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Rice University Athletics
Saturday, November 12
Bowling Green, KY
1 p.m.
Rice University
at
WKU
Photo by: Tim Warner/Rice Athletics
Game 10: Rice at WKU
11/11/2022 7:08:00 PM | Football
1 p.m. kickoff
Game #10
Who: Rice (5-4, 3-2 CUSA) @WKU (6-4, 4-2 CUSA)
When: Saturday 1:00 p.m. CT
Where: Bowling Green, Kentucky
Stadium: L.T. Smith Stadium (23,776)
Television ESPN+ Graham Doty (PxP), Bob Belvin (Analyst)
Where to Find the Game: Watch
Rice Radio: JP Heath (play-by-play), Nate Griffin (analyst)
Audio Streaming: RiceOwls.com, Rice Game Day App, Varsity Network
Live Stats: Riceowls.com
Digital Game Program: Game 10: Rice @ WKU
Series Information: WKY leads 3-0
Full Game Notes
Series Notes
• This will be the fourth meeting between the schools with WKU having won the first three.
• WKU is the only C-USA school Rice has not yet defeated in football (both current and former schools).
• WKU won the most recent meeting, 42-21 at Rice Stadium last year.
• The Hilltoppers took the first game between the two, 49-10 in 2015 at Rice Stadium, breaking a six-game home winning streak for the Owls.
• WKU downed the Owls 46-14 in the opening game of the 2016 season for both teams the following year.
• In addition to looking for their first win over WKU, the Owls will also be looking for their first win over any team from Kentucky. They are 0-2 vs. Kentucky, which defeated Rice twice under Bear Bryant (19-13 in 1953 and 20-16 in 1955)... Rice had better luck vs. Bryant when he was at Texas A&M, splitting four games from 1954-57, including a 7-6 defeat of the #1 ranked Aggies in his final game vs. Rice.
Stretch Drive
Rice has reached five wins in a season for the first time since 2015 and remains in contention for bowl eligibility after nine games for the first time since that same year. The Owls were 4-5 through nine games in 2015 but dropped a home game to Southern Miss and a road game at UTEP before defeating Charlotte on Senior Day to end the season at 5-7. The 5-4 mark is the Owls best through nine games since they were 6-3 in 2014 (finished 8-5 with a win in the Hawai'i Bowl).
Two If By Air
• Luke McCaffrey (3) and Bradley Rozner (5) have combined for eight 100-receiving efforts through nine games. The last time Rice had at least eight individual 100-yard receiving games was in 2008 when James Casey (7), Jarett Dillard (6), Toren Dixon and Corbin Smiter (2 each) combined for 17 receiving games over the century mark.
• Rozner has five this season--the most since Casey had seven and Dillard six in 13 games in 2008--and nine in his career… The last Owls with more than nine career games over 100 yards were Dillard (15 in 49 games from 2005-08) and Casey (10 in 25 games from 2007-08).
• Rozner has eight touchdown receptions this year to move into a tie for sixth on the Rice single-season list and McCaffrey (6) needs one to join him on the season list and if he does, they will become the first teammates at Rice to enter the season list together since Mario Hull (8) and Jordan Taylor (7) in 2014
• Rozner (721 yards) needs 50 for a career high and 75 to move into the Owls season top 10 while McCaffrey (656) needs 140 yards to join him on the season list... The only teammates to enter the Owls' single-season top 10 in receiving yards in the same season were Casey (1,329) and Dillard (1,310) who compiled the top two seasons in school history in 2008.
• Rozner leads the Owls with 241 yards after the catch (33% of his 727) while McCaffrey has 235 (35%).
• Rozner's 1,521 career receiving yards rank ninth in school history (two yards from eighth).
• Rozner has scored on plays of 78 and 75 yards this year and is the first Owl with two scoring receptions of at least 70 yards since Taylor in 2013.
• Rozner ranks sixth nationally with an average of 21.9 yards per catch (33/721) which is the best average by an Owl with at least 30 receptions since Bill Howton averaged 22.6 (33/747) in 1951.
More Numbers
•TJ McMahon is averaging a touchdown pass every 10.1 completions (18 in 152), the best mark by a Rice QB since Driphus Jackson tossed a scoring pass every 7.9 completions in 2014 (24 TDs in 191 completions).
• Jack Bradley has set career highs with 20 receptions, 171 yards and two touchdowns. His reception total is the most by an Owls' TE since Connor Cella caught 31 for 302 yards in 2016.
• Christian VanSickle converted all nine of his field goals this season and is the first Owls kicker since at least 1975 (as far back as the game books are on file) to open the season with nine consecutive conversions... The school record for field goal percentage in a season is 90.9 by Haden Tobola who hit 10 of 11 in 2018.
• The career mark at Rice is 81.8 by Derek Crabtree (28-33 from 1998-2001). VanSickle has a career mark of 81.3 (13-16) but needs four additional attempts to qualify for the rankings.
• VanSickle has moved into eigth on the Rice career list with 61 career PATs and needs five to vault to fifth.
• Rice rushed for 279 yards vs. LA Tech, the most since they ran for 304 at UTEP in 2017 and the 11th-best rushing total for the Owls in C-USA competition.
• The Owls' win at LA Tech was the first for Rice in a game the Owls were -3 in fumbles since at least 2000 and the first with three fumbles in a game since the 2012 Armed Forces Bowl.
• The Owls have held opposing offenses to 316.9 yards in total offense per game over the last six games, including an average of 148.7 yards per game through the air in the last seven contests. `
• Bonus note if you read this far... Thursday's win over UTEP marked the first time in the Astros five trips to the World Series that Rice won its game on a day the Astros were playing in the series. Both teams lost in 2005, 2017, and 2021 and the Astros won while Rice lost in 2019.
