The source for Rice sports news

AAC Football 2024: Bowl Schedule and Coaching Changes

By

Army has won the 2024 AAC Football Championship. Now eight teams venture on to bowl season with the first game fast approaching.

TeamBowlOpponentTimeDate
MemphisFriscoWest Virginia8:00 PMDec. 17 (Tues)
TulaneGasparillaFlorida2:30 PMDec. 20 (Fri)
UTSAMyrtle BeachCoastal Carolina10:00 AMDec. 23 (Mon)
USFHawaiiSan Jose State7:00 PMDec. 24 (Tues)
NavyArmed ForcesOklahoma11:00 AMDec. 27 (Fri)
ArmyIndependenceMarshall8:15 PMDec. 28 (Sat)
ECUMilitaryNC State4:45 PMDec. 28 (Sat)
North TexasFirst ResponderTexas State3:00 PMJan 3 (Fri)

All times are in central time

Coaching Changes

Rice opened up the AAC coaching carousel when they dismissed Mike Bloomgren at the end of October. Tulsa wrapped things up by hiring East Tennessee Stat’s Tre Lamb this week. Here’s the final list of changes in the league this offseason:

TeamPrevious CoachNew CoachHired From
CharlotteBiff PogiiTim AlbinOhio (HC)
ECUMike HoustonBlake HarrellECU (Interim)
FAUTom HermanZach KittleyTexas Tech (OC)
RiceMike BloomgrenScott AbellDavidson (HC)
TempleStan DraytonK.C. KeelerSam Houston (HC)
TulsaKevin WilsonTre LambEast Tennessee St (HC)
Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Basketball comes up short at Texas State

By

Rice Basketball drew close on multiple occasions but could never catch up to Texas State, falling on the road.

A pair of free throws from Trae Broadnax followed by a jumper from Trey Patterson put Rice basketball in front on the road against Texas State on Sunday afternoon. The Owls’ lead endured for the early portion of the first half before a 6-0 Texas State run leveled the score at eight apiece and signaled a changing of momentum for the remainder of the contest.

Both sides traded baskets from that point onward but a flurry of three-pointers by Texas State would prove to be significant. The Bobcats hit six in the first half, accounting for nearly half of their made baskets. The Owls had to make do with just two triples and went into the half training by four points.

More: Rice Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

Rice cut their deficit to one point on five separate occasions in the second half but never was able to break through and level the score. Each close call was answered by Texas State and while the Bobcats never built a commanding lead — their largest of the game was nine — it was enough to hold on for the victory.

Rice falls to 7-3 with the loss and 4-3 in games played away from Tudor Fieldhouse.

Final Box | Texas State 75, Rice 66

Key takeaway | A bit better on the boards

Rice basketball did a lot of things well against Texas State. Aside from a couple less threes and the already evident free throw inconsistencies, the Owls mirrored the Bobcats in shooting and outdid them in second chance points, blocks and steals. The one most glaring deficiency came on the boards, where Texas State finished with a commanding 37-28 advantage.

In a game that was within a possession or two for almost a full 40 minutes, those nine rebounds add up. Another rebound here or there can swing momentum and perhaps change the result of a close game like this. For the time being, this game should be considered the exception, not the rule. Rice was +49 in rebounds entering this game and had never been outrebounded by more than four.

Up Next: vs Alcorn State (Mon, Dec. 16)

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Women’s Basketball runs out of steam at Louisiana

By

A close game got away from Rice Women’s Basketball down the stretch as the Owls fell to Louisiana on the road.

Rice Women’s Basketball found themselves in a defensive slugfest on the road against Louisiana early Saturday afternoon where points were at a premium and the score was harrowingly close for a full 40 minutes.

A 4-0 Louisiana lead to start the game proved to be just one basket shy of the largest lead by either side through the first 38 minutes. Louisiana led by three after the first quarter. The game pinballed back and forth to a 27-27 tie at halftime. Louisiana pulled back in front by two entering the fourth quarter before the game would be all tied up at 49 apiece with 5:09 to go in regulation.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

Every indication suggested this one would go down to the wire. The contest featured eight ties and 12 lead changes culminating in a two-point Louisiana lead with 80 seconds to play. Then things went sideways for the Owls, who were held without a field goal for more than two minutes down the stretch while the Cajuns closed things out on an 8-0 run.

Final Box | Louisiana 64, Rice 54

Key takeaway | Not simply a player away

For the past month, it was tempting to look at this team’s offensive inconsistency and tendency to allow big leads to wither late and believe everything would be better when Malia Fisher returned to the floor. Rice Women’s basketball was victorious in her return game against Utah Tech, but the good feelings were stifled somewhat by a 10-point loss in what should have been a much closer contest against Louisiana.

If it wasn’t clear before, this team isn’t one player away from being “fixed”, whatever that was supposed to mean, anyhow.

