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)

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!

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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.

Injury Report (Subscribers only)

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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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Rice football makes its final visit to Ruston, LA as a member of Conference USA to play Louisiana Tech. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

Anxious to move past frustrating road losses, both Rice football and Louisiana Tech meet in search of a win in Week 8. The Rice Owls fell to the Owls of FAU in Boca Raton while Louisiana Tech dropped their game against North Texas in Denton. Here’s everything you need to know about the game.

Kickoff time | 2:00 PM CT
Venue | Joe Aillet Stadium – Ruston, LA
TV | ESPN+ (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs Louisiana Tech 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

With the bye week behind both clubs and six games remaining, both programs feel like they could be nearing a tipping point in terms of where this season is headed. Rice is 3-3. Louisiana Tech is 2-4. A bowl berth is on the table for both clubs, with more pressure on Owls’ headman Mike Bloomgren to deliver in Year 5 to deliver a trip to the postseason.

Got Questions?

Subscribers, don’t forget to submit your questions for our October mailbag here.

Series History

All Time | Louisiana Tech leads, 9-5
Last Five | Louisiana Tech leads, 4-1
Last Meeting | Home 2021, Rice won 35-31

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 – 97/164 (59.2 percent), 1277 yards, 10 TD, 10 INT
Rushing | Broussard – 85 carries, 233 yards (2.7 yards per carry), 9 TD / Montgomery – 27 carries, 211 yards (7.8 yards per carry), 0 TD
Receiving | McCaffrey – 33 receptions, 384 yards (11.7 yds/rec), 3 TD / Rozner – 19 receptions, 447 yards (23.5 yds/rec), 4 TDs / Esdale – 19 receptions, 239 yards (12.6 yds/rec), 0 TD
Tackles | Morrison – 40 / Conti – 34 / Taylor – 25
Pass Breakups | Dunbar, Morrison – 3 / Taylor, Fresch, Narcisse – 2 
Interceptions | Taylor – 2 / Morrison, Nyakwol, Chamberlain – 1

LA Tech Notables

Passing | McNeil – 78/137 (56.9 percent), 1167 yards, 12 TD, 7 INT
Rushing | Crosby – 59 carries, 342 yards (5.5 yards per carry), 3 TD / Thornton – 24 carries, 113 yards (4.7 ypc), 1 TD
Receiving | Hebert – 20 receptions, 403 yards (20.2 yards per reception), 3 TD / Harris – 25 receptions, 376 yards (15.0 yds/rec), 3 TD
Tackles | Grubbs – 48 / Williamson – 37 / Cole, Davis – 29
Pass Breakups | Roberts – 5 /  Johnson – 4 / Cole – 2
Interceptions | Roberts – 2 / Four others tied with 1

LA Tech X-Factor | Cash in

Rice has had its struggles on offense this year, but the Owls’ defense has been extremely stout. Florida Atlantic barely scratched across 17 points last weekend, well below their season average. Points will be at a premium this coming weekend, necessitating the need to capitalize on every opportunity, which is something Louisiana Tech has struggled to do this season.

Louisiana Tech ranks ninth in Conference USA in red zone touchdown percentage, putting the ball in the box on just 50 percent of their red zone opportunities. That deficiency reared its head against North Texas last weekend, too. The Bulldogs settled for a field goal despite reaching the one-yard line. North Texas responded with a touchdown on the next possession and the game was never close again.

If Louisiana Tech gets close, they have to leave the redzone with touchdowns. Kicking field goals on limited chances is not a recipe for success.

Rice X-Factor | Run the ball

Louisiana Tech enters Week 8 allowing 263 rushing yards per game, the worst mark in Conference USA. The Bulldogs have been a sieve in that aspect of their defense, allowing a staggering 6.4 yards per carry.

Rice, conversely, has struggled immensely to run the football. Their limitations in that phase have heaped extra pressure on quarterback TJ McMahon and led to inconsistent drives and challenging offensive situations. If Rice can’t run the football on this defense, there are going to have to be some hard questions asked about the optics of this offense moving forward.

If Rice can run the ball, it’s hard to envision this offense not finding tremendous success. The solution to the Owls’ offensive woes isn’t solely that simple, but it would go a long way to getting back in rhythm on that side of the ball.

Injury Report (Subscribers only)

Sorry! This part of content is hidden behind this box because it requires a higher contribution level ($10) at Patreon. Why not take this chance to increase your contribution?

One Final Thing

Through six games, two truths about Rice football seem abundantly clear. First, this team is the best team Mike Bloomgren has assembled at South Main. From the roster construction to their performances through the first half of the season, it’s hard to argue any of Bloomgren’s other squads even comes that close. Second, this team’s consistency needs to improve, drastically.

The Rice team that blew past Louisiana at home should have no trouble dispatching Louisiana Tech on the road. That said, the iteration of the Owls that was unable to score and unable to finish against Florida Atlantic isn’t going to win many additional conference games.

At this point, it seems the true version of Rice football is closer to the team that beat Louisiana than the one that lost to Florida Atlantic. How close the Owls can get to that team, or even better, will determine the fate of this upcoming matchup and the rest of the season. Needless to say, Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech is extremely important.

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