Rice football heads to Navy with first place in the American Conference standings up for grabs. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.
Navy was idle this week. Rice football was anything but. The Owls stole the national spotlight on Thursday, cruising to victory over Charlotte on the road on ESPN to improve to 3-1 for the first time as a program in more than 20 years. That sets up a big game with first place in the American Conference standings on the line. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Rice and Navy.
Kickoff time | 2:30 PM CT
Venue | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium – Annapolis, MD
TV | CBS SN (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)
Sizing up the Contenders
Navy was picked to be one of the frontrunners of the American Conference in the preseason media poll. Rice football was not. The Midshipmen are already off to a strong 2-0 start in league play and could get even further ahead by dispatching the upstart Owls from down South.
More: Rice Football Position Grades Through Four Games
On the other hand, Rice might just be able to further legitimize their hopes of a Cinderella run by knocking off one of the conference’s top dogs at their place and wouldn’t be blamed if they did stumble to a quality opponent in a tough road tilt.
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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 | Rice leads, 7-6
Last Five | Navy leads, 4-1
Last Meeting | Home 2024, Rice won 24-10
Rice Football Stat Notables
Passing | Jenkins – 35/48 (72.9 percent), 269 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing | Jenkins – 57 carries, 215 yards (3.8 yards per carry) – 3 TD / Jackson – 58 carries, 293 yards (5.1 yards per carry), 2 TD / Alexander – 42 carries, 222 yards (5.3 yards per carry)
Receiving | Dickmann – 15 receptions, 123 yards (8.2 yds/rec) / Turner – 9 receptions, 49 yards (5.4 yds/rec) / Ransom – 6 receptions, 63 yards (10.5 yds/rec), 1 TD
Tackles | Awe – 29 / Morris – 28 / Anyanwu, Stevenson, Kane – 15
Pass Breakups | Crump – 6 / Porter, Williams – 3 / Kane, Daley – 1
Interceptions | Kane – 1
Navy Stat Notables
Passing | Horvath – 18/25 (72.0 percent), 328 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing | Tecza – 45 carries, 272 yards (6.0 yds/car), 4 TD / Hovarth – 41 carries, 245 yards (6.0 yds/car), 3 TD / Heidenreich – 24 carries, 209 yards (8.7 yds/car), 3 TD
Receiving | Heidenreich – 10 receptions, 126 yards (12.6 yds/rec), 1 TD / Hutchinson – 3 receptions, 70 yards (23.3 yds/rec), 2 TD
Tackles | Parker – 20 / Pirris, Robinson – 19 / Willis – 14
Pass Breakups | Oniha – 3 / Ross, Hamilton – 2 / Willis, Moutome – 1
Interceptions | Ross, Hamilton, Parker – 1
Navy X-Factor | Stand Out on Defense
Much will be made about the level of impact Horvath’s insertion into the offense had on this Navy program and while that certainly was crucial, Navy’s defense was almost equally important in the program’s rise a year ago. The Midshipmen were third in the conference in turnovers forced and have forced five through three games in 2025.
It’s not just turnovers, though. Navy is third in the conference in sacks per game (3.0) — Rice leads the league at 3.5. The Midshipmen have also forced a decent clip of negative plays. That must be the focal point as they prepare to face off against the Owls’ option attack this week.
Getting Rice behind schedule, whether by disciplined gap assignment or a key big play or two in the right moments will help Navy force the game flow to conform to how they’d like to to progress. That would put them in the driver’s seat and put the visitors in trouble.
Rice X-Factor | Limit Horvath’s Legs
If there’s been a weak spot in what has largely been an impressive season for the Rice defense, it’s been their ability to limit the quarterback run game. Louisiana’s Walker Howard carried the ball for nine times for 47 yards, averaging 5.2 yards per carry and scoring once on the ground. Prairie View A&M’s Tevin Carter ran 15 times for 65 yards and score. Even Houston’s Connor Weigman tallied a rushing touchdown.
Rice was able to neutralize Charlotte’s quarterback run game, but a backup quarterback was under center for most of that contest.
None of those quarterback’s hold a candle to Navy’s Blake Horvath who led the American last year with 7.1 yards per carry, racking up 1246 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns on the ground. Horvath hasn’t been quite as dynamic this year, but Navy really hasn’t needed him to be with the rest of the offense rising to challenge. If things get close, Navy is going to lean on his legs. Rice has to have an answer.
Injury Report (Subscribers only)
One Final Thing
A down-and-out Rice football program, playing with an interim head coach, soundly mopped the floor with Navy last season when the Midshipmen had conference championship aspirations. That same Navy program returned some key pieces on offense and head coach Brian Newberry but did see a good amount of turnover on defense.
Rice looks a lot different than it did the last time these team’s met, but they’ve nearly matched their win total from a season ago and appear to be playing with a great level of energy and focus under the new leadership of Scott Abell. The Owls are trying to find their place in the American Conference food chain and haven’t been eaten by any of the conference’s bigger fish quite yet.
Already playing with house money, Saturday’s tilt with Navy offers a very real touchstone to compare what the old regime was able to do at its best with the infancy stages of the Owls’ new leadership which is only scratching the surface of where they believe this program is heading. It’s a perfect example of a program with very little to lose facing one with expectations and a long memory.
Rice football has already won as a double-digit underdog on the road this season — they haven’t lost away from home under Abell yet, in fact — and will come ready to play. Navy had better be ready.
