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Rice Football 2022 Game Preview: Charlotte

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Rice football returns home this week seeking revenge against Charlotte after last year’s overtime loss. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Rice football rallied in overtime last weekend, beating Louisiana Tech 42-41 to earn their fourth win of the season. Charlotte was not as fortunate, getting blasted at home by FIU by a final score of 34-15 in a game that did not seem nearly as close. Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s game.

Kickoff time | 1:00 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, Tx
TV | ESPN+ (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Charlotte 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. Find us on the podcast page or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. (And consider leaving us a 5-star review while you’re at it.)

Sizing up the contenders

Rice provided themselves more breathing room in their quest to return to the postseason last weekend with its overtime win. The Owls aren’t quite in a must-win scenario at home this weekend, but there’s no denying this is one of the more favorable matchups the team will face down the stretch, at least one paper.

On the other hand, Charlotte finds itself in the midst of uncertainty. Once thought of as a rising star in the coaching world, Will Healy and the program slid backward this season. He was dismissed on Sunday, the first Conference USA coaching change in this hiring cycle.

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Series History

All Time | Rice leads, 2-1
Last Five | Rice leads, 2-1
Last Meeting | Road 2021, Rice lost 31-24 (OT)

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Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | McMahon – 113/191 (59.2 percent), 1485 yards, 13 TD, 10 INT
Rushing | Montgomery – 41 carries, 298 yards (7.3 yards per carry), 0 TD / Broussard – 91 carries, 251 yards (2.8 yards per carry), 9 TD
Receiving | McCaffrey – 43 receptions, 555 yards (12.9 yds/rec), 5 TD / Rozner – 22 receptions, 474 yards (21.6 yds/rec), 5 TDs / Esdale – 19 receptions, 239 yards (12.6 yds/rec), 0 TD
Tackles | Conti – 44 / Morrison – 40 / Taylor – 30
Pass Breakups | Dunbar – 5  / Morrison, Fresch – 3 / Taylor, Narcisse – 2 
Interceptions | Taylor – 2 / Morrison, Nyakwol, Chamberlain, Fresch – 1

Charlotte Notables

Passing | Reynolds – 120/191 (62.8  percent), 1545 yards, 14 TD, 9 INT
Rushing | Byrd – 87 carries, 354 yards (4.1 yards per carry), 3 TD / McEachern  –  56 carries, 256 yards (4.6 ypc), 1 TD
Receiving | Spencer – 38 receptions, 718 yards (18.9 yards per reception), 4 TD / DuBose – 42 receptions, 501 yards (11.9 yds/rec), 7 TD / Tucker – 35 receptions. 321 yards (9.2 yds/rec), 5 TDs
Tackles | Jones – 56 / Bemah – 43 / Rogers – 37
Pass Breakups | Jones – 2 / Five others tied with 1
Interceptions | Jones – 2 / Three others tied with 1

Charlotte X-Factor | Be efficient

Charlotte does not have a great pass defense. They’re dreadful against the run and they don’t run the ball well themselves either, what they do excel at is throwing the football. Quarterback Chris Reynolds is the heart and soul of this team. If he’s on, the 49ers will have a chance. If he’s not — like he wasn’t against FIU where he threw three interceptions and no touchdowns — this team won’t have a chance.

In their lone victory this season, Reynolds threw for 401 yards and five touchdowns, completing 72.1 percent of his passes. He averaged 9.3 yards per attempt. In their closest defeat, on October 1 against UTEP, he threw for four scores, averaging 9.4 yards per attempt. Charlotte had one final possession to potentially win that game but Reyolds was intercepted.

Reynolds won’t be perfect — it would be hard to be pristine given the heavy load he’ll be asked to carry — but he can be good. If Reynolds picks his spots and can be efficient, Charlotte will have a shot.

Rice X-Factor | Stop turning it over

Rice football leads Conference USA in turnovers per game. None of the programs in the top four (Louisiana Tech, UTEP and Charlotte) have better than .500 records on the season. Rice has largely won in spite of their turnover issues, which continued last weekend against Louisiana Tech where TJ McMahon did not throw an interception, but the team lost three fumbles.

