Owls Host Bulls for Senior Day

Game #12
Who: Rice (3-8/2-5) vs. South Florida (6-5/4-p3)
When: Saturday 1:00 p.m. CT
Where: Houston, TX
Stadium: Rice Stadium
Television ESPN + David Saltzman (play-by-play), LaDarrin McLane (analyst)
Rice Radio: JP Heath (play-by-play), Nate Griffin (analyst)
Audio Streaming: RiceOwls.com, Rice Game Day App, Varsity Network
Live Stats: SideArm
Digital Game Program: Game 12 USF
Series Information: USF leads 1-0

Full Game Notes
Series Notes

This will be the first meeting first meeting between the Owls and Bulls at Rice Stadium and the second in the series history.
Rice has faced 10 of the 13 current members of the AAC at Rice Stadium and has won the first meeting between the schools as conference rivals nine times, defeating Charlotte (2015), East Carolina (2006), FAU (2013), Navy (2024), North Texas (2014), Tulane (2005), Tulsa (1996), UAB (2006), and UTSA (2014) while falling to Memphis in 2007.
Rice has not yet faced Army or Temple at Rice Stadium in a conference games.
Rice fell 42-29 at season at Raymond James Stadium in the Owls' AAC debut.
Each of the Owls four touchdown drives vs. USF covered at least 70 yards. The longest being a one play, 80-yard "drive" thanks to Dean Connors' 80-yard catch and run on the first play from scrimmage. The shortest was a 10-play, 70-yard drive at the end of the first half to put Rice back in front on a 2-yard scoring pass from Daniels to Connors. The Owls managed to run 10 plays in 1:14 of game time.

Saluting the Seniors
Prior to Saturday's finale with Florida Atlantic, Rice will 37 salute players and former players who are completing their eligibility at the end of this season either as undergraduates or graduate students as well as some who will complete their senior academic years but retain eligibility. The following players have indicated they will participate in pregame ceremonies: Max Ahoia, Chike Anigbogu, Brant Banks, Blake Boenisch, Kobie Campbell, Dean Connors, Lavel Dumont, Izeya Floyd, Christian Francisco, Sean Fresch, Colin Giffen, Matt Hall, Geron Hargon, Jalen Hargrove Jaggar Hebeisen, Tim Horn, Conor Hunt, Shawqi Itraish, Jonathan Jean, Jovonni Johnson, , Ichmael Joseph, Weston Kropp, Michael Larbie, Elijah Mojarro, Myron Morrison, Lamont Narcisse, Ethan Onianwa, Josh Pearcy, Ethan Powell, Kenny Seymour, Matt Sykes, Gabe Taylor, Tyson Thompson, Josh Williams, Marcus Williams, and Plae Wyatt.

Gamers
Josh Pearcy and Chike Anigbogu will conclude their careers today playing in a school-record 58th game. Due to a clerical error from 2019, Anigbogu had originaly not been given credit for an additional game and Pearcy was announced as setting the record last week at UAB.

Closing with a Flourish
Rice is 13-3 on Senior Day since 2008 and the Owls are a combined 21-9 at home in the month of November over the same time span. The 2024 senior class will also look to close their final season with three straight wins at home for the first time since 2014. The Owls have defeated UTSA and Navy in their last two appearances at Rice Stadium. The Owls closed their 2014 home season by winning their last four (Hawai'i, North Texas, UTSA and UTEP).

Looking at the Schedule

Rice's 2024 opponents have posted a combined 77-53(.592) record this season... They were a combined 68-80 (.459) in 2023.
The combined league mark of the Owls 2024 AAC opponents is 37-19 (.661) compared with 35-29 (.547) last year. They have played both qualifiers for the AAC Championship game (Army and Tulane) and the top four in the current standings (Army, Tulane, Navy, and Memphis).
Eight of Owls' 2024 opponents have qualified for bowl berths (Army, Memphis, Navy, Sam Houston, Tulane, UConn, USF and UTSA)

Talking Defense

Led by Broyles Award nomnee Brian Smith, the Owls' defense heads into the final game of 2024 looking to complete one of its most successful campaigns in nearly 30 years:

The Owls have held their last seven opponents to a combined 17 points in the first quarter.
Rice is third in the AAC in total defense, allowing 325.8 yards per game and 4.95 yards per play which would be the lowest season averages for the Owls since they allowed 313.7 per game and 4.79 per play in 1994.
The Owls lead the AAC and are tied for fifth nationally in pass defense (160.5 per game) and are holding opposing quarterbacks to a 55.1 completion percentage this season, their lowest since allowing 51.7 in 2013.
Rice held Memphis' Seth Henigan to the lowest completion percentage of his career (45.2) while matching the second lowest number of completions (14) in his four seasons with the Tigers.
Navy was held 127 yards under its rushing average and to just 3.5 yard per carry (came into the game averaging 5.87).
Rice held Tulane to 133 yards under its season average for total offense, while on the ground, Rice held the Green Wave to less than four yards a carry, and 60 yards under their season average (154).
Army was averaging 6.6 YPC but gained only 5.1 vs. Rice.
The Owls are allowing 1.45 rushing TDs this season, their lowest average since they 1.27 in 2002 (14 in 11 games).
Rice has allowed 23 plays from scrimmage of 30 or more yards this year compared with 32 in each of the last three seasons.
Opponents are averaging 25.2 points overall this season, the lowest average since 1998 (23.3). AAC foes are scoring 26.6, the lowest average since 2012 (20.2). (20.2).

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Players Mentioned

Max Ahoia

Chike Anigbogu

Brant Banks

Kobie Campbell

Dean Connors

Lavel Dumont

Izeya Floyd

Christian Francisco

Sean Fresch

Colin Giffen

Matt Hall

Geron Hargon

Jalen Hargrove

Jaggar Hebeisen

Tim Horn

Conor Hunt

Shawqi Itraish

Jonathan Jean

Weston Kropp

Michael Larbie

Elijah Mojarro

Myron Morrison

Lamont Narcisse

Ethan Onianwa

Josh Pearcy

Ethan Powell

Matt Sykes

Tyson Thompson

Marcus Williams

Plae Wyatt

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