Rice Football wraps up nonconference play in Week 4 with a home game against Baylor. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

It’s been a tale of two very different seasons for Rice and Baylor in 2019. The Owls are 0-3, recipient of losses to Army, Wake Forest and Texas. The most recent defeat at the hands of the Longhorns was painful, but Rice will do their best this week to glean some learnings from the defeat and move on.

The Bears were able to watch Rice play from the comfort of their own homes last weekend. The second Big 12 team to visit Rice in Houston this year, Baylor had the first off week in Week 3. They’d previously defeated SFA and UTSA, both by wide margins.

It’s another all-Texas tussle in H-town. Here’s what you need to know about both Baylor and Rice before their Week 4 battle.

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 6:00 PM CT
Venu | Rice Stadium – Houston, Tx
TV | CBS Sports Network
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)
Streaming | CBSSN Online

Audio Preview

Catch the full preview of the Baylor game on Episode 9 of The Roost Podcast. 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

Baylor enters their game against Rice a step ahead of the Owls in their own rebuilding process. Matt Rhule went 1-11 in his first year in command in Waco, improving to 7-6 a year ago with a bowl victory over Vanderbilt to end the season. Now in Year 3, the Bears look to have recovered from a challenged state on the football field. They’ve come a long way.

Rice is in Year 2, coming off a two-win season under Bloomgren in 2018, in some ways a step ahead of the Bears with Rhule. That progress will be tested on the field on Saturday in a game which should feature a heavy ground attack from both teams.

Like Rice, Baylor likes to pound the rock. They’ve averaged 38 carries in their first two games compared to 30 pass attempts. Eight different players have at least one rushing touchdown, including starting quarterback Charlie Brewer who isn’t exactly a mobile guy. There’s no doubt Rice will be more committed to the ground game than Baylor, a strategy which served them well in a near-upset of Army in Week 1.

Series History

All Time | Baylor leads 49-30
Last Five | Baylor leads 5-0
Last Meeting | Home 2016, Baylor won 38-10

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Stewart – 31/53 (58.5 percent), 364 yards passing, 3 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Walter – 42 carries, 170 yards (4.0 yards per carry), 1 TD
Receiving | Trammell – 16 receptions, 204 yards (12.8 yards per reception), 1 TD
Tackles | Alldredge – 21, Chamberlain – 20
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Alldredge – 2 PBU, Four others tied with 1

Baylor Stat Notables

Passing | Brewer – 33/47 (70.2), 362 yards passing, 6 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Bohanon – 13 carries, 177 yards (13.6 yards per carry), 1 TD
Receiving | Mims – 12 receptions, 147 yards (12.3 yards per reception), 3 TD
Tackles | Johnston – 11, Miller – 10
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Lynch – 1 INT/1 PBU, Five others tied with 1 PBU

Baylor X-Factor | Wide receiver play

The Rice secondary has taken significant strides from where they were a year ago. Texas got a receiver behind the back line and threw a deep ball for a run in touchdown, but the Owls defensive backs have kept most everyone else in front of them. Baylor will look to test that resiliency.

Denzel Mims (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) and RJ Sneed (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) each pose a size and height mismatch with the Rice corners. Baylor wants to run the ball, but they’ll look to keep the defense honest with this pair of elite playmakers. If the Bears can win through the air, it’s going to be hard for the Owls’ front seven to stay home and do what they do best.

Charlie Brewer isn’t a better quarterback than Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman or Texas’ Sam Ehlinger, but he’s more than capable of getting the ball to his playmakers. How effective he is in that endeavor and how Rice does in those matchups could be a telling factor in how this game will go.

Rice X-Factor | First down

The most important down for the Rice offense is the first one. Winning third down and staying on the field is an area the Owls’ need to improve in as well, but the effectiveness of the offense as a whole is dependent on what the team does on first down. When Rice is able to move the ball, setting up second and mediums they put their run-first offense on schedule.

Eventual third and short situations give Rice a wide-open playbook, something especially significant if they’re starting a backup quarterback again this week. Rice didn’t win first down against Texas until late in the second half. By the time Rice started to gain momentum in that department, the score was out of hand.

The running game will set the tone, but it’s going to take a team effort from the offensive line and receiving corps to ensure Rice can set the tone early. Opening things up from the start will change the complexion of this game.

