Rice football is preparing for their final home game of the season, a tall challenge against UTSA. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Neither Rice football nor UTSA played a competitive game last weekend. The Roadrunners ran past Louisiana Tech at home while Rice watched Western Kentucky run away with their contest in Bowling Green, KY. Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s game.

Kickoff time | 12:00 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 UTSA 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

UTSA is playing out the stretch on their way to a second consecutive appearance in the Conference USA Championship Game. Meanwhile, tensions are much higher in Houston. The Owls have two more chances to reach six wins and an elusive bowl eligible season. This is the last home game of the year for Rice, who would love nothing more than to send their seniors out on a high note.

Series History

All Time | UTSA leads, 6-3
Last Five | UTSA leads, 5-0
Last Meeting | Away 2021, UTSA won 45-0

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Get access to practice reports, analysis and special features during the week when you subscribe to our Starting Lineup Tier on Patreon today. If you want updates on how Rice football plans to attack this week’s opponent, position battles, standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. Don’t miss out! Join now!

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Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | McMahon – 160/266 (60.2 percent), 2102 yards, 18 TD, 14 INT
Rushing | Montgomery – 70 carries, 452 yards (6.5 yards per carry), 0 TD / Otoviano – 43 carries, 274 yards (6.4 yards per carry), 1 TD
Receiving | Rozner – 35 receptions, 733 yards (20.9 yds/rec), 8 TDs / McCaffrey – 51 receptions, 656 yards (12.9 yds/rec), 6 TD / Esdale – 29 receptions, 353 yards (12.2 yds/rec), 0 TD
Tackles | Conti – 58 / Morrison – 53 / Taylor – 48
Pass Breakups | Dunbar – 7  / Taylor – 6 / Fresch – 5
Interceptions | Taylor – 2 / Morrison, Nyakwol, Chamberlain, Fresch, Narcisse – 1

UTSA Stat Notables

Passing | Harris – 246/356 (69.1 percent), 3039 yards, 22 TD, 6 INT
Rushing | Brady – 146 carries, 623 yards (4.3 yards per carry), 9 TD / Barnes – 63 carries, 419 yards (6.7 ypc), 5 TD
Receiving | Cephus – 73 receptions, 823 yards (11.3 yards per reception), 5 TD / Franklin – 65 receptions, 791 yards (12.2 yds/rec), 9 TD
Tackles | Ligon – 64 / Chattman – 53 / Harmanson – 45
Pass Breakups | Chattman, Mayfield – 11 / Fortune – 5 / Taylor – 3
Interceptions | Mayfield – 3 / Griffin – 2 / Chattman, Morris, Jones – 1

UTSA X-Factor | Take away the air

UTSA hasn’t lost yet, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t survived a few scares along the way. They won one-score games against UAB, North Texas and Western Kentucky. What did each of those contests have in common? Aggressive quarterback play by the Roadrunners’ opponents. WKU averaged 7.6 yards per attempt. North Texas averaged 10.5 . UAB averaged 8.5.

Austin Reed has made a name for himself as a passer this season, but Austin Aune and Jacob Zeno aren’t world-beaters.

Conversely, UTSA has been pretty stingy on the ground, averaging less than 160 total yards per game allowed, fourth best in the conference. If the Roadrunners can limit Rice through the air and force them to run into their fierce front seven, they’ll cap the Owls’ offensive upside. So although it might sound counterintuitive to entice Rice to run, UTSA can find the most success if they stop Rice through the air.

Rice X-Factor | Take it away

At this point, it seems like wishful thinking to hope for a turnover-free game from Rice football. While that would, of course, be ideal, there is one other way for the Owls to find success in that respect: take the ball away.

More takeaways would also be a boon to a defense that has struggled to get off the field. At this points, more risks and more potential takeaways might be the best solution. Granted, defensive coordinator Brian Smith will put together a game plan that’s more nuanced than this, but at the end of the day, if you can’t stop them, take the football away.