The good news is that it’s not even the middle of December yet and Fisher is far from the version of herself she’ll hopefully be in the spring. But that same truth has to be indicative of this team, too. There’s a lot of growth that needs to happen over the next several weeks and months for them to become the juggernaut they dreamed of being this season. The AAC is a tough league and they’re not going to be handed another conference crown.

Up Next: vs Texas Southern (Fri, 12/13)

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Malia Fisher returns, Rice Women’s Basketball tops Utah Tech

By

Rice Women’s Basketball has won four in a row at home, defeating Utah Tech in the Owls first game back from Cancun.

Utah Tech hit their first shot of the night, a three-pointer to open the game. It was all Rice women’s basketball the rest of the way. The Owls took the lead for good with 5:11 remaining in the first quarter on a layup from Sussy Ngulefac and never looked back.

Rice led by eight after the first quarter and grew its advantage to 14 by halftime. Utah Tech pushed back in the third, cutting the deficit to eight, but two well-timed baskets from Malia Fisher got the Owls’ advantage back to double-digits.

More: Rice Women’s Basketball 2024-2025 Season Preview

In the fourth quarter, Utah Tech rallied once more, getting within six. Who else, but Fisher arrived with a three to claw back some breathing room down the stretch? As has been the case with this team all season, a large never truly felt completely safe, but with Fisher back on the court, Rice was able to weather the comeback much more saliently, hanging on to win at home.

Final Box | Rice 82, Utah Tech 71

What They’re Saying

I’m really glad to be back at home and be back in front of our fans and get a win. Wins are hard to come by, and I’m grateful to get a win. I think our group has so much potential, and I think we can be really, really great. I think we showed that in spurts tonight, and we are going to continue to challenge them to show a full 40 minutes and see how special we can truly be. We’re still growing as a team and trying to figure that piece out. I thought there were a lot of really good performances, in particular by [Malia and Hailey] and also by Sussy. There are definitely some good highlights and some really good stats out there; I just would have liked to have seen us just finish out the game a little bit better. – Rice Women’s Basketball head coach Lindsay Edmonds

Key takeaway | Malia’s back!

By far the most significant development of this game wasn’t the score, but rather the return of Malia Fisher to the court. Fisher had yet to appear in a game for the Owls so far this season after suffering a wrist injury in the offseason. The hope was always to have her back by conference play.

Fisher did not start, but saw 19 minutes of court time on Wednesday, leading all scorers with 17 points and collecting six rebounds. The cameo certainly points towards a closer-to-100-percent version of the Owls’ preseason all-conference player by the time AAC play arrives on December 29. That might just be the best Christmas gift this program could have asked for.

Up Next: at Louisiana (Sat, 12/7)

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

New relationships define Scott Abell’s first Rice Football Early Signing Period

By

Just a week on the job, Rice football head coach Scott Abell proudly introduced a dozen members of the Owls’ newest signing class on Wednesday.

When he wasn’t jetting back and forth across the country, new Rice football head coach Scott Abell was talking. He was talking to members of the 2025 Rice football recruiting class, a dozen of whom signed with the Owls on Wednesday. He was talking with members of the Rice staff, leaning on them to build relationships with players he had only just met.

Abell was talking to the players, themselves. He carved out some time with every single member of the current roster, getting face time with everyone he could.

And despite the whirlwind, a smile never left Abell’s face. “Relationships continue to be built every day,” he said.

So far, Abell’s been able to fall back on strong, existing bonds. As of Wednesday evening, the Owls had signed 12, kept commitments from two and only lost four scholarship players from its incoming signing class. For most programs, that’s a pretty solid return for Day 1 of the Early Signing Period. For a program in the midst of a coaching change with three confirmed returning coaches? That’s almost unbelievable.

Abell announced on Tuesday he was retaining defensive coordinator Brian Smith. On Wednesday, he added linebackers coach Jon Kay to that list. Right now, it’s Abell, Smith and Kay along with an unwavering recruiting staff willing this class to signing day.

More: Rice Football Early Signing Period Live Blog

“My part in this was simply looking at the committed roster, how they fit us and then making sure they understood how much we want them here,” Abell said. “There’s so much value when there’s athletes that want to be a certain place and see value in your institution and your program. And these young men did that. And I am so grateful for that. And I said from the start we were going to honor the young men that were committed to be Rice Owls.”

Perhaps it’s that commitment to a program, not a person, that sets this bunch apart. But whatever it is, the Owls aren’t content with one minor miracle. They’re on the hunt for more.

Become a Patron!

“We’re still not where we need to be or want to be,” Abell said of the program right now. “But we’re catching up, which is important. Still on the docket: a quarterback, the right transfers and completing his staff. Abell joked things might finally slow down by Christmas Eve.

Abell can’t worry about that right now, though. He’s taking things one day, and one conversation, at a time. For him, it has always been all about the people.

“It’s one of the best days on the calendar for college football,” he said. “The opportunity to bring new people into your family, for your family to grow and expand.”

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts