Saturday, November 4
Houston, Texas
6:30 PM
Rice University
vs
SMU
Photo by: Maria Lysaker - Rice Athletics
Owls and Mustangs Meet Again on Homecoming
11/3/2023 11:10:00 PM | Football
91st meeting
Game #9
Who: Rice (4-4, 2-2) vs. SMU (6-2, 4-0)
When: Saturday 6:30 p.m. CT
Where: Houston, Texas
Stadium: Rice Stadium
Television: ESPN U-- John Schriffen (PXP); Charles Arbuckle (Analyst); Dawn Davenport (sidelines)
Where to Find the Game: ESPNU
Rice Radio: JP Heath (play-by-play), Nate Griffin (analyst), Jason Metko (Sidelines)
Audio Streaming: RiceOwls.com, Rice Game Day App, Varsity Network
Live Stats: Sidearm.com
Digital Game Program: Game 9 Rice vs. SMU
Series Information: 91st meeting
Full Game Notes
Series Notes
• This will be the 91st meeting between the schools and the first since 2012.
•Rice defeated Mustangs 36-14 thanks to five Chris Boswell field goals (three from better than 50 yards to tie the NCAA record) to improve to 5-6 heading into the season finale at UTEP where the Owls won to earn a berth in the Armed Forces Bowl.
•The win snapped a three-game winning streak in the series for SMU, its longest since the Mustangs won 10 straight from 1977-86.
•SMU leads the series 48-41-1 and the 90 games are the second most for Rice against any school (Texas 97).
•Rice leads the series in Houston, 25-21-1including a 17-14-1 mark at Rice Stadium.
•The schools met continuously from 1926 through 1986 and again from 1989 to 2012.
•The schools met in 2006 in the season finale with a bowl berth on the line and Rice won 31-27 for its first bowl berth since 1961.
Homecoming 103
While it began playing football in 1912, the tradition of Homecoming did not make its first appearance
at Rice until 1919 when the Owls trounced Arkansas 40-7 to cap the first eight-win season in
school history (8-1). The first 10 Homecoming games were held on Thanksgiving Day. There was
not a designated game in 1930. Beginning in 1931. the football game was the centerpiece of the
annual alumni gathering over the next 90 succeeding falls until 2020 when the event was held
virtually due to the pandemic. The Owls have posted a 47-52-3 record in Homecoming games,
including wins in 10 of the last 16 games. This will be the 11th time Rice has hosted SMU on Homecoming and the schools have split the first 10. Rice took the most recent Homecoming meeting,
43-14 in 2000 and has won the last three.
The Mayor's Cup Returns….
Rice and SMU will meet for the 91st time in their history and will resume competing for the Mayor's
Cup, which was first introduced in 1998. That season, the mayor of Houston (Lee Brown) and Dallas (Ronald Kirk) announced the creation of the trophy, which would go to the winner of the football game between the two schools. The Owls won the first meeting, 23-17 in
overtime, the first overtime game in history for the owls. Thanks to a 36-14 win in the most recent
meeting in 2012, Rice holds an 8-6 edge in games played for the trophy.
Starting Fast
Rice has scored 97 points in the first quarter this season while allowing 23, the most since scoring 81 in 2014 (allowed 97). Rice's +74 scoring margin in the first quarter is the second best at the FBS level, trailing Oklahoma (+82). Rice has already outscored the '22 Owls who scored 65 in the first quarter in 13 games in 2022 and were outscored 94-65. The Owls have not outscored the opposition in the first quarter of a full season since 2019 (65-58). They held a 29-0 lead after the first during the shortened (5 games) 2020 season. In full seasons since 1974, Rice has outscored opponents in the first quarter 11 times and has averaged 6.1 wins in those years (67-61-1). In the 37 other full seasons since 1974, they averaged 3.2 wins (120-301-2).
Don't Blink
The Owls' third TD vs. Tulane took only 55 seconds, their ninth scoring drive this season of less than a minute this year, which is tied with ODU for the most in the nation. Five of those drives have come in the first quarter, two in the third and one in the second and fourth. Two have been on one play, four on two plays, two on three and the most plays the Owls have run in a scoring drive of less than 1:00 was six, as Rice covered 74 yards in :36 just before halftime at Tulsa.
Up Next
Rice travels to San Antonio next weekend for the first of two consecutive road games. The Owls will face UTSA next Saturday at 6:30 on ESPN U and travel to Charlotte on November 18.
