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Rice Basketball defeated in Denton

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Rice Basketball came up short in one of their most challenging road tests of the season, becoming one of many teams to fall to North Texas in Denton.

North Texas started the scoring on Wednesday night and never really let up. Early three-pointers from Alem Huseinovic and Jacob Dar helped erase an early eight point deficit to give Rice a one-point lead halfway through the first half. It wouldn’t last long. Consecutive triples from the Mean Green’s Atin Wright quickly thrust the Owls into comeback mode.

Both teams were fairly evenly matched in rebounds, assists and turnovers. North Texas just found the bucket more often than not, shooting an unmatchable 55 percent from the floor. That superb shooting stroke turned a close game into a 14-point edge for the home team at halftime.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

The game was never back within reach from that point onward. Caden Powell put up 10 points in the second half. Denver Anglin scored eight. North Texas kept up its torrid pace, finishing the game with 11 three-pointers and a near-perfect 16-for-17 outing from the free throw line.

Final Box | North Texas 81, Rice 59

Key takeaway | Moving On

Rice basketball avenged some history earlier this season when they beat Tulsa for the first time since 2005, snapping a streak of 17 consecutive defeats. It hadn’t been quite that long since the Owls had beaten the Mean Green, but winning in Denton was still a rarity. In face, Rice had won twice in Denton all-time against North Texas.

North Texas was undefeated at home so far this season (8-0 entering this game) and is one of the better teams in the AAC. Rice basketball has come a long way from their lowly preseason expectations, but a road loss at the Super Pit to one a good team isn’t the end of the world. Nights like this are going to happen as this team continues to grow. Best to put it in the rear view mirror and keep moving forward.

Up Next: vs Temple (Sat, Jan. 11)

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Rice Football 2024: NFL Owls Regular Season Roundup

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Rice Football is well represented on 2024 NFL rosters. Here’s the latest from the NFL Owls in action this season.

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 WeekResultPlayoffs
Detroit LionsJack Fox (P)
Myles Adams (DL)		vs Vikings (SNF)W, 31-9BYE
Indianapolis ColtsKylen Granson (TE)vs JaguarsW, 26-23 (OT) —
Jacksonville JaguarsAustin Trammell (WR)at ColtsL, 26-23 (OT) —
Arizona CardinalsNick Leverett (OL)vs BillsW, 47-24 —
New York GiantsElijah Garcia (DL)at EaglesL, 20-13 —
Pittsburgh SteelersChris Boswell (PK)
Calvin Anderson (OL)		vs Bengals (Sat)L, 19-17at Ravens (Sat)
Washington CommandersLuke McCaffrey (WR)at CowboysW, 23-19at Bucs (Sun)

Special Teams

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox and Boswell were both selected to the NFL Pro Bowl this offseason, marking the first time Rice football has had multiple players selected for the Pro Bowl since 1961.

As for Fox, he punted 45 times for 2,295 yards, an a staggering average of 51 total yards and 46.2 net yards per punt, second and first in the league in those marks, respectively. He also converted a fake punt this season, throwing for 17 yards on the pass.

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell went 41-of-44 on field goals this season, leading the league in scoring and tying for the fifth most points by a kicker in league history. He was three made field goals shy of the NFL record for field goals in a season (44) set by David Akers in 2011. Boswell’s only misses this season came from 62 yards, 58 yards and a blocked 42 yard try.

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OL, Steelers

Anderson played a reserve role for the Steelers this season. After joining the team in Week 4 he was active for every remaining contest, seeing action in four games.

Nick Leverett – OL, Patriots and Cardinals

Leverett began the season with the Patriots and saw action in each of the team’s first five games before being released. He was subsequently signed the the Cardinals practice squad before being elevated to the active roster and making his Arizona debut in their regular season finale against the 49ers.

Luke McCaffrey – WR, Commanders

A third round pick by the Commanders in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCaffrey caught 18 passes for 168 yards during the regular season. He also made an impact on special teams, returning 10 kickoffs for 299 all purposes yards.

Austin Trammell – WR, Jaguars

Trammell signed to the Jaguars practice squad this offseason and was promoted briefly to the active roster in November where he was immediately pressed into action. He caught two of three passes thrown his way against the Eagles that week before reverting back to the practice squad where he finished the season.

Kylen Granson – TE, Colts

In his fourth season with the Colts, Granson made six starts, catching 14 passes for 182 yards and playing in all 17 games.

Defense

Myles Adams – DL, Seahawks and Lions

Adams began the season with the Seahawks, playing in three games before he was waived in November. He immediately signed with the Lions and was elevated to the active roster, playing in four of the Lions’ final five games of the season and registering his first sack of the season.

Elijah Garcia – DL, Giants

Garcia made his 2024 debut with the Giants in Week 13 shortly after being elevated from the practice squad. He played in the final five games of the season, making three starts and recovering this game-sealing fourth quarter fumble to secure a win over the Colts. He finished the year with 14 tackles.