The Owls will be heavy favorites against the 1-7 49ers this coming weekend. Games against teams that don’t seem that evenly matched can swing in an instant with turnovers. Rice football has yet to put a complete game together this season despite owning a winning record.

If they can hold onto the football, not only should they win this game, but they’ll be able to demonstrate a proof-of-concept for the program moving forward. If the offense can find a rhythm, the entire team will find more success.

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One Final Thing

Every win counts the same in the final tally, but Rice has won two very different kinds of game so far this year. Against McNeese and Louisiana, Rice won fairly handily. The UL game wasn’t perfect, but both sides of the ball played well and the game ended with a comfortable margin down the stretch.

In the Owls’ other pair of wins (vs UAB and at Louisiana Tech) heart attack moments were plentiful as the offense struggled to produce consistently and the defense gave up big plays that kep the game close from wire to wire.

Some of that is opponent based — UAB is much better than McNeese State — but much of it was Rice-oriented. The Owls have been erratic when it comes to their starts to their games this season, sometimes coming out strong while otherwise taking a quarter or more to get things into gear. Rice should have some wiggle room against Charlotte on Saturday, but to some degree, they still are in need of a prove-it game for themselves.

Rice football believes they can be a better team than the one they’ve put on the field over the last month. They’re probably right. If they can take that next step and produce that high-caliber level play, the rest of the seams starts looking much rosier with two wins between them and a return to a bowl game.

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How Rice Football rallied its offense and edged past LA Tech

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Rice football fell behind, rallied late and held on for a thrilling overtime win. What changed on offense that enabled the Owls to bounce back?

The Rice football coaching staff had a full week to get ready for Louisiana Tech. Much of the game plan — at least from a 10,000-foot view — was communicated clearly. Ari Broussard was going to get a big role. The offensive line was going to be better with two familiar faces returning at guard. Yet before the halftime whistle had blown, it all seemed to have gone up in smoke.

Broussard was on the bench after two costly fumbles. The offensive line wasn’t getting much push. Excluding a fake punt run for nine yards, Rice ball carriers were averaging 2.10 yards per carry. The offense had scored seven points and turned the ball over twice. Although the Owls were only trailing 10-7, it felt like everything was going wrong. So, what went right? And how did this team turn things around and win?

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: Forward Gabe Warren commits to Owls

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The 2023 Rice Basketball Recruiting class continues to pick up steam, landing a big commitment this week from 3-star forward Gabe Warren.

Not long after securing a pledge from 4-star forward Keanu Dawes, the 2023 Rice Basketball recruiting class has doubled up. The Owls now have two members of their upcoming class. In addition to Dawes, Glendale, AZ forward Gabe Warren has committed to Rice Basketball.

Warren had already accrued nearly a dozen offers at the time of his commitment to the Owls, including offers from TCU, Sam Houston, Brown, Dartmouth and others. A Top 50 ranked small forward nationally and the No. 11 player in the state of Arizona, Warren should add some pop to the Rice program when he arrives on campus.

According to 247 Sports rankings, Warren and Dawes rank No. 2 and No. 1 all-time, respectively. The 2023 Rice Basketball recruiting class is currently slotted at No. 42 in the nation and No. 1 in Conference USA. Head coach Scott Pera and his staff have delivered two impressive additions, who enter South Main as the most highly regarded recruits in almost 10 years.

When asked about his decision and his expectations for the program, Warren didn’t beat around the bush. “The program has been slept on for too long,” he said. “Keanu and I noticed that and want to start something big.”

Standing 6-foot-6, Warren can shoot and score from all over the court. Whether from deep of at the rim, he’s an offensive weapon. He’s great off the ball but even more importantly, can create his own shot when he has the rock. He’s really fun to watch. Warren is a big get for the program and someone that will assuredly make an impact for Rice in the years to come.

