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Rice Football 2025 Game Preview: South Florida

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Rice football concludes regular season play on the road against South Florida. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

The final week of the regular season is upon us. Rice football enters its finale following a home loss on Senior Day to North Texas, while South Florida returns home from a more successful road trip in Birmingham, where they took down UAB with relative ease. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Rice and South Florida.

Kickoff time | 6:00 PM
Venue | Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, FL
TV | ESPN+ (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)

Sizing up the Contenders

With two conference losses, a trip to the American Championship game is wishful thinking for South Florida entering this final game. However, it still might be possible for an emphatic win and some chaos in the ranks ahead of them to make things interesting. Regardless, the Bulls have their eyes on a 10-win season and they won’t get there without beating Rice on Saturday.

More: Undersized and Undeterred – Quinton Jackson’s Journey to Rice Football Star

The Owls find themselves in a different place, seeking a sixth win to secure bowl eligibility in Scott Abell’s first season on campus. This team would happily take a postseason berth any way they could get it, even if it came as a 5-win team courtesy of an APR bump, but everyone would rest much easier if they could find a way to secure that postseason trip for certain with an upset over South Florida.

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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 | Tied, 1-1
Last Five | Tied, 1-1
Last Meeting | Home 2024, Rice won 35-28

Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | Jenkins – 113/163 (69.3 percent), 986 yards, 9TD, 2 INT
Rushing | Jackson – 162 carries, 808 yards (5.0 yards per carry), 6 TD / Jenkins – 140 carries, 497 yards (3.6 yards per carry) – 5 TD / Hardeman – 74 carries, 310 yards (4.2 yards per carry), 2 TD
Receiving | Dickmann – 36 receptions, 319 yards (8.9 yds/rec), 3 TD / Turner – 46 receptions, 275 yards (6.0 yds/rec)
Tackles | Awe – 87 / Morris – 73 / Williams – 66
Pass Breakups | Crump (Suspended) – 6 / Williams, Porter – 5
Interceptions | Kane, Stevenson, Wyatt – 1

South Florida Stat Notables

Passing | Brown – 210/317 (66.2 percent), 2883 yards, 24 TD, 7 INT
Rushing | Brown – 160 carries, 904 yards (5.7 yds/car), 13 TD / Davenport – 80 carries, 546 yards (6.8 yds/car), 6 TD / Franklin – 60 carries, 380 yards (6.3 yds/car), 4 TD
Receiving | Singleton – 44 receptions, 752 yards (17.1 yds/rec), 6 TD / Koger – 32 receptions, 504 yards (15.8 yds/rec), 6 TD / Reuben – 10 receptions, 405 yards (13.1 yds/rec), 4 TD
Tackles | Harris – 95 / Shuler – 88 / Ward – 60
Pass Breakups | Shuler – 7 / Duclona – 4 / Rucker, Chenault, Stokes – 3
Interceptions | Chenault, Harris, Lee, Gaskins – 2 / Six tied with one each

South Florida X-Factor | Death by a Million Cuts

Rice is a ball-control offense that wasn’t to dictate the terms of the game through possession and limiting opportunities for the other team. And while South Florida ranks dead last in the American Conference in time of possession per game, averaging less than 25 minutes per game, they have amassed an impressed 23.6 first downs per contest.

South Florida can strike fast. They can drive the length of the field. But what they’ve done so well this season is grind teams out so that by the time the second half arrives, defenses are tired and unable to mount a capable resistance. That’s been the breaking point for the Rice defense in recent weeks, able to stand tall in spots, but worn down by the constant battering an elite offense can provide.

To win this one, South Florida must maintain its consistency and move the ball effectively. If they can do that, the points will come.

Rice X-Factor | Force Some Turnovers

Only one team in FBS has forced fewer turnovers than Rice football. One. The Owls’ six takeaways represent barely more than half a turnover per game and that’s simply not going to cut it against a quality opponent like South Florida.

A turnover-free day requires a near-perfect offensive effort and further contributions from everywhere else. Rice pulled off the feat against UConn, but that’s not a sustainable way to live for a team that doesn’t have any truly dominant phase to hang its hat on. Rice needs to steal some possessions and get South Florida playing off script. Turnovers are the best way to accomplish that.

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One Final Thing

It’s hard to put into words just how significant a bowl berth would be for this program after the year they’ve had under their first-year head coach. Things have been bumpy. The roster has its flaws. And still, they’ve found ways to win.

Practically, the Abell hire isn’t any more or less successful if Rice makes a bowl game or not, but the optics of being ahead of schedule by such a noticeable margin would have tremendous dividends for the program, both on and off the field.

Beating a nine-win UConn team should go down as one of the more impressive wins Rice football has had in several years. But fair or not, a FBS independent not named Notre Dame doesn’t carry the same cache that knocking off a top-flight American Conference team would. To stack South Florida on top of UConn and Louisiana would be quite a feat for a program that’s supposed to be “rebuilding.”

