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AAC Football 2023: 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 in Week 11.

Team Record  This Week Result Up Next
Charlotte 3-7 (2-4) vs Memphis L, 44-38 (OT) vs Rice
ECU 2-8 (1-5) at FAU W, 22-7 at Navy
FAU 4-6 (2-4) vs ECU L, 22-7 vs Tulane
Memphis 8-2 (5-1) at Charlotte W, 44-38 (OT) vs SMU
Navy 4-5 (3-3) vs UAB W, 31-7 vs ECU
North Texas 3-7 (1-5) at SMU L, 45-21 at Tulsa
Rice 4-6 (2-4) at UTSA L, 34-14 at Charlotte
SMU 8-2 (6-0) vs North Texas W, 45-21 at Memphis
Temple 3-7 (1-5) at USF L, 27-23 at UAB
Tulane 9-1 (6-0) vs Tulsa W, 24-22 at FAU
Tulsa 3-7 (1-5) at Tulane L, 24-22 vs North Texas
UAB 3-7 (2-4) at Navy L, 31-6 vs Temple
USF 5-5 (3-3) vs Temple W, 27-23 at UTSA
UTSA 7-3 (6-0) vs Rice W, 34-14 vs USF

Notable Results (Standings)

Still Perfect

SMU, UTSA and Tulane all took care of business this week to stay unbeaten in league play. Tulane’s played some squeaker in recent weeks and this outing against Tulsa was certainly closer than it probably should have been, but the result is what matters. We’ve got a three-horse race atop the conference standings with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

Watch out for the Bulls

USF has been one of the more pleasant surprise stories in the AAC this season. The Bulls beat Temple in a close one, keeping their chances to make a bowl in Alex Golesh’s first season within the realm of possible. To be able to write that in mid-November, after the tough stretch of season’s they have in recent years, is remarkable in itself.

So long, postseason

No AAC teams clinched a postseason berth this week but four squads notched their seventh loss signalling the end of their postseason aspirations. North Texas, UAB, Temple and Charlotte are all heading for no offseason. For the Owls and 49ers, that’s not too surprising. They were picked to finish near the bottom of the league. UAB and North Texas however, to be out of the running with two weeks to play is less understandable.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Finally, a heavyweight fight

Part of the reason the AAC has three remaining unbeaten teams is the lack of compelling matchups along the way. Next week’s meeting between SMU and Memphis is one of the most compelling regular season conference games remaining for that reason, it pits the talent against talent. Memphis is still alive in the conference title game hunt and could get much closer with a win over SMU whereas the Mustangs might all but clinch a title game spot with a win.

No margin for error

Both Rice and FAU enter this coming weekend with six losses before squaring off with each other in the final weekend of the regular season. Bowl eligibility could be on the line for both squads in that game, bu they’ll have to win this coming week to get there. Rice draws Charlotte. FAU will have to upset Tulane. No small task.

Don’t sleep on the troops

Navy has an outside shot at a six-win season under first-year head coach Brian Newberry. That’s what makes their upcoming game against East Carolina so intriguing. Win that, and the Midshipmen can keep the faith. They haven’t had a .500 season since 2019.

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Early deficit dooms Rice Basketball in home loss to Harvard

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Rice basketball rallied from an 18-point deficit on Friday night against Harvard, but could not finish the job, falling to the Crimson at home.

Days removed from a comprehensive drubbing of St. Thomas, Rice basketball was handed a much tougher challenge in their second game of the season. Harvard came out in a furry, delivering Rice their loudest wakeup call yet in their young season. From the opening score — a three ball from Chandler Pigge – throughout a barrage of Harvard baskets, Rice seemingly had no answer.

Harvard couldn’t miss early in this contest. The Crimson shot 51.6 percent in the first half, starting the game 6-for-9 from three. That onslaught would have been tough to keep pace with if the Owls were shooting well, but it wasn’t that kind of night for the home team. Rice opened the game 1-for-11 from three and struggled mightily from the floor.

“We got punched in the mouth out of the gate. I don’t know if it’s guys’ effort so much as if they’re not having success how they handle it internally,” Pera said. “I didn’t think our effort was bad. I thought our execution was bad, especially when we go the lead.”

The segue to that lead came with Rice trailing by a game-high 18 points in the first half. Pera called a timeout. The players settled down and responded with an 11-0 run. Reaching halftime trailing by only 10 points felt like a victory in itself.

At the halfway mark in the second half the game didn’t seem any closer. Rice trailed by 12 at the under-12-minute media timeout. Then, out of the timeout, Rice got to work. The 12-point deficit was vaporized. Over the course of the next three minutes, Rice thundered back to take the lead. It would not last.

Harvard found the plays in clutch moments whereas Rice was held without a field goal for more than four minutes before an inconsequential layup from Max Fiedler fell, accompanied by the muted applause of a full Tudor Fieldhouse. Rice falls to 1-1 with the loss.

“In every category that matters, they outplayed us,” Pera said.

Final Box | Harvard 89 – Rice 76

What They’re Saying

“If you can do it in practice, you gotta be able to do it in a game. It’s gotta transfer. I gotta figure out why that didn’t happen so that the next time we play, whether it’s Texas or Saint Thomas, we do what we’re supposed to do and what we work on. That is the frustration for me.” – Head coach Scott Pera.

Key takeaway | Defensive frustrations

Fair or not, the defense will be the first culprit assigned blame when Rice loses. To this point of Pera’s tenure, it’s been his largest vexation and the most frequent offseason talking point. And to his credit, Pera never promised — nor should onlookers have expected — a top-tier defensive unit. The aim was always to be competent enough and the offense would do the rest.