Injury Report

Wiley Green has been cleared and will start for Rice on Saturday but Tom Stewart is still expected to be in the mix at quarterback. A full injury update is available here.

Need More?

The Roost’s 2019 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth chart, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for each foe. Better yet, it’s not just speculation, each profile was created with insight from local experts who cover those teams day in and day out. Pick up your copy today and get four pages and more than 1,000 words on Baylor.

Pick ‘Em Contest

If you haven’t yet, make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and submit them on the forum thread to enter.

1. Will the Rice defense register their first interception?
   Yes / No
2. Which team will throw more incomplete passes?
   Rice (or tie) / Baylor
3. Who kicks the longest punt for Rice?
   Barnes / Nunez
4. How many Rice players will have at least six tackles?
   Over 5.5 / Under 5.5
5. Will Rice score more points in the first half or the second half?
   First Half (or even) / Second Half
6. Who wins?
   Rice / Baylor

One Final Thing

This is the last in an arduous string of nonconference games for Rice in 2019. Keeping the active players healthy and getting injured plays back to full health should be at the top of the Owls’ priority list. While the strength and conditioning staff and medical team are focused on those efforts, the team will prepare for their last chance at a nonconference statement.

Losing to Baylor won’t doom the season, but the Owls are cognizant of the opportunity at hand. In their home stadium with three weeks of their own film to assess and improve on, Rice should put a better product on the field than they did in Week 3. That’s going to be critical for team morale as they enter into conference play the weekend following.

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

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Both Rice Football and Texas will be hungry for a win after suffering tough home losses in Week 2. How to watch, stats to know, x-factor picks for both teams and more.

Uncertainty at quarterback lingers for Rice following Wiley Green’s early departure from the Owls’ Week 2 loss to Wake Forest. Green was released from the hospital late Friday night after all post-injury tests came back negative. In his absence, Rice fell at home 41-21.

Things didn’t work out much better for Texas. Starting quarterback Sam Ehlinger is still healthy, but the Longhorns lost a one-score slugfest with LSU in one of the more prominent games of last weekend. The defeat hasn’t killed the lofty aspirations in Austin, but it did eliminate any margin of error this team had with conference play looming.

Here’s an outlook on both sides prior to their Week 3 clash:

Broadcast Info

Kickoff time | 7:00 PM CT
Venu | NRG Stadium – Houston, Tx
TV | CBS Sports Network
Radio | Sports Map 94.1 (FM) / Stretch Internet (Online)
Streaming | CBSSN Online

Audio Preview

Episode 7 of The Roost Podcast is live now. 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.) This week Carter and I broke down the good and the bad from the Wake Forest game, talked with someone who covered a recent upset of a highly ranked Big 12 team and moved on to Week 3, discussing how Rice matches up with Texas.

Sizing up the contenders

Despite the early results, Rice looks to be ahead of schedule in their continued rebuild. Texas will be their biggest challenge yet, a battle that coach Mike Bloomgren isn’t willing to cede despite the sizable odds in the Longhorns’ favor.

“I almost hate hearing how much better we are than last year right now,” Bloomgren declared following the Wake Forest game. “I want to find a way to win a game. I want these guys to feel what that’s like in the locker room. I want to beat somebody we ‘should’.”

Texas is in a completely different place. Their missed opportunity for a statement win put a damper on and College Football Playoff aspirations. The Longhorns can’t afford another loss, especially with a date against Oklahoma looming in conference play.

This game is shaping up to be a battle of David vs Goliath. Louisiana Tech fought (and lost) that battle in the season opener in Week 1. Rice has the added advantage of playing the game in Houston. Look for more on the formula to slay a college football giant later in the week.