On paper, Rice football probably has no business winning this game, but that’s sort of the exact reason Abell was hired and his offense was welcomed to South Main. This is supposed to become a program that wins games like this, games when the masses have counted them out. It sure would be nice to see that come to fruition just one more time this season.

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Rice Women’s Basketball Rallies Past UIW

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A disastrous second quarter left Rice Women’s basketball in a hole, but the Owls rallied late to stave off an upset by UIW at home.

Rice women’s basketball fell behind from the opening tip, but kept things close through the first quarter, getting to the line and creating opportunities close to the basket. Still, they found themselves trailing by six points heading into the second quarter which is where things took a turn for the worse.

UIW opened the quarter on a 14-0 run, turning a modest advantage into a commanding 20-point lead. Rice would claw back a few baskets before halftime, but the offense was in complete disarray, managing just seven field goals in the half and no three-pointers.

NEWS: Rice Launches The Gateway Project, Rice Stadium Renovation

Trailing by 15 points at intermission, Rice mounted a modest comeback in the early portions of the third quarter, propelled by four three-pointers from Dominque Ennis to help shrink the deficit to as few as two points but the real rally would come with Rice down 12 in the fourth.

Rice opened the quarter on a staggering 15-2 run, followed soon afterward by an 11-2 run. Just like that, a double-digit deficit turned into a comfortable home team advantage. Victoria Flores knocked down some last-minute foul shots to secure the win.

Rice women’s basketball improves to 3-2 on the season and 2-0 at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Rice 70, UIW 62

Key takeaway | Sputtering Shooting Leaves Reason for Concern

The fast-paced, explosive offense Rice women’s basketball hoped to showcase this season has yet to materialize in any real way. Whether it’s new personnel leaning to play together, execution issues or a fundamental error in the construction of the offense, Rice needs to go back to the drawing board, asap.

The Owls shot 20 percent from the floor in the first half and 29.2 percent in the game. They missed their first 13 three-point shots, finishing just 15 percent from deep. Bad shooting days happen and had the opponent not been a 1-3 UIW squad, it probably would have cost Rice a win.

They deserve all the credit for clawing back and seizing victory on a day when they weren’t at their best. Good teams do that. But if this team wants to become a sustainable winner, better offensive outings are going to be required on a much more consistent basis.

Up Next: Discover Puerto Rice Shootout vs Illinois State (Nov. 26 at 11:30 am)

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American Conference Football 2025: Week 13 Roundup

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

TeamRecord This WeekResultUp Next
Army5-5 (3-4)vs TulsaL, 26-25at UTSA
Charlotte1-10 (0-7)at GeorgiaL, 35-3at Tulane
ECU7-4 (5-2)at UTSAL, 58-24at FAU
FAU4-7 (3-4)vs UConnL, 48-45vs ECU
Memphis8-3 (4-3)— OFF — — vs Navy (THR)
Navy8-2 (6-1)— OFF — — at Memphis (THR)
North Texas10-1 (6-1)at RiceW, 56-24vs Temple (FRI)
Rice5-6 (2-5)vs North TexasL, 56-24at USF
Temple5-6 (3-4)vs TulaneL, 37-13at North Texas (FRI)
Tulane9-2 (6-1)at TempleW, 37-13vs Charlotte
Tulsa4-7 (1-6)at ArmyW, 26-25— OFF —
UAB3-8 (1-6)vs USFL, 48-18— OFF —
USF8-3 (5-2)at UABW, 48-18vs Rice
UTSA6-5 (4-3)vs ECUW, 58-24vs Army

Storylines // Standings // Preseason Poll

Roadrunners Rock Pirates at the Alamodome

East Carolina became the latest team to fall victim to whatever magic UTSA keeps bottled up inside the Alamodome. The Pirates were in contention to play for the American Conference championship entering the weekend and find themselves on the outside looking in. Owen McCown tossed five touchdown passes and Will Henderson rushed for 146 yards as the Roadrunners clinched bowl eligibility.

Mean Green Style Points

Wide receiver Wyatt Young set an American Conference single-game record with 295 receiving yards against Rice on the same night his teammate, running back Caleb Hawkins, cashed in three rushing touchdowns to tie for tops in the nation in touchdowns with 22. Either performance would have been enough to take down Rice.

Non-American Huskies

Don’t look now, but a nine-win UConn team has wrapped up the season 2-1 against American conference foes, taking down Florida Atlantic on Saturday after a win over UAB and loss to Rice earlier in the season. If nothing else, this program looks like it could compete in this conference, where they played as recently as the 2019 season.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

And Then There Were Three

Three one-loss teams remain in play for the American Conference Championship Game: Tulane, Navy and North Texas. Tulane can keep things simple and clinch a spot by defeating Charlotte next weekend and remaining the highest ranked team in the College Football Playoff rankings. North Texas has the head to head win over Navy. Things get strange if either the Mean Green or Green Wave lose, but they’re in the driver’s seat heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

Playing for Six

Florida Atlantic played its way out of bowl contention this past week, but three other teams remaining in the mix for their sixth win entering the final weekend of the regular season: Temple, Army and Rice. All face tough roads, with the possible exception of Army, which has been one of the few programs immune to the Alamodome curse since Jeff Traylor arrived at UTSA.