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.

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Rice Football Recruiting: K Chase Allen commits to Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football Recruiting class has its specialist. UTSA transfer kicker Chase Allen has committed to the Owls.

Head coach Scott Abell has continues to add to the 2025 Rice Football recruiting class through the transfer portal. He’s supplemented a large high school signing class with several Transfer Portal additions, so far, including this newest veteran addition from among the special teams ranks. Former UTSA kicker Chase Allen has committed to the Owls.

Allen served as UTSA’s primary kicker during the 2023 season, originally transferring to San Antonio from Alabama, where he served as the Crimson Tide’s kickoff specialist in 2020. With the Roadrunners in 2023, Allen made 13-of-15 field goals and all 49 of his extra point attempts, leading the AAC in field goal percentage and finishing among the Top 15 in the country in that mark. He was named second-team all-conference for his efforts.

In 2024 he made 4-of-9 kicks before ceding the job to Tate Sandell who would finish off the season. Allen leaves UTSA with a career 75 percent field goal percentage (18-of-24).

The addition of Allen immediately fills a gap opened when Landon Schaffer, who had committed to the Owls’ previous staff, opted to decommit from the program. He’ll presumably compete with Enoch Gota and Reese Keeney in the Rice special teams room. Adding someone like Allen that has all-conference honors as a kicker in this conference on his resume is a really nice pickup this winter.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Allen is the fourth transfer addition to the class at this point. He joins JUCO defensive backs Jerrick Harper and Jo Chavez as well as former Cincinnati wide receiver Aaron Turner.

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Rice Women’s Basketball: 2024-2025 Midseason State of the Program

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It’s been an up-and-down year for Rice Women’s Basketball and head coach Lindsay Edmonds. Here’s where the Owls stand as American Conference play begins.

Sitting at 8-6 (1-1) with two league games under their belts, Rice women’s basketball is wrestling with unmet expectations and a long season still ahead. The Owls are finally healthy as they enter the heart of league play, posting perhaps their most impressive win of the season the last time they took the court.

For those checking in for the first time, or those returning, a quick programming note. Special features like this are reserved for our subscribers. Have questions? You can get those answered in our monthly Q&As and get access to all practice notes, recruiting updates and features like this one when you subscribe on Patreon today.

Can the Owls rebound from a tough schedule and rough start with another late-season rally? That’s the unknown staring back at this squad as they fight through the middle of the season. Here’s where the Owls stand at the halfway point, a few important milestones and notes from the journey to this point and a recalibration of expectations for the rest of the way.

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Rice Basketball powers past Charlotte in AAC home opener

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Rice basketball never trailed after halftime, taking down Charlotte at Tudor Fieldhouse to clinch the Owls’ first-ever 2-0 start in AAC play.

Looking to improve to 2-0 in AAC play for the first time in program history, Rice Basketball weathered an early barrage of three-pointers from Charlotte before finding their groove. With the game tied 21-21, Andrew Akuchie sparked a 10-0 Rice run which included an emphatic three from himself to put the home team in front by 10. Rice never looked back.

Charlotte would not roll over. The visiting 49ers cut their deficit to as little as four points midway through the second half, but a resilient combination of consistent defense and great shooting from the Owls kept the game from ever getting too close again. Following a Charlotte three-pointer with 10:06 to play, Rice would not allow Charlotte to score on back-to-back possessions for the remainder of the game.

Nine different Rice players recorded multiple field goals. Seven recorded multiple rebounds. Another full-team effort paid off in fresh legs in the final moments and seemingly limitless support off the bench, which outscored Charlotte’s bench 26-22.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

The Owls put the game out of reach for good with an 8-1 run in the final minute and a half of play, scoring all of those points from the free throw line. Early season struggles at the charity stripe didn’t seem to spook the team on Saturday with Rice knocking down 14-of-16 free throws to hold on for a relatively comfortable double-digit victory.

Final Box | Rice 68, Charlotte 55

Key takeaway | Already, 11

The victory over Charlotte was the 11th win for Rob Lanier and his team so far this season with the bulk of conference play still on deck. A 2-0 start in league play is significant in itself, but the 11th win is another milestone for this staff in their first year at the helm.

Rice basketball won 11 games last season in 33 attempts. This current squad is 11-4. Last year’s team won their second conference game on January 31. Lanier’s bunch went 2-0 in league play by January 4.

All teams, schedules and circumstances aren’t created equal and this is by no means an apples to apples comparison, but it’s a major step forward for a program that finally has momentum and a definitive culture working in tandem. Even if they don’t win two-thirds of their games for the remainder of the season, the precedent has been set.

A new era of Rice basketball has officially arrived on South Main. And this version of the Owls are going to play tenacious defense and fight for 40 minutes. So far, that’s meant a sizable jump in the win column.

Up Next: vs North Texas (Wed, Jan. 8)

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