Series History

All Time | Texas leads 72-21
Last Five | Texas leads 5-0
Last Meeting | Away 2015, Texas won 56-24

Rice Stat Notables

Passing | Stewart – 19/30 (63.3 percent), 185 yards passing, 1 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Ellerbe – 14 carries, 106 yards (7.6 yards per carry), 1 TD
Receiving | Trammell – 10 receptions, 107 yards (10.7 yards per reception), 1 TD
Tackles | Ekpe – 17, Montero – 15
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Alldredge – 2 PBU, Ellis – 1 PBU

Texas Stat Notables

Passing | Ehlinger – 59/85 (69.4 percent), 677 yards passing, 8 TD, 0 INT
Rushing | Ingram – 21 carries, 107 yards (5.1 yards per carry)
Receiving | Duvernay – 21 receptions, 209 yards (10.0 yards per reception), 3 TD
Tackles | Sterns – 17, Foster – 15
Pass Breakups/Interceptions | Green – 2 PBU, Ossai – 2 INT, Overshown – 1 INT

Texas X-Factor | The front seven

The Longhorn secondary was abused by Joe Burrow and the newly prolific LSU passing attack. The Tigers moved the ball at will through the air, something which should encourage the Owls’ own fledgling passing attack. Still, how Texas responds against the Owls running backs will dictate how this game is played.

Texas was stout against the run in their first two games, allowing 2.8 yards per carry to Louisiana Tech and 3.5 yards per carry to LSU. It remains to be seen if that ground success was a product, at least in part, to their leaky secondary. Both prior opponents threw for more than 300 yards and at least two touchdowns.

We’ve seen teams struggle against teams devoted to running the football. Army went into the Big House and came dangerously close to knocking off Michigan in Week 2. If Texas wants to avoid a scare, they must quell the Owls’ rushing attack.

Rice X-Factor | The ground game

The uncertainty at quarterback will push the Owls to learn on their rushing attack against the Longhorns. Rice is confident in backup quarterback Tom Stewart, but he doesn’t yet have the same mastery of the offense that Wiley Green does. Whoever starts, Rice has to get back to their identity.

“I don’t know that you’ve seen exactly what our offense should look like,” Bloomgren said. The Owls’ first two games couldn’t have been more different on the ground. Rice rushed for 6.0 yards per carry against Army, but 1.8 per carry against Wake Forest. Bloomgren called the offensive blueprint against Army “really close” to what he expected the offense to look like, with the caveat the Owls needed to be more efficient the air.

With so much uncertainty around the Rice offense, running the ball well against Texas is paramount. The backfield is deep; five different Owls registered four or more carries against Wake Forest. All of the rushers would benefit from better blocking in the run game from the offensive line.

Injury Report

The latest update on the status of Wiley Green, receivers Zane Knipe and Jake Bailey and others is available here.

Need More?

The Roost’s 2019 Rice Football Season Preview has four pages dedicated to every opponent the Owls face. There are depth chart, important new arrivals and depth chart breakdowns for each foe. Better yet, it’s not just speculation, each profile was created with insight from local experts who cover those teams day in and day out. Pick up your copy today and get four pages and more than 1,000 words on Texas.

Pick ‘Em Contest

If you haven’t yet, make sure you submit your entry for The Roost’s weekly pick’em challenge. Choose an answer to each of the six questions below and submit them on the forum thread to enter.

1. How many different Owls register a reception?
   Over 4.5 / Under 4.5
2. Who scores first?
   Rice / Texas
3. How many yards will the Owls’ longest scoring drive be?
   Over 59.5 / Under 59.5
4. Will the Rice defense intercept Sam Ehlinger?
   Yes / No
5. Will Texas rush for a touchdown?
   Yes / No
6. Who wins?
   Rice / Texas

One Final Thing

The non-conference portion of the Rice football schedule was always going to be a learning time for this team. Big picture questions like how hard this team will fight and what the capabilities of the offense and defense in Year 2 were what the Owls needed to understand before conference play arrived. The results on the field, although important, were not and should not be the end-all-be-all in this case. That holds true for the game against Texas.

What Rice does need to do against Texas is fight. Unlike against Army, the Owls seemed to go quiet on both sides of the ball in the third quarter against Wake Forest. Defensive errors and three consecutive three and outs were not a sign of progress, rather of a team that looked emotionally and physically worn down.

The challenges only get tougher against a ranked opponent in Week 3. But, given the circumstances, Rice has largely played well in their first two games. This will be one more chance for Rice to make a statement, both to the college football world and to themselves.

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

Recent Posts

• Rice Football 2025: Armed Forces Bowl presser quotes and depth chart
• Rice Women’s Basketball Overcomes Slow Start to Top Grambling
• Rice Basketball Cruises Past Southwestern Christian
• Rice Football 2025: NFL Owls Week 15 Roundup