Rice football takes on Texas State in the SERVPRO First Responders Bowl. How to watch, key stats, x-factor picks and more.
A pair of Texas teams will square off in Frisco this December when Rice football hits the field to face Texas State. The Bobcats clinched bowl eligibility in Week 10, topping Georgia Southern at home and celebrating by jumping in the river, a San Marcos tradition. The Owls had to wait until the final week of the regular season, beating FAU to secure win number six and a postseason trip. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup between Rice and Texas State.
Kickoff time | 4.30 PM CT
Venue | Gerald J. Ford Stadium – Dallas, TX
TV | ESPN+ (Viewing Guide)
Radio | Varsity Radio App (Online)
Bowl Announcement | Notes
Audio / Visual Preview
We’ll preview Rice football vs Texas State on this week’s episode of the Blue and Gray Preview Show, streaming live on Tuesday 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
This is the first bowl appearance in Texas State history. The Bobcats have already tied their program FBS record for wins, set in 2014 with seven. Clinching a victory in the First Responders Bowl would secure a pair of program bests.
Rice football is making its 14th postseason appearance, its second under head coach Mike Bloomgren, and looking for its first bowl win since 2014. Winning a bowl game was one of the Owls’ primary goals this season after falling short a year ago. A victory over an in-state opponent would make it just a little sweeter.
Series History
All Time | Tied, 2-2
Last Five | Tied, 2-2
Last Meeting | Home 1987, Rice won 38-28
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Rice Football Stat Notables
Passing | Padgett – 61/96 (63.5 percent), 636 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT
Rushing | Connors – 106 carries, 707 yards (6.7 yards per carry), 5 TD / Otoviano – 85 carries, 312 yards (3.7 yards per carry), 4 TD
Receiving | McCaffrey – 68 receptions, 963 yards (14.2 yds/rec), 12 TDs / Connors – 42 receptions, 395 yards (9.4 yds/rec), 3 TD
Tackles | Wyatt – 76 / Morrison – 71 / Taylor – 58
Pass Breakups | Devones – 10 / Taylor – 8 / Fresch – 7
Interceptions | Taylor, Devones – 2 / Conti – 1
Texas State Stat Notables
Passing | Finley – 264/385 (68.6 percent), 3287 yards, 24 TD, 8 INT
Rushing | Mahid – 199 carries, 1209 yards (6.1 yards per carry), 10 TD / Davenport – 90 carries, 458 yards (5.1 ypc), 2 TD
Receiving | Hobert – 71 receptions, 847 yards (11.9 yards per reception), 8 TD / Wilson – 61 receptions, 697 yards (11.4 yds/rec), 8 TD / Hawkins – 52 receptions, 819 yards (15.8 yds/rec), 3 TD
Tackles | Holloway – 98 / Holton – 83 / Culp – 72
Pass Breakups | Ford-Dement, Eaton – 7 / Culp, Mills – 4
Interceptions | Ford-Dement, Holloway – 2 / Holton, Spears – 1
Texas State X-Factor | Compile negative plays
The Texas State offense was must-see tv this season, averaging 36 points per game, a top 20 mark in the nation. The defense was a completely different story. Of the entire field of 84 teams playing in the postseason, only two allowed more points per game on defense than Texas State: USC and South Florida.
Clearly, Texas State won’t be winning a 10-7 game. That’s not in the cards. What the Bobcats must do instead is dial up the pressure and live on the margins. Texas State was top 10 in the nation in sacks per game but middle of the road in turnovers forced. They’re going to need to hit on both of those things against a Rice offense that has proven it can score, too.
Rice X-Factor | Quarterback Play
The announcement that JT Daniels would be medically retiring from football made national news. For one, the lengthy career of one of college football’s most talented quarterbacks was worth noting. On the other hand, it officially confirmed a second-straight postseason start for redshirt freshman quarterback AJ Padgett.
Padgett was impressive at the Lending Tree Bowl last year, throwing for 295 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions against Southern Miss. His 2023 season has been rather choppy. He wasn’t great against UTSA, but improved his play in his next outing against Charlotte and was even better in the Owls’ regular season finale against FAU.
Which version of AJ Padgett is Rice getting? Rice cannot afford to have a compromised offensive attack with Texas State poised to score in bunches on the other side of the field. Padgett doesn’t have to be perfect, but getting closer to the Lending Tree Bowl version of himself would certainly help the Owls’ chances to leave Dallas with a win.
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One Final Thing
It’s hard to win at Rice. As a program, the Owls have posted 36 winning seasons in 110 years. Less than one-third of the time throughout the course of college football history, Rice has finished with a winning record. If you want to look at more recent history, Rice has made seven postseason appearances since moving from the WAC to Conference USA in 2005, a span of 19 seasons.
That’s why this game matters so much to the Rice football coaches, players and fans. The Owls don’t get this far very often. That only serves to amplify the importance of this otherwise “exhibition” contest. Rice has to make this opportunity count.
Even without JT Daniels, this is very winnable game for Rice football. Vegas odds listed them as underdogs initially, but some predictors, like ESPN’s FPI, suggest the Owls should be the favorite. Regardless of the margin on either side, it should be a competitive game featuring a pair of teams that really care about the outcome. I know how I’ll be spending the day after Christmas.
