Rice football visits UTSA this week in another matchup of Texas-based AAC teams. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

UTSA took care of business last weekend, holding on to beat North Texas on the road. Rice football was less fortunate, falling at home to SMU in a game that came down to the final possession. That sets up a pivotal matchup for both teams this weekend. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Rice and UTSA.

Kickoff time | 6:30 PM CT
Venue | Alamodome – San Antonio, TX
TV | ESPNU (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs UTSA on this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, streaming live on Wednesday at Noon on the Rice Athletics YouTube channel. Look for a recap of the game on the site afterward as well as on The Roost Podcast, which should be released early next week.

Sizing up the contenders

UTSA is still very much in the hunt for a spot in the AAC Championship Game, but getting there might still require some work. They’re undefeated in league play, but so are the Tulane Green Wave and the SMU Mustangs. The Roadrunners need to keep winning to stay in the race.

For Rice, they’ve turned their attention to a second consecutive bowl berth. With three games remaining, the Owls need two wins. Getting one of those this weekend with a road trip looming in Charlotte would be an extremely encouraging result. Knocking off UTSA in the process would be another signature win for head coach Mike Bloomgren. 

Series History

All Time | UTSA leads, 7-3
Last Five | UTSA leads, 5-0
Last Meeting | Home 2022, UTSA won 41-7

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Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | Daniels – 121/287 (63.1 percent), 2443 yards, 21 TD, 7 INT
Rushing | Connors – 65 carries, 414 yards (6.4 yards per carry), 5 TD / Otoviano – 63 carries, 225 yards (3.6 yards per carry), 4 TD
Receiving | McCaffrey – 45 receptions, 700 yards (15.6 yds/rec), 9 TDs / Connors – 35 receptions, 371 yards (10.6 yds/rec), 3 TD
Tackles | Wyatt – 60 / Morrison – 54 / Conti – 52
Pass Breakups | Fresch, Taylor, Devones – 6 / Wyatt – 5 /  Jean, Flowers – 3
Interceptions | Taylor -2 / Devones, Conti – 1

UTSA Stat Notables

Passing | Harris – 147/228 (64.5 percent), 1722 yards, 13 TD, 6 INT
Rushing | Barnes – 127 carries, 606 yards (4.8 yards per carry), 6 TD / Horry – 70 carries, 419 yards (6.0 ypc), 7 TD
Receiving | Cephus – 62 receptions, 750 yards (12.1 yards per reception), 7 TD / Ogle-Kellogg – 26 receptions, 440 yards (16.9 yds/rec), 6 TD / McCuin – 25 receptions, 365 yards (14.6 yds/rec), 2 TD
Tackles | Robinson – 47 / French – 45 / Moore, Wisdom – 40
Pass Breakups | Alexander – 11 / Fortune – 5 / Wisdom – 4
Interceptions | Davidson – 2, Five tied with one

UTSA X-Factor | Make Rice one-dimensional

The UTSA defense hasn’t been nearly as dominant as it’s been in previous seasons, but they have found success on the ground against conference opponents. UTSA’s five AAC opponents have averaged just 3.3 yards per carry, the second-best mark in the league. Given the Owls’ uncertainty at quarterback this week, controlling the ground game has to be near the top of the Roadrunners’ objectives.

But the numbers go deeper than those averages. UTSA’s last two games — closer wins against East Carolina and North Texas — have been kept close by their opponents’ rushing successes. Those two teams combined to rush for 328 yards against the Roadrunners. That defense was able to snuff out poor rushing teams, but can they limit the tandem of Dean Connors and Juma Otoviano?

Rice is going to want to run the football. UTSA has to stop them. If they can, the Owls are going to have less margin for error with their offense, regardless of which quarterback is on the field. 

Rice X-Factor | Be Physical 

Through the first two drives for Rice football against SMU, things looked like they might be over quickly. The Owls were getting blasted off the ball, losing battles in the trenches and were fortunate to get a big special teams play to keep them in the game. Then the team adjusted and started throwing haymakers of their own.

From the second quarter on the physicality with which Rice played was unmistakable. It’s the only compelling explanation for how a defense that was missing four starters (Jojo Jean, Josh Pearcy, Chris Conti, and Gabe Taylor) was able to go toe-to-toe with one of the most productive offenses in the AAC. Likewise, a Rice offense relying on a backup quarterback had tremendous success against a potent SMU front. 

Cornerback Sean Fresch explained it this way. “SMU’s offense hasn’t played a defense like ours and hasn’t really been in a dogfight like that,” he said. “Once they saw they were in that, we fed off of that. That’s what we do. No retreat, no surrender. That’s our saying.”

The injury report is lengthy this week. Rice will be the underdog once again. It’s going to take creative scheming on both sides of the ball and some fortunate bounces, but above all, Rice has to come ready to go 10 rounds and trade blows with UTSA. If they can punch back, the Roadrunners will have a game on their hands.

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One Final Thing

For two weeks in a row, Rice football has come up agonizingly short from a statement win. Beating either Tulane or SMU would have been momentous for the Owls’ program. Knocking off UTSA, especially if Rice enters the game undermanned, might be equally impressive.

On a personal note, I had a conversation in the press box a few weeks ago with someone who isn’t directly on the Rice beat but pays attention to the program. We agreed that although this team was maddeningly inconsistent at times, they had the potential and the talent to deliver one more statement win.

Whether it was against Tulane, SMU, or UTSA, we agreed Rice would find a way to win one of them.

If that prediction is going to come true, Rice has to find a way to win this weekend.  

No matter the outcome, Bloomgren’s reminder following the SMU game rings true. When addressing the comeback that fell short, Bloomgren said this: “That’s something we never could have done in years past. We never would have been able to rally around a freshman quarterback and give him a chance to make some plays and make this thing a really good game against a great team.”

