Rice football hosts FAU this week with bowl eligibility on the line. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

In a battle of Owls, Rice football enters the fray flying higher. The Owls won at Charlotte last weekend, preservering their bid at bowl eligibility. The visiting FAU Owls fell to Tulane, their seventh loss of the year. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Rice and FAU.

Kickoff time | 12:00 PM CT
Venue | Historic Rice Stadium – Houston, TX
TV | ESPN+ (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)

Audio / Visual Preview

We’ll preview Rice football vs FAU 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.

Sizing up the contenders

Rice football could technically have an outside shot at bowl eligibility as a five-win team, but they’d rather avoid stressing about that situation for a second year in a row. A win on Saturday would also ensure another year of improvement in the win column for head coach Mike Bloomgren, with the possibility of a seventh win in the bowl game. Rice hasn’t won seven games since 2014.

On the other sideline, FAU isn’t playing for anything, which makes them dangerous. Every win counts for a coach in his first year at a new school and rest assured Tom Herman won’t go easy on Rice when he makes his return to campus.

Series History

All Time | Rice leads, 2-1
Last Five | Rice leads, 2-1
Last Meeting | Away 2022, FAU won 17-14

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Rice Football Stat Notables

Passing | Daniels – 121/287 (63.1 percent), 2443 yards, 21 TD, 7 INT
Rushing | Connors – 92 carries, 662 yards (6.9 yards per carry), 5 TD / Otoviano – 70 carries, 241 yards (3.4 yards per carry), 4 TD
Receiving | McCaffrey – 56 receptions, 822 yards (14.7 yds/rec), 11 TDs / Connors – 38 receptions, 384 yards (10.1 yds/rec), 3 TD
Tackles | Wyatt – 70 / Morrison – 66 / Conti, Taylor – 53
Pass Breakups | Devones – 10 / Fresch – 7 / Wyatt, Taylor – 6
Interceptions | Taylor, Devones – 2 / Conti – 1

FAU Stat Notables

Passing | Richardson – 200/309 (64.7 percent), 1908 yards, 12 TD, 10 INT
Rushing | McCammon – 146 carries, 675 yards (4.6 yards per carry), 5 TD / Lewis – 77 carries, 324 yards (4.2 ypc), 2 TD
Receiving | Wester – 104 receptions, 1125 yards (10.9 yards per reception), 8 TD / Johnson – 35 receptions, 362 yards (10.3 yds/rec), 3 TD 
Tackles | Morris – 75 / Ambush – 73 / Tisdol – 67
Pass Breakups | Morris – 5 / McClendon, Mungin, Antoine – 3 
Interceptions | Morris – 3 / Six others tied with one each

FAU X-Factor | Make every trip count

In league play, Rice football leads the AAC in red zone defense. They’ve allowed 13 touchdowns on 27 trips. Forcing opponents to settle for three rather than getting six has helped keep them in games and nearly scored them upsets against Tulane and SMU.

Meanwhile, the FAU offense has stalled out entirely. The Owls have scored 15 points in their last eight quarters. Relying on home run plays by LaJohntay Wester isn’t a sustainable scoring solution so when FAU does get the ball within striking distance, they absolutely must capitalize.

The Rice defense has played better as of late and is coming off one of their best performances of the season. FAU has converted 60 percent of their field goal tries on the season and has made 3-of-7 from 30+ yards out. They simply have to put the ball in the box when they get their opportunities. 

Rice X-Factor | Run the dang ball

It’s hard to believe it’s possible, but Rice football might not have run the ball enough last time out against Charlotte, despite Dean Connors having a career day. The running game also helped cover some offensive miscues and mishaps that took place with a backup quarterback at the helm.

No matter who takes the snaps for Rice this week, a potent running game makes this offense even more potent.

FAU won’t make it easy. No team in the AAC has allowed fewer touchdowns in league play than the Owls. Yet, Charlotte’s run defense looked solid enough on paper before Connors showed up and gashed them. If Connors can do it again, it’s hard to see the Rice offense stalling out that often, which would force FAU into catch-up mode. That’s not something the’ve proven they can do.

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One Final Thing

“We understand what’s at play this week and how big of a deal this game’s going to be. It’s huge,” Bloomgren said on Saturday afternoon, noting the significance of the upcoming game against FAU because Rice found a way to take care of business against Charlotte. And quite frankly, huge might be an understatement. This game is massive. 

A win against FAU would ensure Rice a .500 record in league play. Here are the AAC programs currently guaranteed to be at least .500 in league play this season: Tulane, SMU, UTSA, Memphis and Navy. That’s good company to keep.

For further comfort, three of the Owls’ four AAC losses came to that collection of teams with the lone exception belonging to USF which could clinch a bowl berth this weekend. Tack on a win over Houston — still the only Power 5 win by the conference this year — and you get a sturdy season against a tough schedule with a marquee rivalry win under your belt.

Even though much of that would be true with a loss, a sub-.500 season doesn’t carry with it the same power. No, this game matters because of it can solidify this 2023 Rice Football team as one that hung with the big boys in the league, had one hiccup against UConn, and otherwise represented the university well.

Plus, this team wants to go bowling again. This time the “right” way, if that even is an appropriate designation. 

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Rice football visits Charlotte this week in a crucial matchup for bowl eligibility. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.