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Conference USA Football 2022: Week 8 Roundup

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Conference USA Football was back in action this weekend. Here’s the latest from the teams on the gridiron in Week 8.

Team Week 8 Result Up Next
Charlotte vs FIU L, 34-15 at Rice
FAU at UTEP L, 24-21 vs UAB
FIU at Charlotte W, 34-15 vs LA Tech
LA Tech vs Rice L, 42-41 (OT) at FIU
MTSU — OFF —  — at UTEP
North Texas at UTSA L, 31-27 at WKU
Rice at LA Tech W, 42-41 (OT) vs Charlotte
UAB at WKU L, 20-17 at FAU
UTEP vs FAU W, 24-21 vs MTSU
UTSA vs North Texas W, 31-27 — OFF —
WKU vs UAB W, 20-17 vs North Texas

Notable Week 8 results – Standings

And then there was one

A Frank Harris touchdown pass with 15 seconds remaining lifted UTSA past North Texas, 37-21 in San Antonio. The win served as revenge from last season’s upset, but it also ensured the Roadrunners would be the lone unbeaten team remaining in conference play.

Falling back to earth

After a remarkable run under head coach Bill Clark, UAB hasn’t shown nearly the same level of consistency under interim man Bryant Vincent. The Blazers picked up their third loss of the season on Saturday, falling to WKU, and sit at 2-2 in conference play through four games. Barring a late-season run, it’s not looking like the Blazers will have a seat in the championship game this season.

Top heavy?

Following Saturday’s results, there are just four teams (out of 11) with winning records in conference play: UTSA, Western Kentucky, North Texas and Rice. The Owls kept pace with that upper tier with a heart-stopping overtime victory over Louisiana Tech in Ruston this weekend. Luke McCaffrey had more than 200 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in the win.

Looking ahead – Key storylines

Thinning out the top

North Texas had a chance to seize control of the conference title race on Saturday, but it’s possible the Mean Green will be out of the hunt by the time the month of October concludes if things go wrong next weekend. North Texas faces Western Kentucky, also 3-1 in conference play, with the loser picking up a second loss and without a tiebreaker against UTSA.

Danger zone

Meanwhile, below that tandem in the standings, UAB and FAU meet in Boca Raton. Both have challenging schedules down the stretch and have a lot riding on this game. If there’s any chance of sneaking into a conference title game, this is their last chance to make a move. If not, it sets up the potential for a late season slide for programs picked to finish much more highly in the preseason polls.

Rising Miners?

UTEP fell out of the spotlight with a rough 1-3 start, but has quietly been pretty good since. They dropped a road game against Louisiana Tech, but have still managed to win three of their last four. A win over MTSU — which is still winless in conference play — would put them one win from bowl eligibility with games still remaining against Rice and FIU.

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Luke McCaffrey soars, lifting Rice Football past Louisiana Tech

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After a shaky start, a banner day for Luke McCaffrey helped push Rice Football to their first road win of the season, downing Louisiana Tech.

It wasn’t pretty. There were large swathes of the game that each phase — offense, defense and special teams — will want to forget. But when the dust settled, Rice football won on the road as a favorite for the first time under head coach Mike Bloomgren. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:

Maddening offense finally figures it out

Fixing the offense was priority one this week during practice. Rice football head coach Mike Bloomgren was adamant that nothing was “broken” and that the team could get things turned around. They focused their running back snaps, reconfigured the offensive line and put their trust in quarterback TJ McMahon. When it came time to play the game, it felt like things had gotten worse, not better.

A gutsy fake punt on the Owls’ first drive of the game was the only run that went longer than four yards in the first quarter. Excluding that fake, converted by fullback Micah Barnett, Rice averaged 0.6 (yes, zero point six, not a typo) yards per carry on their first three possessions. Early on, the passing game wasn’t much better. Even when accounting for two early third down conversions, McMahon started the game 3-for-8 for 23 yards.