Winning the turnover battle is something the Owls haven’t done with any regularity this season. If they’re going to try and beat the only team still standings that hasn’t lost a Conference USA game yet, they’ll need to do so on Saturday. There’s no way around it.

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One Final Thing

Rice football has not lost following a loss this season. Put another way, the Owls are undefeated following a defeat. If they can extend that streak to one more series, they’ll clinch bowl eligibility and secure another marquee win in a season smattered with highs and lows.

If we’ve learned anything this season about the Owls, it’s how frustrating and unpredictable this team can be. Every unit has gone through the same bouts of inconsistency and results have gone from encouraging to quite unwatchable on a week-to-week basis. Which version of the Owls shows up next weekend? Who knows?

What the Owls do possess is a certain level of fearlessness that goes beyond understanding. They aren’t scared when they step into the ring with the best Conference USA has to offer. And quite often, if they can start out on the right foot and avoid a disaster snowball, they’ll give the top teams a run for their money.

Perhaps that then is the x-factor of all x-factors. Can Rice throw the first punch and avoid shooting themselves in the foot? When they’ve been able to do that this season, they’ve won.

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Rice football is one win away from bowl eligibility as they travel to play Western Kentucky. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Both Rice football and Western Kentucky enter their upcoming matchup fresh off a win. The Owls rallied late to beat UTEP while WKU routed Charlotte. Both programs would like nothing more than to keep up their winning ways with another victory this weekend. Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s game.

Kickoff time | 1:00 PM CT
Venue | LT Smith Stadium – Bowling Green, KY
TV | ESPN+ (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs WKU 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

Western Kentucky is officially bowl eligible after a beatdown of Charlotte last weekend. The Hilltoppers are playing for an outside shot at a conference championship game appearance, although they’ll need some help to get there.

On the other sideline, Rice football is one win away from a trip to the postseason. The Owls (3-2) are also a win away from being third place in the conference standings, leapfrogging WKU with a win. As the calendar turns to November, there’s plenty at stake for both programs.

Series History

All Time | WKU leads, 3-0
Last Five | WKU leads, 3-0
Last Meeting | Home 2021, WKU won 42-21

Get the Inside Scoop

Get access to practice reports, analysis and special features during the week when you subscribe to our Starting Lineup Tier on Patreon today. If you want updates on how Rice football plans to attack this week’s opponent, position battles, standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. Don’t miss out! Join now!

Become a Patron!

Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | McMahon – 152/255 (59.6 percent), 2037 yards, 18 TD, 12 INT
Rushing | Montgomery – 59 carries, 391 yards (6.6 yards per carry), 0 TD / Broussard – 91 carries, 251 yards (2.8 yards per carry), 9 TD
Receiving | Rozner – 33 receptions, 721 yards (21.9 yds/rec), 8 TDs / McCaffrey – 51 receptions, 656 yards (12.9 yds/rec), 6 TD / Esdale – 26 receptions, 313 yards (12.1 yds/rec), 0 TD
Tackles | Conti – 53 / Morrison – 49 / Taylor – 44
Pass Breakups | Dunbar – 7  / Fresch – 5 / Taylor – 4
Interceptions | Taylor – 2 / Morrison, Nyakwol, Chamberlain, Fresch – 1

WKU Stat Notables

Passing | Reed – 276/407 (67.8 percent), 3171 yards, 28 TD, 6 INT
Rushing | Robichaux- 65 carries, 458 yards (6.7 yards per carry), 3 TD / Ervin-Poindexter – 82 carries, 357 yards (4.4 ypc), 3 TD
Receiving | Corley – 64 receptions, 863 yards (13.5 yards per reception), 7 TD / Davis – 56 receptions, 755 yards (13.5 yds/rec), 6 TD
Tackles | Knight – 84 / Hylton – 66 / Wallerstedt – 58
Pass Breakups | Hailassie – 8 / Williams – 5 / Evans, Simpkins – 3
Interceptions | Stout – 3 / Hailassie, Oliver – 2 / Six tied with one each

WKU X-Factor | Stay on schedule

It comes as no surprise that Western Kentucky has kept its point-scoring machine rolling, even with a new quarterback at the controls. The Hilltoppers lead conference USA with 37.2 points per game. One subtle secret to their success has been their ability to avoid negative plays.

