile of the country.

Lanier acknowledged the challenge but kept a positive spin on things. “Witchcraft. Pixie dust. Burn some sage in the gym,” he joked. “We’ll try some different stuff.”

Rice basketball might never be an elite free throw shooting team. But getting the Owls back to the middle of the back would go a long way.

Up Next: vs Louisiana Monroe (Tues)

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Upset bid comes up short for Rice Football at Memphis

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Rice football had its chances, but missed opportunities proved too much to overcome, as the Owls fell to Memphis in a one-score game on the road.

Another strong start. Another furious fourth quarter rally. Another loss. Rice football was left with another all too familiar sour taste following a road defeat at Memphis on Friday night, the Owls’ seventh loss of the season. The Owls hung around with the Tigers all night but ran out of time in the fourth quarter.

“There’s a certain recipe that we know we have to cook to win the game. At the end of the day, we didn’t cook the full recipe,” interim head coach Pete Alamar said. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Turnovers (almost) set the tone

A Rice football defense that felt allergic to turnovers for much of the season seems to have found the takeaway button at the most opportune time. The Owls went six games against FBS opponents before they registered more than one turnover in a game and went without a turnover at all in four of those games.

The tide began to turn two weeks ago against UConn when Rice took the ball away twice, but couldn’t muster enough points on the arm of a backup quarterback. With EJ Warner back at the helm and the offense up and running again, Rice knocked off Navy with the help of two turnovers from the defense, one of which came on the Owls’ first defensive possession.

A similar series of events put Rice football in front on Friday night. Following a Rice drive that stalled out to start the game the defense quickly got Memphis into third and long in the shadow of their own endzone. Tigers’ quarterback Seth Henigan tried to force the ball into a tight window but Rice corner Sean Fresch was ready and won the battle for the ball.

Fresch probably could have had another takeaway on the ensuing possession but wasn’t able to corral a missile from Henigan that deflected off his hands. The defensive effort was the difference early, though, staking Rice to a 6-0 first quarter lead. That marked the fifth time in the Owls’ last six contests that the defense held their opponent scoreless in the first frame. For only the fourth time this season, Rice won the turnover battle. They held Henigan in check for most of the night. When you’re looking to mount an upset on the road, that’s how you have to start.

Red Zone Woes

On paper, the Rice offense matched the Owls’ strong defensive start, but no matter how efficient quarterback EJ Warner was between the 20s, the lack of finishing ability of the entire offensive unit allowed Memphis to stay in the game. Rice took over at the Memphis 20-yard line following the turnover but managed one first down before settling for a chip-shot field goal. In the next possession, the Owls drove 76 yards in 11 plays but petered out in the red zone again, kicking another field goal.

Scoring points in the red zone has been a problem for Rice this season, but the degree to which the Owls have been unable to capitalize on opportunities is staggering. Rice entered this game 132nd in the nation in red zone scoring percentage, getting points on just 68 percent of their drives that reach their opponent’s 25-yard line. Nationally, only Houston and UTEP are worse.

When you take away the chip shot field goals, which Rice settled for in each of their first two red zone drives on Friday, the numbers get even more discouraging. Rice was already dead last in the AAC entering this game with a 50 percent red zone touchdown percentage. That rate will fall to 47 percent after a 1-for-4 showing against Memphis.

“It’s the little things, not executing,” Warner pointed to after the game, emphasizing the impact of a misstep here or a yard too far there makes on plays in that are of the field.

The feeble field goal lead fell apart no sooner than it had been established with Memphis closing the half with three successive scoring drives, getting points on all three possessions in the second quarter. The Owls’ only saving grace to that point was a 27-yard strike from Warner to Matt Sykes. Apparently, that’s the Owls’ current solution to their red zone issues: score from outside the 25.

Add in a turnover on the two-yard line when Warner and Dean Connors couldn’t connect on an exchange and you get a disastrous performance from up close. It’s hard to win football games when you don’t take advantage of those kinds of opportunities. Especially with Memphis going 3-for-3 in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on each trip.

Excellent EJ Warner

Even with their red zone issues, it’s impossible to discuss the Owls’ overall offensive renaissance of late without giving credit to Warner. The Owls’ transfer signal caller ran a vastly different offense at Temple and frankly looked out of his depth in his first month and change of live game action at South Main. Head coach Mike Bloomgren, who was always quick to support his guys, went on the record on multiple occasions demanding more from Warner who just wasn’t fully in sync with the offense early on.

Warner’s uncertainty showcased itself in very few throws downfield and lots of checkdowns to Connors who, not coincidentally, became the all-time receptions leaders for a running back in Rice football history against Memphis on Friday night. When Warner did air it out, passes were off the mark. As a result, defenses played close to the line of scrimmage and dared Warner to beat them. For the most part, he didn’t.

In Warner’s first four games, he averaged 3.85 adjusted yards per attempt, a statistic that measures a quarterback’s efficiency on his attempts, incorporating touchdowns and interceptions. As a rough rule, anything below five is sub-par. Warner only passed that number once, and it came against the Owls’ lone FCS opponent.