Up Next
Rice closes out the 2022 regular season home schedule next Saturday when the Owls host UTSA for Senior Day at noon.
Who: Rice (5-4, 3-2 CUSA) @WKU (6-4, 4-2 CUSA)
When: Saturday 1:00 p.m. CT
Where: Bowling Green, Kentucky
Stadium: L.T. Smith Stadium (23,776)
Television ESPN+ Graham Doty (PxP), Bob Belvin (Analyst)
Where to Find the Game: Watch
Rice Radio: JP Heath (play-by-play), Nate Griffin (analyst)
Audio Streaming: RiceOwls.com, Rice Game Day App, Varsity Network
Live Stats: Riceowls.com
Digital Game Program: Game 10: Rice @ WKU
Series Information: WKY leads 3-0
Full Game Notes
Series Notes
• This will be the fourth meeting between the schools with WKU having won the first three.
• WKU is the only C-USA school Rice has not yet defeated in football (both current and former schools).
• WKU won the most recent meeting, 42-21 at Rice Stadium last year.
• The Hilltoppers took the first game between the two, 49-10 in 2015 at Rice Stadium, breaking a six-game home winning streak for the Owls.
• WKU downed the Owls 46-14 in the opening game of the 2016 season for both teams the following year.
• In addition to looking for their first win over WKU, the Owls will also be looking for their first win over any team from Kentucky. They are 0-2 vs. Kentucky, which defeated Rice twice under Bear Bryant (19-13 in 1953 and 20-16 in 1955)... Rice had better luck vs. Bryant when he was at Texas A&M, splitting four games from 1954-57, including a 7-6 defeat of the #1 ranked Aggies in his final game vs. Rice.
Stretch Drive
Rice has reached five wins in a season for the first time since 2015 and remains in contention for bowl eligibility after nine games for the first time since that same year. The Owls were 4-5 through nine games in 2015 but dropped a home game to Southern Miss and a road game at UTEP before defeating Charlotte on Senior Day to end the season at 5-7. The 5-4 mark is the Owls best through nine games since they were 6-3 in 2014 (finished 8-5 with a win in the Hawai'i Bowl).
Two If By Air
• Luke McCaffrey (3) and Bradley Rozner (5) have combined for eight 100-receiving efforts through nine games. The last time Rice had at least eight individual 100-yard receiving games was in 2008 when James Casey (7), Jarett Dillard (6), Toren Dixon and Corbin Smiter (2 each) combined for 17 receiving games over the century mark.
• Rozner has five this season--the most since Casey had seven and Dillard six in 13 games in 2008--and nine in his career… The last Owls with more than nine career games over 100 yards were Dillard (15 in 49 games from 2005-08) and Casey (10 in 25 games from 2007-08).
• Rozner has eight touchdown receptions this year to move into a tie for sixth on the Rice single-season list and McCaffrey (6) needs one to join him on the season list and if he does, they will become the first teammates at Rice to enter the season list together since Mario Hull (8) and Jordan Taylor (7) in 2014
• Rozner (721 yards) needs 50 for a career high and 75 to move into the Owls season top 10 while McCaffrey (656) needs 140 yards to join him on the season list... The only teammates to enter the Owls' single-season top 10 in receiving yards in the same season were Casey (1,329) and Dillard (1,310) who compiled the top two seasons in school history in 2008.
• Rozner leads the Owls with 241 yards after the catch (33% of his 727) while McCaffrey has 235 (35%).
• Rozner's 1,521 career receiving yards rank ninth in school history (two yards from eighth).
• Rozner has scored on plays of 78 and 75 yards this year and is the first Owl with two scoring receptions of at least 70 yards since Taylor in 2013.
• Rozner ranks sixth nationally with an average of 21.9 yards per catch (33/721) which is the best average by an Owl with at least 30 receptions since Bill Howton averaged 22.6 (33/747) in 1951.
More Numbers
•TJ McMahon is averaging a touchdown pass every 10.1 completions (18 in 152), the best mark by a Rice QB since Driphus Jackson tossed a scoring pass every 7.9 completions in 2014 (24 TDs in 191 completions).
• Jack Bradley has set career highs with 20 receptions, 171 yards and two touchdowns. His reception total is the most by an Owls' TE since Connor Cella caught 31 for 302 yards in 2016.
• Christian VanSickle converted all nine of his field goals this season and is the first Owls kicker since at least 1975 (as far back as the game books are on file) to open the season with nine consecutive conversions... The school record for field goal percentage in a season is 90.9 by Haden Tobola who hit 10 of 11 in 2018.
• The career mark at Rice is 81.8 by Derek Crabtree (28-33 from 1998-2001). VanSickle has a career mark of 81.3 (13-16) but needs four additional attempts to qualify for the rankings.
• VanSickle has moved into eigth on the Rice career list with 61 career PATs and needs five to vault to fifth.
• Rice rushed for 279 yards vs. LA Tech, the most since they ran for 304 at UTEP in 2017 and the 11th-best rushing total for the Owls in C-USA competition.
• The Owls' win at LA Tech was the first for Rice in a game the Owls were -3 in fumbles since at least 2000 and the first with three fumbles in a game since the 2012 Armed Forces Bowl.
• The Owls have held opposing offenses to 316.9 yards in total offense per game over the last six games, including an average of 148.7 yards per game through the air in the last seven contests. `
• Bonus note if you read this far... Thursday's win over UTEP marked the first time in the Astros five trips to the World Series that Rice won its game on a day the Astros were playing in the series. Both teams lost in 2005, 2017, and 2021 and the Astros won while Rice lost in 2019.
Up Next
Rice closes out the 2022 regular season home schedule next Saturday when the Owls host UTSA for Senior Day at noon.
Players Mentioned
TE
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WR
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QB
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WR
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K/P
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