Saturday, October 12
Rice Stadium
6 PM
Rice University
2-4 , 1-2
29
vs
27
UTSA
2-4 , 0-2
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
UTSA
0
10
3
14
27
Rice
0
9
14
6
29
Photo by: Maria Lysaker - Rice Athletics
Warner Rallies Owls Past UTSA
10/13/2024 12:29:00 AM | Football
18-yard pass to Sykes with :04 remaining snaps eight-game losing streak to Roadrunners
Houston-Staring down the possibility of a second consecutive gut-wrenching defeat on their home field, E.J. Warner found Matt Sykes with an 18-yard touchdown with four seconds remaining to lift Rice to a 29-27 win over UTSA on Saturday night, snapping an eight-game losing streak to the Roadrunners in the process.
The Details: Rice took a 23-13 lead into the fourth quarter and appeared to be on the verge of extending its lead on its opening drive of the fourth, but after a missed field goal with 8:20 remaining, UTSA roared back with a pair of touchdown drives, taking the lead 27-23 with just over two minutes to go. Two weeks earlier, the Owls saw a 20-14 lead evaporate in the final moments vs. Charlotte when the 49ers scored with 47 seconds left, and their effort at a dramatic finish fell short on a missed field goal, and time expired. This time, the Owls would take advantage of the 2:01 on the clock to move 65 yards on the arm of Warner, who finished the night with 347 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He completed five of eight on the final drive, overcame a pair of false start penalties and an offensive pass interference call with less than 20 seconds left, and also drew two pass interference calls on the fateful final drive. Sykes, who finished the night with seven receptions for 85 yards, had spent the first three days of the week leading up to the game in the hospital but returned late in the week to help bolster a depleted Owls' receivers room and deliver the knockout blow at the end of the game.
The start of the game gave little indication of how it would end, as the teams battled to a scoreless draw. It was the first time the Owls had held UTSA off the scoreboard in the first quarter since 2014, the last time they had won against the Roadrunners. UTSA opened the scoring with a field goal midway through the second, but Rice responded with the first of four consecutive scoring drives with Warner covering the final five yards for the first rushing touchdown of his career. The extra point was missed, but the score gave the Owls their first lead against UTSA since late in the four quarter of the game in 2019. UTSA re-took the lead with a touchdown with 1:50 left, but Warner used the remaining time to his advantage, moving Rice in opposition for a career-best, 46-yard field goal by Enoch Gota as time ran out. The Owls exploded for 14 points in the third thanks to Dean Connors, who sprinted 69 yards with a Warner pass to put Rice back in front and then extended the lead to 23-13 with an eight-yard run.
Up Next: Rice hits the road for its next two games, beginning with the Owls' first trip to New Orleans to face Tulane since 2012. Kickoff is set for 2:30.
Notes
• Rice improved to 4-8 against the Roadrunners and 3-3 at Rice Stadium.
• The Owls snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Roadrunners.
• The 29 points are the most that Rice has scored in the series since 2012 and the second-most in series history.
• E.J. Warner's 69-yard completion to Dean Connors in third quarter was Rice's longest completion of the year.
• It was the longest reception since JT Daniels connected with Connors for 80 yards at South Florida on Sept. 23, 2023.
• Rice's eight pass breakups are the most in a game since having nine against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 28, 2019.
Individual-Offense
• Dean Connors ran eight times for 27 yards and a touchdown and caught five passes for a career-high 109 yards and a touchdown.
• It is his first career 100-yard receiving game.
• His five receptions increased his season total to 34, and he became the first running back in school history to have back-to-back seasons with at least 30 receptions.
• He had 85 receptions in his career, which ranks fourth among Rice running backs.
• It is Connors' second career game with a rushing and receiving touchdown.
• Connors' 136 all-purpose yards put him over 2,000 and gave him 2,118 in his career.
• QB E.J. Warner was 25-of-39 for a season-high 347 yards and two touchdowns.
• It is Warner's first 300-yard game as an Owl and eighth of his career.
• In two games vs. UTSA (one with Temple and one with Rice), he has completed 71 of 104 passes for 819 yards and seven touchdowns.
• WR Matt Sykes established a new career-high for receiving yards (85) for the fourth time this year and the third consecutive game… In his last three games, he has 21 receptions for 251 yards and two touchdowns.
• Warner also scored on a five-yard touchdown, his first career touchdown run.
• CB Sean Fresch led the Owls with a career-high 11 tackles, his first career double-digit tackle game, and also caught a 40-yard pass in the third quarter, his first career reception.
The Details: Rice took a 23-13 lead into the fourth quarter and appeared to be on the verge of extending its lead on its opening drive of the fourth, but after a missed field goal with 8:20 remaining, UTSA roared back with a pair of touchdown drives, taking the lead 27-23 with just over two minutes to go. Two weeks earlier, the Owls saw a 20-14 lead evaporate in the final moments vs. Charlotte when the 49ers scored with 47 seconds left, and their effort at a dramatic finish fell short on a missed field goal, and time expired. This time, the Owls would take advantage of the 2:01 on the clock to move 65 yards on the arm of Warner, who finished the night with 347 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He completed five of eight on the final drive, overcame a pair of false start penalties and an offensive pass interference call with less than 20 seconds left, and also drew two pass interference calls on the fateful final drive. Sykes, who finished the night with seven receptions for 85 yards, had spent the first three days of the week leading up to the game in the hospital but returned late in the week to help bolster a depleted Owls' receivers room and deliver the knockout blow at the end of the game.
