Owls Meeting with UTSA to be Played Without Fans

Rice University announced on Monday there will be no ticket distribution to the public for the Owls' football game with UTSA at Rice Stadium on Nov. 7. The only exception will be limited to a limited number of direct family members of competing student-athletes.

The decision to play the game without fans in attendance was made in response to rising rates of COVID-19 infection in the Houston area and aligns with the university's mitigation protocols during the pandemic. Rice's mitigation protocols have allowed the school to maintain a low rate of positive tests for the virus while offering in-person instruction for many of its classes during the fall semester.

"Coming off a big win last Saturday, we had hoped that our fans would be able to join us in person at Rice Stadium this Saturday," said Rice Director of Athletics Joe Karlgaard. "However, we have seen continual reminders of the persistence of this virus and the safety of our students will always come first. We will continue to work with the Rice Crisis Management Team on the possibility of having fans in the stands before the season ends."

In accordance with the Rice Ticket Assurance program, football season ticket members will receive an email from tickets@rice.edu offering them the option to either donate their ticket credits to the Rice Athletics Scholarship Fund, keep the money on their accounts for a future purchase or receive a refund. The final credit amount will be determined based on the number of games played with fans in attendance.

Rice Athletics is offering a $10 virtual ticket option for fans to stay engaged on game day and support the Owls. Fans will be able to gain access to exclusive content made available through The Aviary, a new online game day community platform. These virtual tickets will also be made available to all current season ticket members at no charge. Virtual ticket features include:

Access to The Aviary broadcast stream (auxiliary stream with in-stadium camera access, behind the scenes radio booth feed, live stat updates, and interactive game day content.)
2020 Rice Football Intro Video
Virtual Game Day Program
Zoom Pregame Field Pass
Game Day Spotify Playlist
Video Message from Head Coach Mike Bloomgren
Performances from Rice Spirit Groups (MOB, Cheer, Dance)

The Owls (1-1) and Roadrunners (4-4) will meet for the ninth consecutive year at 2:30 on Saturday with broadcast coverage provided by ESPN3. David Saltzman and former Owls quarterback Taylor McHargue will call the action.

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