Who: Rice (4-4, 2-2) vs. SMU (6-2, 4-0)
When: Saturday 6:30 p.m. CT
Where: Houston, Texas
Stadium: Rice Stadium
Television: ESPN U-- John Schriffen (PXP); Charles Arbuckle (Analyst); Dawn Davenport (sidelines)
Where to Find the Game: ESPNU
Rice Radio: JP Heath (play-by-play), Nate Griffin (analyst), Jason Metko (Sidelines)
Audio Streaming: RiceOwls.com, Rice Game Day App, Varsity Network
Live Stats: Sidearm.com
Digital Game Program: Game 9 Rice vs. SMU
Series Information: 91st meeting
Full Game Notes
Series Notes
• This will be the 91st meeting between the schools and the first since 2012.
•Rice defeated Mustangs 36-14 thanks to five Chris Boswell field goals (three from better than 50 yards to tie the NCAA record) to improve to 5-6 heading into the season finale at UTEP where the Owls won to earn a berth in the Armed Forces Bowl.
•The win snapped a three-game winning streak in the series for SMU, its longest since the Mustangs won 10 straight from 1977-86.
•SMU leads the series 48-41-1 and the 90 games are the second most for Rice against any school (Texas 97).
•Rice leads the series in Houston, 25-21-1including a 17-14-1 mark at Rice Stadium.
•The schools met continuously from 1926 through 1986 and again from 1989 to 2012.
•The schools met in 2006 in the season finale with a bowl berth on the line and Rice won 31-27 for its first bowl berth since 1961.
Homecoming 103
While it began playing football in 1912, the tradition of Homecoming did not make its first appearance
at Rice until 1919 when the Owls trounced Arkansas 40-7 to cap the first eight-win season in
school history (8-1). The first 10 Homecoming games were held on Thanksgiving Day. There was
not a designated game in 1930. Beginning in 1931. the football game was the centerpiece of the
annual alumni gathering over the next 90 succeeding falls until 2020 when the event was held
virtually due to the pandemic. The Owls have posted a 47-52-3 record in Homecoming games,
including wins in 10 of the last 16 games. This will be the 11th time Rice has hosted SMU on Homecoming and the schools have split the first 10. Rice took the most recent Homecoming meeting,
43-14 in 2000 and has won the last three.
The Mayor's Cup Returns….
Rice and SMU will meet for the 91st time in their history and will resume competing for the Mayor's
Cup, which was first introduced in 1998. That season, the mayor of Houston (Lee Brown) and Dallas (Ronald Kirk) announced the creation of the trophy, which would go to the winner of the football game between the two schools. The Owls won the first meeting, 23-17 in
overtime, the first overtime game in history for the owls. Thanks to a 36-14 win in the most recent
meeting in 2012, Rice holds an 8-6 edge in games played for the trophy.
Starting Fast
Rice has scored 97 points in the first quarter this season while allowing 23, the most since scoring 81 in 2014 (allowed 97). Rice's +74 scoring margin in the first quarter is the second best at the FBS level, trailing Oklahoma (+82). Rice has already outscored the '22 Owls who scored 65 in the first quarter in 13 games in 2022 and were outscored 94-65. The Owls have not outscored the opposition in the first quarter of a full season since 2019 (65-58). They held a 29-0 lead after the first during the shortened (5 games) 2020 season. In full seasons since 1974, Rice has outscored opponents in the first quarter 11 times and has averaged 6.1 wins in those years (67-61-1). In the 37 other full seasons since 1974, they averaged 3.2 wins (120-301-2).
Don't Blink
The Owls' third TD vs. Tulane took only 55 seconds, their ninth scoring drive this season of less than a minute this year, which is tied with ODU for the most in the nation. Five of those drives have come in the first quarter, two in the third and one in the second and fourth. Two have been on one play, four on two plays, two on three and the most plays the Owls have run in a scoring drive of less than 1:00 was six, as Rice covered 74 yards in :36 just before halftime at Tulsa.
Up Next
Rice travels to San Antonio next weekend for the first of two consecutive road games. The Owls will face UTSA next Saturday at 6:30 on ESPN U and travel to Charlotte on November 18.
WBB: Rice vs. Marshall Postgame Presser
Wednesday, March 09
VB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
Saturday, December 04
VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
Thursday, December 02