On the heels of a loss to UTSA, Rice football seeks a rebound win against Charlotte. The 49ers lost their last game, too. They took Memphis down to the wire but came up short, falling in overtime in a game they led most of the way. That sets up a pressure-packed matchup for both squads in Week 12. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Rice and Charlotte.

Kickoff time | 1:00 PM CT
Venue | Jerry Richardson Stadium – Charlotte, NC 
TV | ESPN+ (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (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.

Sizing up the contenders

If Rice football wants to reach six wins in the regular season and formally clinch bowl eligibility, they’re out of margin. If Mike Bloomgren wants to further evidence this program is on the way up, this game has to be won. There is no more room for error. 

Similar to last season, Charlotte is playing for pride. The 49ers haven’t made a head coaching change again, but they are working through a strenuous first season under Biff Poggi’s leadership. Every win counts in Year One, especially when you’re 3-7 and trying to avoid the cellar of the AAC standings. 

Series History

All Time | Tied, 2-2
Last Five | Tied, 2-2
Last Meeting | Home 2022, Charlotte won 56-23

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 | Daniels – 121/287 (63.1 percent), 2443 yards, 21 TD, 7 INT
Rushing | Connors – 73 carries, 448 yards (6.1 yards per carry), 5 TD / Otoviano – 70 carries, 241 yards (3.4 yards per carry), 4 TD
Receiving | McCaffrey – 51 receptions, 768 yards (15.1 yds/rec), 10 TDs / Connors – 38 receptions, 384 yards (10.1 yds/rec), 3 TD
Tackles | Wyatt – 66 / Morrison – 63 / Conti – 53
Pass Breakups | Devones – 9 / Fresch – 7 / Wyatt, Taylor – 6 
Interceptions | Taylor – 2 / Devones, Conti – 1

Charlotte Stat Notables

Passing | Ivey – 91/162 (56.2 percent), 1114 yards, 4 TD, 8 INT
Rushing | Jones – 106 carries, 488 yards (4.6 yards per carry), 4 TD / Kellman – 82 carries, 328 yards (4.0 ypc), 1 TD
Receiving | Weber – 30 receptions, 342 yards (11.4 yards per reception), 0 TD / Hestera – 28 receptions, 349 yards (12.5 yds/rec), 3 TD / Mack – 21 receptions, 366 yards (17.4 yds/rec), 1 TD
Tackles | Knight – 77 / Hill-Green – 71 / Okie – 49
Pass Breakups | Balfour – 9 / Hill-Green – 3 / Four tied with two each
Interceptions | Knight, Howard – 2 / Four tied with one each

Charlotte X-Factor | Run the ball

The Charlotte offense has not been good this year. The 49ers rank 13th of 14 teams in the American Conference in scoring offense entering this week. However, after failing to surpass 16 total points in the five games prior, Charlotte has now topped 33 points in each of the past two games. What’s changed? The ground game has come to life.

Charlotte had not averaged more than 4 yards per carry against an FBS opponent entering their Week 10 game against Tulsa. They averaged 4.3 yards per carry against the Golden Hurricane and an incredible 5.7 yards per carry the next weekend against Memphis. When you can move the ball on the ground that efficiently, everything gets better. 

Rice X-Factor | Don’t beat yourself

Opening lines had Rice as a five-point favorite to win. As a favorite, all a team ought to have to do is play within itself and they should (in theory) win the game. Underdogs (typically) need good fortune. Underdogs (typically) need to catch a few breaks. Favorites just need to play a clean game.

The clean game part is something Rice football has struggled with in recent weeks. Rice averaged 4.0 penalties per game in the month of October, averaging 37.3 penalty yards per game. In two games so far in November, that’s spiked to 7.5 penalties per game and an average of 77 yards per game. To put that in perspective, 77 penalty yards per game would rank fourth to worst in FBS for the season. 

The yardage has hurt, but it’s really been the backbreaking, drive-extending personal fouls that have sunk the Owls in each of their past two games. Handing out free yards usually comes back to bite you against better teams. Rice might be able to get away with a few against Charlotte, but they should know better than to play with fire after being burned so many times this month.

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One Final Thing

Rice football is out of mulligans and so is head coach Mike Bloomgren. If last week wasn’t a must-win game, this week is. A favorite against one of the lesser teams in the American Conference — only one AAC squad has a less total wins than the 49ers — this is one that absolutely has to be a W. Full stop.

And while we’re making requests, some style points would be nice, too.

A 6-6 finish is in play, especially considering the last team on the Owls’ slate is FAU, which just got punked by last-place ECU at home. 

Entering the season, this past stretch of three games always looked like the most difficult stretch of the season. An 0-3 result was the most likely outcome. Getting two games within a touchdown was, quite frankly, better than initial expectations. And while there are no moral victories or silver lining, the season is not lost yet, nor should anyone throw in the towel on this team. There are games still to be played.

So, as Bloomgren himself would say, let’s go 1-0 this week. Beat Charlotte. Preferably comfortably, but at the end of the day, just get more points than the other team. If Rice can do that, six wins is in play. And that’s a mark they need to find a way to reach given the expectations and talent this team possesses. 

Recent Posts

• Rice Baseball blows past PVAMU at home
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