From the Charlotte game on, Warner has steadily shown progress. It’s not just the counting stats — he’s throwing for 90 more yards per game since that mark. He led what probably should have been the go-ahead drive in the fourth against the 49ers, missed field goal aside, and delivered the actual game-winning play a week later against UTSA.

Warner’s adjusted yards per attempt since Charlotte is 6.37. He registered 6.36 AYA against Memphis, right on the new standard he’s set for himself in the second half of the season. For as often as Warner was the problem early this year, he’s transformed himself into the solution.

He came through again on a key fourth down in the red zone, giving Rice football a chance to win a game they probably hadn’t earned the right to still be in.

What’s next?

The Navy game gave this team and this fanbase a reason to kindle hope for one more week. For at least a few more days, there was a chance this team had found their groove and could thread the needle, winning out to salvage one of the most unexpected bowl berths this program has ever seen. While there’s still an outside chance this team could go bowling with a five-win APR exception, the traditional path to a six-win season is officially not in the cards.

Senior Izeya Floyd say the team isn’t preoccupied with possible ways to sneak into the postseason.

“We don’t even think about it like that,” he said. “That’s not what we play for. We play to go win these games because that’s what we do. That’s what we do four our seniors, including myself. We’re going to go try and win these games. We’re going to go win these games.”

With that reality sinking in for the first time, the Memphis game felt a lot like a fair synopsis of this season. Rice did a lot of things well against a team expected to finish near the top of the American Athletic Conference. The Owls were one score away — giving the ball away on the doorstep in heartbreaking fashion along the way. Yet the result was the same as it’s been all too often this season, a loss in a competitive game the Owls couldn’t find a way to finish.

With the storybook finish likely done, all that’s left is to win the next two. For the first time all year, this feels like a team capable of getting that done.

“We got two games left. Let’s go win two games,” Alamar said post game. “Let’s be 3-1 in the month of November and let’s be playing out best football in the last game of the season. Let’s continue to grow as a football team and keep playing. I told our team in the locker room, our goals haven’t changed, to go out and win every week.”

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Rice Women’s Basketball rallies late to top North Carolina A&T

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Rice Women’s Basketball rallied from a fourth quarter deficit to beat North Carolina A&T and secure the Owls’ first win of the 2024-2025 season.

Playing another game against a challenging non-conference opponent days removed from a one-score defeat, Rice women’s basketball was pushed to the wire once again. The Owls fell behind to North Carolina A&T early, struggling to score the ball effectively and losing the rebounding battle against the Aggies in the opening quarters of the game.

Rice never led in the first quarter and took their first edge early in the second frame on a three-pointer from freshman Aniah Alexis, who scored nine of her 12 points in that quarter. Her push kept the Owls in the game giving them a chance to work through some of their early season rust in real time,

“Aniah’s special. I’m so thankful she’s in a Rice jersey. The kid scored a thousand points in her senior year of high school. She knows how to score the ball. She’s not afraid of the moment,” head coach Lindsay Edmonds said, “For a freshman only in the second game of her career to say she knows multiple positions and the willingness to play wherever I need her, that’s really special. Aniah’s going to do a lot of tremendous things here at her career at Rice. This is just the beginning.”

More: Rice Women’s Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

Unfortunately for the Owls, Alexis’ beginning would come to a premature end. She folded out in the fourth quarter on the tail end of what was a furious comeback from the home team. Rice trailed by eight but quickly cut the lead down to one score thanks in large part to a dominant showing by Sussy Ngulefac, who led the Owls with 19 points and 10 rebounds, including the winning layup in the final minute.

It was far from a perfect performance, but as Edmonds reminded after the game, “winning is hard.” The Owls will take every victory they can get.

Final Box | Rice 61, North Carolina A&T 60

What They’re Saying

“It feels good to get in the win column. In the Monday night game we played really good in the first three quarters and not our greatest in the fourth. Tonight, unfortunately, felt a little flipped. We didn’t play our greatest in the first three then we played really well in the fourth. We were able to make a run in the fourth and win the game. There’s definitely things that we can still clean up, but they showed some fight tonight, the unwillingness to let the game slip away from us. Proud of them for that.” – Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds

Key takeaway |  Downtown doubts

Alexis was the only Owl to knock down multiple three-pointers on Thursday night, going 2-for-7 from deep. Rice women’s basketball attempted 21 threes and made just four, with one apiece from Dominique Ennis and Emily Klaczek. Obviously, the perimeter shooting won’t struggle to this extent every night, but it’s something that should be better than 19 percent given the presence the Owls expect on the interior with Ngulefac and Shelby Hayes.

Rice was one of the better three-point shooting teams in the conference last season and has several of its better shooters back on the roster. It will get better than this, but it’s somewhat surprising to see the bottom of the range be this tenuous given the advantageous positions they should be able to create with this offense.

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Rice Football: Behind enemy lines with a Memphis Insider

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Memphis is next up on the 2024 Rice football schedule so we’re going behind enemy lines with Tigers’ insider John Maddox from Rivals’ Tiger Sports Report.

Tigers’ insider John Maddox was kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions about the upcoming matchup between Rice Football and Memphis. The answers below should shed some light on the Owls’ upcoming opponent.

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