The start of the game gave little indication of how it would end, as the teams battled to a scoreless draw. It was the first time the Owls had held UTSA off the scoreboard in the first quarter since 2014, the last time they had won against the Roadrunners. UTSA opened the scoring with a field goal midway through the second, but Rice responded with the first of four consecutive scoring drives with Warner covering the final five yards for the first rushing touchdown of his career. The extra point was missed, but the score gave the Owls their first lead against UTSA since late in the four quarter of the game in 2019. UTSA re-took the lead with a touchdown with 1:50 left, but Warner used the remaining time to his advantage, moving Rice in opposition for a career-best, 46-yard field goal by Enoch Gota as time ran out. The Owls exploded for 14 points in the third thanks to Dean Connors, who sprinted 69 yards with a Warner pass to put Rice back in front and then extended the lead to 23-13 with an eight-yard run.
Up Next: Rice hits the road for its next two games, beginning with the Owls' first trip to New Orleans to face Tulane since 2012. Kickoff is set for 2:30.
Notes
• Rice improved to 4-8 against the Roadrunners and 3-3 at Rice Stadium.
• The Owls snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Roadrunners.
• The 29 points are the most that Rice has scored in the series since 2012 and the second-most in series history.
• E.J. Warner's 69-yard completion to Dean Connors in third quarter was Rice's longest completion of the year.
• It was the longest reception since JT Daniels connected with Connors for 80 yards at South Florida on Sept. 23, 2023.
• Rice's eight pass breakups are the most in a game since having nine against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 28, 2019.
Individual-Offense
• Dean Connors ran eight times for 27 yards and a touchdown and caught five passes for a career-high 109 yards and a touchdown.
• It is his first career 100-yard receiving game.
• His five receptions increased his season total to 34, and he became the first running back in school history to have back-to-back seasons with at least 30 receptions.
• He had 85 receptions in his career, which ranks fourth among Rice running backs.
• It is Connors' second career game with a rushing and receiving touchdown.
• Connors' 136 all-purpose yards put him over 2,000 and gave him 2,118 in his career.
• QB E.J. Warner was 25-of-39 for a season-high 347 yards and two touchdowns.
• It is Warner's first 300-yard game as an Owl and eighth of his career.
• In two games vs. UTSA (one with Temple and one with Rice), he has completed 71 of 104 passes for 819 yards and seven touchdowns.
• WR Matt Sykes established a new career-high for receiving yards (85) for the fourth time this year and the third consecutive game… In his last three games, he has 21 receptions for 251 yards and two touchdowns.
• Warner also scored on a five-yard touchdown, his first career touchdown run.
• CB Sean Fresch led the Owls with a career-high 11 tackles, his first career double-digit tackle game, and also caught a 40-yard pass in the third quarter, his first career reception.
Team Stats
TSA
RIC
Total Yards
394
389
Pass Yards
256
347
Rushing Yards
138
42
Penalty Yards
146
93
1st Downs
22
21
3rd Downs
8
4
4th Downs
1
1
TOP
30:33
29:27
2nd Quarter
TSA 3, RIC 0
TSA - Sandell,Tate 45 yd field goal 15 plays, 55 yards, TOP 06:19
TSA 3, RIC 6
RIC - Warner,E.J. 5 yd run (), 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:33
TSA 10, RIC 6
TSA - Allen,DJ 20 yd pass from McCown,Owen (Sandell,Tate kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:07
TSA 10, RIC 9
RIC - Gota,Enock 46 yd field goal 7 plays, 31 yards, TOP 01:49
3rd Quarter
TSA 10, RIC 17
RIC - Connors,Dean 69 yd pass from Warner,E.J. (Connors,Dean rush) 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:25
TSA 13, RIC 17
TSA - Sandell,Tate 52 yd field goal 7 plays, 18 yards, TOP 01:59
TSA 13, RIC 23
RIC - Connors,Dean 8 yd run (), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:25
4th Quarter
TSA 20, RIC 23
TSA - McCuin,Devin 6 yd pass from McCown,Owen (Sandell,Tate kick) 10 plays, 80 yards, TOP 02:40
TSA 27, RIC 23
TSA - Thomas,Houston 38 yd pass from McCown,Owen (Sandell,Tate kick) 5 plays, 54 yards, TOP 02:02
TSA 27, RIC 29
RIC - Sykes,Matt 18 yd pass from Warner,E.J. () 8 plays, 65 yards, TOP 01:57
Game Leaders
CMP
25
TD
2
YDS
347
INT
0
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
CB
/ Football
WR
/ FootballQB
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