Football: Rice Owls Announce 2005 Football Schedule

Football: Rice Owls Announce 2005 Football Schedule

2/24/2005

HOUSTON -- Five home games in Rice Stadium and the inaugural season in Conference USA highlight the 2005 Rice Owls football schedule.

Eight C-USA games, including the annual Bayou Bucket clash with crosstown rival Houston, and three non-conference games against teams that went to bowl games last season make up the Owls' 2005 slate. Two conference foes, Alabama-Birmingham and Texas-El Paso, also played in bowl games making for a total of five opponents that saw postseason action. Five of the Owls' 11 games will be played on campus at Rice Stadium and the Houston game will be played in town at Robertson Stadium. Eight of the games, including the last six of the year, will be played in the state of Texas.

The Owls open the 2005 season on Sept. 10 in the Rose Bowl against Pac-10 power UCLA. A week later the Blue and Gray will meet the Texas Longhorns in Austin for the second time in as many seasons. On Sept. 24, Rice will play its home opener against 2004 Emerald Bowl champion Navy at 7 pm.

The football program begins a new era on Oct. 1 with the first of eight league games as a member of Conference USA. Rice meets Alabama-Birmingham on the road in Birmingham, Ala. The C-USA home-opener is Oct. 15 against Tulsa. The remaining home conference games will be Texas-El Paso, Tulane and fellow new league member Central Florida. The remaining C-USA road games include East Carolina, Southern Methodist and Houston.

Beginning in 2005 Conference USA football will be divided into two divisions. The division winners will meet in a conference championship game on Dec. 3 held at one of the participating institutions. Rice's divisional foes are Houston, SMU, UTEP, Tulsa and Tulane. The Owls will have three crossover games with the other division, but will not face C-USA members Southern Mississippi, Memphis, or Marshall in the inaugural schedule.

Rice head coach Ken Hatfield said he is looking forward to the competitive schedule and for Rice to begin playing in its new league.

"We are glad to have finalized the new schedule," Hatfield said. "We look forward to new challenges Conference USA will bring as well as opening the season in the Rose Bowl against UCLA."

For ticket information to all Rice events, contact the ticket office 713-522-OWLS (6957).

2005 Rice Owls Football Schedule
Sept. 10 at UCLA (Rose Bowl), time TBA
Sept. 17 at Texas, time TBA
Sept. 24 Navy, 7 pm - Families Weekend
Oct. 1 at Alabama-Birmingham, 6 pm
Oct. 8 at East Carolina, 5 pm
Oct. 15 Tulsa, 7 pm
Oct. 22 open
Oct. 29 UTEP, 2 pm
Nov. 5 at SMU, 2 pm
Nov. 12 Tulane, 2 pm - Homecoming
Nov. 19 Central Florida, 2 pm
Nov. 26 at Houston, 2 pm
Dec. 3 C-USA Championship (at participating school)

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