Western Kentucky ranks first in Conference USA in tackles for a loss allowed. They rank third in sacks allowed (just 1.2o per game) and lead the league in turnover margin. All offenses are naturally more effective when they don’t have to overcome mistakes and negative plays. That doesn’t mean the Hilltoppers can’t, but they haven’t had to do so very often.

Getting Western Kentucky off schedule and forcing them to make plays in pressure situations is a must if Rice is going to pick up this road win. Letting Austin Reed sit back and pick the defense apart won’t work.

Rice X-Factor | Win third down

Third down has been a problem for Rice football, on both sides of the field. The offense converted third down at one of their most proficient rates of the season against UTEP (61.5 percent) and the Owls won, moving to 3-0 in games in which they’ve converted at least 50 percent of their third down opportunities on offense.

The defensive side has been problematic, though. Excluding the Charlotte game, Rice has been fairly effective on first and second down. It’s been third down that has given this defense trouble, particularly on third and long.

Since the bye week, a span of four games, Rice is holdings its opponents to a 31 percent conversion rate on third and short (four yards or less). On third and medium and third and long (5+ yards to go), Rice opponents are converting on 40 percent of their tries. That’s backward. The further to go, the less often it should be occurring. The Rice defense needs to find ways to get off the field.

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One Final Thing

The topsy-turvy 2022 season has maintained a steady cadence of unpredictability thus far and there’s no reason to believe that is going to stop anytime soon. Rice football isn’t the best version of themselves right now, but they’ve found ways to scratch out wins in two of their last three games, the first of which came on the road. This weekend’s road test will be an important one.

Western Kentucky isn’t quite in the same class as Marshall was in 2020 or UAB was in 2021, but the Hilltoppers have been one of the better teams in Conference USA since Tyson Helton arrived in Bowling Green. When it comes to sorting out whether Rice belongs in the top or the bottom half of the conference, the Owls have teetered back and forth from week to week.

A win on Saturday would not only clinch a bowl berth, but it would put Rice squarely in the top but it would also secure at least a .500 record in conference play. That’s a far cry from where the Owls have been in recent seasons. Rice has a few more weeks to get that elusive sixth win, but the sooner they do find it, the more notable it will be.

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Rice football is anxious to put last weekend behind them. Can they bounce back against UTEP? How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Both Rice football and UTEP are anxious to get on the field again after dropping conference home games as favorites last weekend. Rice was blown out by Charlotte while UTEP watched MTSU pull away late. As the calendar turns to November, both teams want this one. Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s game.

Kickoff time | 6:00 PM CT
Venue | Rice Stadium – Houston, Tx
TV | CBSSN (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs UTEP 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

It’s entirely possible the loser of this game all but ensure they’ll be sitting at home this December without a bowl berth. After UTEP, Rice closes at WKU, vs UTSA and at North Texas. UTEP finishes with FIU and UTSA. Both teams need two more wins and don’t want to count on an upset of the defending champs to get there.

Series History

All Time | Rice leads, 15-9
Last Five | Rice leads, 3-2
Last Meeting | Away 2021, UTEP won 38-28

Get the Inside Scoop

Get access to practice reports, analysis and special features during the week when you subscribe to our Starting Lineup Tier on Patreon today. If you want updates on how Rice football plans to attack this week’s opponent, position battles, standouts, injuries and more, this is your go-to source. Don’t miss out! Join now!

Become a Patron!

Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | McMahon – 131/224 (58.5 percent), 1703 yards, 16 TD, 11 INT
Rushing | Montgomery – 51 carries, 333 yards (6.5 yards per carry), 0 TD / Broussard – 91 carries, 251 yards (2.8 yards per carry), 9 TD
Receiving | McCaffrey – 47 receptions, 613 yards (13.0 yds/rec), 6 TD / Rozner – 27 receptions, 579 yards (21.4 yds/rec), 7 TDs / Esdale – 21 receptions, 255 yards (12.1 yds/rec), 0 TD
Tackles | Conti – 47 / Morrison – 40 / Taylor – 36
Pass Breakups | Dunbar – 5  / Fresch – 4 / Morrison, Taylor – 3 
Interceptions | Taylor – 2 / Morrison, Nyakwol, Chamberlain, Fresch – 1

UTEP Stat Notables

Passing | Hardison – 156/297 (52.5 percent), 1941 yards, 10 TD, 8 INT
Rushing | Hankins – 110 carries, 547 yards (5.0 yards per carry), 2 TD / Awatt –  124 carries, 538 yards (4.3 ypc), 2 TD
Receiving | Smith – 56 receptions, 803 yards (14.3 yards per reception), 5 TD / Flores – 42 receptions, 472 yards (11.2 yds/rec), 1 TD
Tackles | Knight – 74 / Hylton – 70 / Wallerstedt – 69
Pass Breakups | Johnson – 6 / Barnes – 5 / Knight, Shelton – 4
Interceptions | Johnson, Knight, James – 1 each

UTEP X-Factor | Establish it

In many ways, Rice and UTEP have built their offensive identities on a similar tenant: run the ball. Rice hasn’t had as much success on that front as they’d like, but UTEP has. And when the Miners do get it going on the ground, the rest of the offense rises with it.

Outside of a two-sore win over Boise State, UTEP hasn’t played in games this season in which they jumped out to a huge early lead and stockpiled rushing stats to salt the game away. No, they’ve run the ball to set up the rest of their offense and the numbers bear that out.

In UTEP wins, the Miners are averaging 4.6 yards per carry and average 198.3 rushing yards per game. In losses, they averaged 3.1 yards per carry and average just 94.2 rushing yards per game. If UTEP can run the football, they can dictate the terms on that side of the football and make Rice play off schedule. That’s not where the Owls want to be, and it’s been painfully evident in recent weeks.

Rice X-Factor | Figure it out on defense

After having the ability to lean on their defense for much of the past several seasons, the past two weeks have been rocky for the Owls on the back end. Rice allowed eight passing touchdowns in their first six games combined. They’ve given up 10 scores through the air in the last two weeks. The run defense started to sag last weekend against Charlotte, too, ceding 5.6 yards per carry, their worst mark in conference play.

A few weeks ago this team was musing about getting a shutout. For now, they’ll have to focus on getting one stop at a time. Fortunately, UTEP is not nearly as explosive through the air as either Louisiana Tech or Charlotte.

This defense needs a pick-me-up. They need a reminder that they can play at a high level, and that has to start with solid run defense and a more robust coverage plan down the field. Both Louisiana Tech and Charlotte were able to expose the Owls in the gap between the corners and safeties on the sidelines. Rice has to get that cleaned up, pronto. That way they can play their game instead of being forced to play catch up.

Injury Report (Subscribers only)

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One Final Thing

Following Saturday’s crushing loss to Charlotte, head coach Mike Bloomgren stuck to his guns and remained resilient. “We’re trying to find a way to play for 60 minutes in all three phases. I still think we are a scary football team, with very good players [and] very good coaches when we do that,” he said. “That’s what our goal is. That’s what our goal will be next Thursday.”

Through eight weeks, that complete showing has yet to materialize. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen, but it does mean the Owls are running out of time to promote that elusive perfect game from paper to playing field.

Rice football has bowl game expectations this season. They need to win two of their next four to get there and UTEP is — undeniably — the weakest opponent remaining on the schedule. A complete three-phase showing might not materialize for this team on Thursday, but they’d better get enough from whatever is working that evening to carry them through. Sitting at 4-5 in need of two wins against the trio of UTSA, WKU and North Texas is not a place this team wants to be.

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