Rice Football trailed at halftime but pitched a shutout against UAB after the break, rallying to secure a crucial Homecoming win over the Blazers.
A close game from wire to wire, Rice football got the stops in needed on defense late to earn its fifth win of the season, defeating UAB 24-17 on Homecoming. The Owls head into a bye week one win away from bowl eligibility. Here are a few immediate reactions from the game:
Offense Gets Into Gear Quickly
Head coach Scott Abell spent all week exhorting his team to start fast, so when the defense forced a three-and-out and the offense took there was palpable tension in Rice Stadium. The offense responded with three plays for negative one yard and a fumble. Quarterback Chase Jenkins looked indecisive and the offense went backwards before turning it over to UAB, which capitalized via a 26-yard touchdown pass.
Rather than let the be a harbinger of woe, Jenkins and the offense took a deep breath and returned to the field ready to play.
“We planned to start out fast and we probably did the exact opposite. I put that on me. I think it was one of the biggest moments from me, coming off adversity,” Jenkins said. “I feel like that’s just a step in growth that we’ve taken. We didn’t let that moment set us back.”
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Jenkins proceeded to lead the offense 62 yards in 10 plays, handing the ball off on nine successive plays until he pulled the ball and tossed it down the right sideline to Tyson Thompson for a 23-yard touchdown strike.
After a quick three-and-out, the offense authored an option offense opus. Taking over in plus territory at the UAB 48-yard line, Rice reeled off a 19-play touchdown drive, burning 9:01 off the clock before D’Andre Hardeman plunged into the endzone from one-yard out for the go-ahead score. The drive was the longest of the season by time and number of plays, outpacing an 18-play, 8:15 drive against Navy that ended with a field goal.
“It’s part of the formula. It’s not always sexy out there, but when the other offense isn’t on the field, that’s really good for our defense,” Abell said. “I thought, for really three quarters, we executed phenomenally.”
Even including the rough start, the Rice offense delivered at least six plays and 30 yards on six of their next seven drives (excluding the one play at the end of the half), including drives of 10, 19, 11, and nine plays. In terms of dictating the game, this was a much-improved performance which could have gone from good to great if they’d been able to finish on offense in the fourth quarter.
Special Teams Provides a Spark
The offense was aided by some strong plays from the special teams. Quinton Jackson had a 32-yard kickoff return. Tyson Thompson had a 12-yard punt return. The biggest swing, though, was the block punt credited to Peyton Stevenson at the end of the first quarter. The tip resulted in a 21-yard kick, which set Rice up inside UAB territory for their lengthy go-ahead scoring drive.
Rice also got a heads-up play from up man David Kasemervisz at the end of the first half. With time expiring, he jumped on a low kick and fell on the ball with one second left. That gave the offense time for a Hail Mary attempt, which Jenkins would end up pulling down to scramble as the clock expired.
There would be more. Blake Boenisch got a hand on a fourth-quarter punt, which resulted in a 10-yard punt and positive field position for the Owls, rather than a drive starting in the shadow of their own endzone. That would prove important after the offense stalled out and punter Alex Bacchetta was able to pin UAB inside their own 10-yard line with a well-placed punt of his own.
Consistency Remains a Work in Progress
At times, the duality of the 2025 Rice football team is hard to comprehend. Removing the long touchdown allowed following the Rice turnover, the defense held UAB to six yards on its first seven plays and held the Blazers to less than one yard per carry in the first half, bowing up in the redzone with three stops inside the five to force a field goal.
On the subsequent drive, they allowed UAB quarterback Ryder Burton to toss a 21-yard touchdown pass on third and goal with three seconds remaining on the clock.
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The Rice offense was similarly hot and cold. As quickly as it heated up and sustained momentum through the third quarter things began to fall apart late. Rice produced one first down in the fourth quarter, courtesy of a personal foul committed by UAB. The totaled two offensive yards.
“We just probably lost our legs a little bit in the fourth quarter,” Abell said. “That probably kept this game from being put away midway through the fourth.”
Fortunately for the Owls, the defense was at its best. UAB was 1-for-3 on third down and did not score in the second half.
“I’ve been playing defense a long time and that’s one of the performances I’m probably the most proud of,” defensive end Tony Anyanwu said. “In a critical moment, gotta have it, everyone sold out, gave everything they had for the team. It just shows the brotherhood that we have here. I just love it.”
Back to the Lab
As eager as some might be to get back onto the field after the win, Rice is going to take advantage of this late season bye week with two critical games remaining in their quest for bowl eligibility. A win in either and Rice is bowling in Abell’s first season on campus, no small feat should the Owls achieve it.
“I’m excited about getting our legs fresh. Getting them back underneath us. That gives us time to really dive into what adjustments we can make coming out of the bye week,” Abell said.
“Next time we step on the field it’ll be late November and we’re competing for an opportunity to get win six. I’m really proud of that. I’m proud of our guys. It wasn’t always easy, but I think you learn a lot in these moments. We’re learning how to win. And we’re learning how to win close games. I’m extremely proud of that. I thought this was a great team victory today.”
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