The bar was rather low. Rice lost their opening contest last season at Pepperdine 106-67. Keeping Harvard to a slightly more stomachable 89 points is technically an improvement, but the progress rings hollow when the result isn’t a win.

“In practice, we do the right things. It’s just effort, paying attention in games and locking in instead of having these little mental lapses,” guard Anthony Selden said. “Mental lapses at this level, teams are going to take advantage of it. I think we can’t afford to have little mental lapses every possession.”

The defense was better in stretches after half time. Rice doesn’t get back into this game without five key second half turnovers and two blocks to help spur their comeback bid. Ultimately, though, it was an inability to maintain that level of defensive intensity for more than a few possessions that sank the Owls on Friday night.

Three times in his postgame comments Pera used the word disappointing, frustrations evident from the loss. For coaches and players, the disconnect from practice to the game was agonizing. And they don’t have very long to figure it out. Rice plays Texas in four days’ time.

Pera’s message was crystal clear. “Forget about beating Texas or beating Harvard. Just play like we’re capable of playing. You have an opportunity then, because we have good enough players, that you’ll give yourselves a chance to win the games,” he said. But if you play like this for 30 minutes tonight, you’re not winning.”

Up Next: at Texas (Wed. Nov 15)

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Rice Football Recruiting: 2025 ATH Semaj Pierre commits to Owls

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The 2025 Rice Football recruiting class grabbed its first pledge this week, earning a commitment from Port Arthur Memorial wideout Semaj Pierre.

There’s nothing like dreams of the future to help ease the pains of the present day. After falling on the gridiron a few times in recent weeks, the 2025 Rice Football Recruiting provided some encouragement off the field in the form of its first commitment of the class. Port Arthur Memorial wide receiver Semaj Pierre has committed to the Owls.

Pierre picked up an early over from Mississippi State, adding offers down the line from Louisiana Tech and Rice. The Owls jumped at the chance to offer Pierre after watching him at their camp they hosted earlier this summer. He impressed the coaches and earned an offer. Then the race for his services was on, with Rice finally winning out this fall.

A two-way player in high school, Pierre will most likely land with the offense at the next level.

The first member of the Owls’ 2025 class, Pierre will be a building block for this next wave. Given the current state of the Rice roster and the revised Transfer Portal rules, it remains to be seen how big this class will get. Beginning it with a playmaker like Pierre is a great start.

Premium: Rice Football Recruiting Offer and Commitment Tracker

Standing 5-foot-7 and tipping the scales at 160 pounds, Pierre isn’t going to be confused for a traditional outside wide receiver, but his ball skills are real and the Rice offense has proven time and time again it’s able to utilize players of Pierre’s stature. He’s a playmaker that is truly dynamic with the ball in his hands. He’ll fit in well on South Main.

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Rice Football: Behind enemy lines with a UTSA Insider

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UTSA is next up on the 2023 Rice football schedule so we’re going behind enemy lines with Roadrunners’ insider Jared Kalmus from Alamo Audible.

Roadrunners insider Jared Kalmus from Alamo Audible was kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions about the upcoming matchup between Rice Football and UTSA. The answers below should shed some light on the Owls’ upcoming opponent.

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Rice Women’s Basketball trudges past ACU in foul-fest

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Rice women’s basketball gutted out a hard-fought road win, overcoming foul trouble to dispatch Abilene Christian and improve to 2-0.

On the road for the first time this season, Rice women’s basketball opened their trip to Abilene Christian looking composed and comfortable on both sides of the court. The Owls jumped out to an 11-3 lead, limiting the Wildcats to just one made basket across the first five minutes of action.

Rather than run away with the victory, though, the Rice defense sagged and became much more reminiscent of the unit that allowed Houston Christian to pour on some late points than the team that produced a historic first half outing in that same opening game.

ACU battled back, cutting the Rice lead to as few as two points before entering halftime trailing by three. Malia Fisher kickstarted the Owls immediately after the break, putting up back-to-back layups to spark what turned into a 16-4 Rice run and a 15-point Rice advantage. In a matter of a few minutes, a close game teetered on the verge of a blowout once again, but a comfortable game was not in the cards.

Every time Rice started to get in a groove, trouble came. That big lead dwindled to 10 by the time the third quarter had come to a close on its way to just a six-point advantage for Rice with seven minutes remaining in the game.

When push came to shove, Dominque Ennis delivered the daggers. Her pair of three pointers in the final minutes kept the Rice lead at double-digits and helped finish off the pesky Wildcats.

“Winning on the road is hard,” Rice women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds said. “Coming into someone else’s gym and getting a road win is really, really tough. I thought our players came in here and they showed toughness and the showed togetherness.”

Final Box | Rice 69 – ACU 58

Key takeaway | Fighting through Foul Trouble

Foul trouble shaped the course of this game significantly. Emily Klaczek was limited to six minutes in the first half. Malia Fisher only played 10. Trinity Gooden, just eight and then quickly returned to the bench when she picked up her third foul early on in the third quarter.

Getting into any sort of rhythm proved challenging for the Owls, who barely were able to keep a consistent five on the court for more than a few moments. It was a grimy game with lots of contact and lots of whistles. Three Rice starters finished with four fouls. None fouled out, but all had their minutes significantly reduced.

Fair or not, the good teams find ways to win these types of games, and that’s what Rice was able to achieve on Thursday night. They’ve now won 13 consecutive non-conference games, a streak that dates back to December 2021.

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