Third Quarter Burst Paces Blazers Past Owls

In Brief: The Rice Owls saw their hopes of extending their season turn sour in the first five minutes of the second half as UAB raced to a pair of quick touchdowns and then held the Owls offense in check to take a 21-16 win and earn a berth in the Conference USA Championship game. The Blazers will travel to Huntington, West Virginia to face Marshall on Friday at 6 p.m.

The Details: Fresh on the heels of a 20-0 shutout at No. 15 Marshall last weekend, the Owls looked to continue their mastery of Senior Day as well as put themselves in contention for a bowl berth. They looked to be in control early against a Blazer team that had not taken the field since Halloween. After an opening three-and-out by the Owls defense which extended to 14 their streak of games preventing an opponent to score on its first possession, Rice drained nearly the rest of the first quarter clock. The Owls used 20 plays and 12:12 of time to march 62 yards for a 40-yard field goal by Collin Riccitelli. A second three-pointer by Riccitelli early in the second quarter extended the lead to 6-0 before UAB showed its first offensive flash. After gaining just 12 yards on three possessions, Tyler Johnston III kick started the Blazer attack with a 54-yard strike to Trea Shropshire on the first play of their fourth possession. Five plays later, Lucious Stanley scored to give UAB a 7-6 lead. After trading punts, Rice took over with just 1:19 left in the half, but the Owls flipped the script from their opening possession, needing only 41 seconds to move 83 yards to retake the lead. JoVoni Johnson connected with Jordan Myers on a 26-yard score to send the home team to halftime with a 13-7 lead and the ball first to open the second half. But any hope the Owls had of capitalizing on their first half efforts quickly evaporated as UAB took control thanks to a pair of long passes from Johnston. After forcing a three-and-out, UAB needed one play to retake the lead as Johnston hooked up with Myron Mitchell for a 63-yard score and after a second three-play possession for Rice, Johnston combined with Samario Rudolph on a 42-yard score to extend the margin to 21-13 with more than 10 minutes left in the third quarter. From there, the Blazer defense held the Owls in check, allowing only a third field goal by Riccitelli. Backup quarterback Wiley Green, who took over after Johnson was hurt in the fourth quarter, moved the Owls to midfield in less than a minute, but his Hail Mary attempt was intercepted in the end zone. A season that consisted of five games under the constant threat of interruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic ended with the Owls at 2-3.

Notes:

UAB improved to 6-3 in the series with Rice.
The loss was just the second for Rice on Senior Day since 2008.
Rice stopped the Blazers on their only fourth-down attempt and finished the season not allowing a conversion in six attempts.
Rice did not allow a point in the first quarter again, finishing the season outscoring the opposition 29-0. The Owls have not allowed an offensive touchdown in the first quarter over the last 10 games, a stretch of 150:59 since UTSA scored with :59 left in the first quarter last season.
JoVoni Johnson set career highs with 23 attempts, 17 completions, 139 yards passing and 170 yards of total offense before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with an injury.
Jordan Myers finished the day with a career-high nine receptions, good for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Jake Bailey matched his career high with seven receptions.
Collin Riccitelli's pair of 40-yard field goals gave him five this year, (5.7). The last Owl with more than four was Chris Boswell, who had eight in 2013

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