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Rice Football Drops Senior Night Shootout to North Texas

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Rice Football threw the first punch but it was North Texas that delivered the knockout blow, handing the Owls a one-sided loss on Senior Night.

On a night with free ice cream and adult beverages being passed around in the stands, Rice football did its best to get the party started on the right foot. Once those initial cheers subsided, though, a ranked North Texas squad took control of the game and began to rack up style points to improve its perception in the eyes of the College Football Playoff committee. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Picture Perfect Start

You couldn’t have scripted a more picture-perfect start on Saturday night. Rice football received the opening kickoff and promptly marched 86 yards in 12 plays, grinding six minutes off the clock before quarterback Chase Jenkins delivered a slashing touchdown run to put the home underdogs on top.

It would get even better from there. Following a quick three-and-out forced by the defense, the offense took over and doubled down with a 10-play, 71-yard drive which also ended in the endzone, this time courtesy of Aaron Turner.

Playing keep away from the prolific North Texas offense was always going to be the Owls’ best chance at pulling off this upset. Still, it’s one thing to know what to do and another thing to execute it. Rice held the ball for 11:56 on their first two drives, preventing the Mean Green from doing damage with their explosive offense.

Game of Inches Leads to Quick Momentum Shift

Rice football found out just how narrow those margins were soon afterward. North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker ripped a 74-yard touchdown pass to Wyatt Young on the next possession. But that wasn’t the blow that stung the most.

On the ensuing Rice possession with the Owls leading 14-7, Rice was stonewalled on fourth-and-one in North Texas territory. The Mean Green took over and converted a fourth-and-one of their own before punching in the equalizing score.

“When they scored it to make it 14 all, you really felt, I don’t know it was a tension on our sideline or we kind of lost that energy that we had so much in the first quarter,” head coach Scott Abell said.

More: Join the Conversation on The Roost Discord

During the next Rice possession, Jenkins fired low on a third down pass, just missing out on a first down play by inches. The Owls punted, their first three-and-out of the game. Mestemaker hit Tre Williams on a 56-yard bomb on that next possessions and the Owls’ hot start had quickly turned into a first half deficit.

So much was going right for Rice in those opening moments, but the sheer athleticism and effectiveness of North Texas in those got-to-have-it moments turned this game on its head in a matter of minutes. That the Mean Green would convert an additional fourth down in the quarter only furthered the Owls’ misery.

“Some of that is we’ve got to grow up. They punched back. So how do you respond after you get punched back?” Abell asked. “And we didn’t respond very well. We came out and we threw the first couple of blows, it really could not have started better. And when they punched back, we didn’t respond after that.”

You Can’t Hide from Speed

That would be the beginning of 42 unanswered points from the visiting team, turning a would-be-upset into a battle to avoid being blown off the field in the second half. And although North Texas running back Caleb Hawkins would put up an efficient 97-yard, three touchdown performance, it was the aerial attack of Mestemaker and the North Texas offense that proved impossible for Rice to combat.

Rice knew coming into this game they had to stop Wyatt Young, but it didn’t matter how they tried to cover him, the star receiver hauled in five passes for 295 yards and two long touchdowns. That yardage tally represented an American Conference record and was the most receiving yards by any player in the FBS this season, falling not too far short from a North Texas program record, too.

More: Stay Tuned for the Recap on The Roost Podcast

That doesn’t bode well for the Owls’ upcoming game against South Florida, which has it’s fair share of speed in their skill position ranks.

And Then There Was One

In many ways, the way things transpired against North Texas didn’t unearth new ground. A leaky secondary and an inconsistent offense were both well known deficiencies this program had carried throughout the season. But being able to explain a loss doesn’t mean much for a program still fighting to steal a sixth win.

Abell noted that North Texas a similar position not too long ago, but they’ve taken that next step to become a bonafide conference championship contender.

“When you build something, it doesn’t happen over night. I think our guys have done an incredible job this year. I’m proud of the steps we’ve taken for the program so far this year,” he said. “With the opportunity to get win six, which would speak volumes for this program and how young we are, when you look around our roster and the guys who are taking the field for us.”

Many of those issues can’t be waved away or drastically changed before Rice takes the field again next Saturday in Tampa. Still, this is a program that remains confident and daring despite a tough setback against the Mean Green.

“We know what’s at stake,” quarterback Chase Jenkins said. “We’re putting all our chips in to go to a bowl game.”

Digging Deeper

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Aaron Turner Shows What’s Possible

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Know Your Foe: Rice Football vs North Texas

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North Texas is next up on the 2025 Rice football schedule, so we’re going behind enemy lines with Mean Green insider JD Davis of the North Texas Eagle.

Mean Green insider JD Davis was kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions about the upcoming matchup between Rice Football and North Texas. The answers below should shed some light on the Owls’ upcoming opponent.

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