The Roost Podcast: Stay tuned for the game recap this week – Rice Football vs LA Tech

Instead of improved, this offense looked broken for two-plus quarters. The running game wasn’t fixed, and one could argue it might even have gotten worse. No matter the combination, the offensive line hasn’t gelled to the degree it needs to for this offense to be effective. On top of that, McMahon is learning on the job and the highs and lows are being experienced in real-time.

It was encouraging to see the team start moving the ball in the second half. But we already knew they could score. We knew they had playmakers that could make plays and we’ve seen McMahon at his best. They’re just maddeningly inconsistent right now and it’s going to be hard to have much confidence in the unit until they string together a few consecutive quarters of quality play.

Fortunately for Rice football, McMahon’s high came at the right time.

The silver lining? The second half. Rice football scored 28 points in the second half and accounted for 322 yards, including 204 on the ground. The ability is there. The consistency needs to arrive soon.

When in doubt, Luke McCaffrey

Bradley Rozner caught a touchdown but was otherwise quiet. The running game was non-existent. Turnovers plagued the team all day long. Had it not been for the big play ability of Luke McCaffrey, Rice might have scored at all on Saturday. McCaffrey hasn’t been perfect in his transitional year from quarterback to wide receiver, but it’s abundantly clear that his raw speed and tremendous athleticism give this offense a spark.

McCaffrey scored the first touchdown of the day on a perfect throw from McMahon, one of his best on the day. Then McCaffrey made some magic of his own in the third quarter, breaking off a 66-yard reception after catching a pass in stride. His 77 yards after the catch was more than any other receiver on either team had receiving yards in regulation. He finished with 171 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns and a receiving score.

Outside of McCaffrey, it was McMahon and Otoviano that provided the sparks. It might not be possible to build the entire offense out of McCaffrey, and if McMahon can settle in and the running game can show any semblance of life, Rice football shouldn’t have to. But it’s nice to know that when in doubt, Rice has a guy that can make it happen.

Stop. The. Turnovers.

As if things weren’t hard enough for the offense, the unit continued to make its own job more challenging on Saturday. Rice football entered the game tied for eighth-worst in Conference USA with 13 giveaways. McMahon was second nationally with 10 interceptions.

The Owls had given the ball away too many times, but there was some hope that all the tipped passes that fell into defenders’ hands were bad luck, rather than symptoms of a growing problem. Luck or not, the issues persisted. Against Louisiana Tech, Rice fumbled four times, losing two of them. turned the ball over three times. They turned it over on downs once as well.

After a three-and-out in which the offense went backward nine yards, Broussard fumbled on a first down carry. That set the Louisiana Tech offense up on a short field from which it took a goal line pick from Sean Fresch to keep points off the board. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Broussard fumbled on the one-yard line a few drives later and was benched. Sean Fresch added a turnover on a punt return, too.

This offense is not consistent enough as it is. They can’t afford to lose possessions and spot opponents with better field positions. And it’s maddening to watch them turn things on in the second half and score points in bunches as soon as they ceased handing the ball to the other team.

The defense can’t hold on forever

Louisiana Tech entered the game averaging 34.0 points per game in conference play and 29.7 points overall. Rice held them 35 points in regulation, essentially on par with their standards. Had it not been for some opportunistic plays by this unit, Rice football might have been out of the game entirely before halftime.

The defense gave this team a chance on a day in which the offense struggled mightily, but the signs of exhaustion were there. Louisiana Tech broke off a 49-yard carry in the first quarter. The Bulldogs scored a 32-yard touchdown on a screen pass immediately following a sack that pushed them back to second-and-20.

It’s true, the defense is being asked to carry its weight and more, but lapses in concentration of that magnitude are quick to undo the positive gains accrued on the other 95 percent of their snaps. Louisiana Tech’s final fourth quarter drive was another heart-pounding reminder they’re not perfect, yet.

Rice entered Saturday tied for second-best in Conference USA with only 11 plays of 30+ yards allowed on defense, so it’s not time to hit the red-alert button just yet. But after looking dominant at times in recent weeks, there were some signs of tiredness that seeped through on Saturday, particularly on that final drive and subsequent conversion.

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