He was 100 percent correct. This Rice team is better than they’ve ever been. Sooner or later, that talent has to shine through. Otherwise, the Owls will be the unluckiest of teams once again. It’s possible, but that math suggests otherwise. Hopefully the scales balance back this weekend. The Owls are certainly due.

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Rice football hosts SMU this week in their lone crossover season as AAC foes. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

SMU enters this game riding high, winners of four-straight in AAC play, one of only two undefeated teams in league play with Tulane being the other. Rice football knows that all too well, falling by two points to the Green Wave last Saturday before this upcoming class of Texan squads. Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s matchup between Rice and SMU.

Kickoff time | 6:30 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | ESPNU (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs SMU on this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, streaming live on Wednesday at Noon on the Rice Athletics YouTube channel. Look for a recap of the game on the site afterward as well as on The Roost Podcast, which should be released early next week.

Sizing up the contenders

If the season ended today, SMU would be playing in the AAC Championship Game. It doesn’t. SMU still has some work to be done before they can have a chance to win a conference championship before departing for the ACC. That task is still manageable if they lose to Rice, but they’d have a much thinner margin for error.

On the other side, Rice football’s championship aspirations took a sizable dent last weekend against Tulane, putting bowl eligibility front and center. If Rice wants to reach six wins and clinch a bowl berth, they need two win two of their final four games and they’d rather not let things go down to the wire like they did a year ago.

Series History

All Time | SMU leads, 48-41-1
Last Five | SMU leads, 3-2
Last Meeting | Home 2012, Rice won 36-14

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!

Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | Daniels – 173/272 (63.6 percent), 2362 yards, 19 TD, 6 INT
Rushing | Connors – 58 carries, 337 yards (5.8 yards per carry), 4 TD / Otoviano – 56 carries, 209 yards (3.7 yards per carry), 4 TD
Receiving | McCaffrey – 41 receptions, 692 yards (16.9 yds/rec), 8 TDs / MacNeill – 22 receptions, 290 yards (13.2 yds/rec), 2 TD
Tackles | Wyatt – 57/ Conti – 53 / Morrison – 47
Pass Breakups | Wyatt, Fresch, Taylor, Devones – 5 / Morrison -4, Jean – 3
Interceptions | Taylor -2 / Devones, Conti – 1

SMU Stat Notables

Passing | Stone – 151/254 (59.5 percent), 2138 yards, 19 TD, 5 INT
Rushing | Knighton – 83 carries, 456 yards (5.5 yards per carry), 4 TD / Johnson Jr. – 43 carries, 248 yards (5.8 ypc), 1 TD
Receiving | Kerley – 18 receptions, 319 yards (17.7 yards per reception), 2 TD / Maryland – 23 receptions, 315 yards (13.7 yds/rec), 5 TD / Bailey – 27 receptions, 311 yards (11.5 yds/rec), 0 TD
Tackles | Wilson – 44 / Nwokobia – 41 / Walker – 36
Pass Breakups | McGill, Sanders, Woods – 5 / Walker – 4
Interceptions | Six tied with one

SMU X-Factor | Protect the football

In the non-triple option category, SMU leads the AAC in turnovers lost through the first nine weeks of the regular season. Entering Saturday, they were in the Top 25 nationally in fewest turnovers, committing just seven giveaways in their first seven games. They did not turn the ball over at all against Tulsa. Their offense did the rest.

And while clean games have been the norm for the Mustangs so far this season, they haven’t been a guarantee. SMU has committed multiple turnovers twice this season, on the road against Oklahoma and on the road against TCU. SMU lost both of those games. They’ve had a plus turnover margin in every other game against FBS opponents this season.

For SMU, keeping this explosive offense on schedule has to be priority number one. Everything else will balance itself out. And Rice has shown on several occasions so far they can be dangerous if left to linger late in games. SMU best not play with fire and put the ball in the box instead of in the arms of Rice defenders.

Rice X-Factor | Get off the field

The Rice offense has had its lulls, but more often than not, it’s able to get points in bunches. If the Rice defense can generate a turnover or two and find a way to force a few punts, the Owls possess the necessary talent to win a shootout against one of the conference’s most prolific offenses.

Against Tulane, Rice forced exactly one punt and allowed Tulane to go 2-for-2 on fourth down before Pratt chucked the ball a mile high to milk clock in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Had Rice managed even one more stop, they might be talking about one of the bigger wins in program history right now, but they’re not.

SMU hasn’t beaten themselves very often this year, and it’s probably a fool’s errand to hope for the Mustangs’  offense to stay out of sync for long. No, if Rice wants to win this one, the defense is going to have to combine its opportunistic abilities with clutch plays on third and fourth down. That might very well be the difference.

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One Final Thing

Rice football has a choice during this week of practice. They can choose to allow the Tulane defeat to be disappointing and move forward or allow it to be defining and impact how they move forward with four games to go. The latter obviously has the potential to be much more detrimental to their upcoming matchup with SMU than the former.

And for whatever reason, this team has shown itself to be rather resilient. It’s hard to believe they’ll let this game beat them again, but it also feels like a bit of wishful thinking to dream they’ll have all their issues ironed out before going toe-to-toe with another of the AAC’s best teams.

Beat SMU and people won’t dwell on the Tulane game or start to assume the worst as the season enters its final quartet of games. Having the added bragging rights element of a win over the Mustangs on their way out of the conference would be something for the Rice fanbase to hold on to for who knows how long until these two teams play again down the road.

So, as cliche as it sounds, Rice football has to figure out a way to go 1-0 this week. Do that, and a bowl berth starts to look much more plausible. Do that this week, and it’s hard to come up with a reason Rice can’t hang with anyone left on their schedule

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