Owls Welcome 49ers to Open AAC Home Campaign

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at Navy

Sep 27

2:30 PM

Annapolis, Md.

Football

vs Florida Atlantic

Oct 4

6 PM

Rice Stadium

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at UTSA

Oct 11

TBA

San Antonio, TX

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vs UCONN

Oct 25

TBA

Rice Stadium

Football

vs Memphis

Oct 31

6 PM

Rice Stadium

Football

vs UAB

Nov 8

TBA

Rice Stadium

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vs North Texas

Nov 22

TBA

Rice Stadium

Game #5
Who: Rice (1-3/0-1) vs. Charlotte (1-3/0-0)
When: Saturday 6:00 p.m. CT
Where: Houston
Stadium: Rice Stadium
Television ESPN+ Ted Emrich (PXP); Charlie Strong (Analyst)
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
Digital Game Program: Game 5 Rice vs. Charlotte
Series Information: Rice leads 3-2

Full Game Notes
Series Notes

This is the sixth meeting between the two schools with Rice holding a 3-2 lead (1-1 at Rice Stadium, 2-1 in Charlotte).
This is the fourth consecutive meeting, matching UTSA and Houston for the longest active streaks.
Dean Connors rushed for a career-best 184 yards to lead Rice to a 28-7 win at Charlotte last year, while Rice held the 49ers to 158 total yards, the fewest yards allowed in a game under DC Brian Smith at Rice.
Two of the top three individual rushing efforts in the Mike Bloomgren era have come at Charlotte (Ari Broussard 186 yards in 2021, Connors 184 in 2023).
Rice won the first two meetings, 27-7 in 2015 at Rice Stadium and 22-21 in Charlotte in 2016 followed by 49er wins in Charlotte in 2021 (31-24 in overtime) and Rice Stadium in 2022 (56-23).
The win in 2016 was the first for Rice in North Carolina…. The Owls are 2-7-1 all-time in the state (2-1 at Charlotte, 0-3 at Duke, 0-1-1 at Wake Forest, 0-2 at East Carolina).
Rice is 6-3 vs. those teams when playing at Rice Stadium and also owns a win over North Carolina in the 1950 Cotton Bowl.

AAC Year Two

Saturday's game opens Rice's second home season in the American Athletic Conference. The Owls were 2-2 in their inaugural campaign in the AAC at Rice Stadium.
Rice defeated East Carolina 24-17 to win its inaugural AAC home game and evened its AAC home mark, and clinched bowl eligibility with a 24-21 win over FAU to close out the regular season.
Mike Bloomgren is 3-3 in conference home openers and has won the last two (vs. ECU in 2023 and vs. UAB in 2022), with two losses coming in overtime (2019 vs. LA Tech, 2020 vs. Middle Tennessee.
Saturday's game is also the centerpiece of Rice's annual Families Weekend.

Top Two Since '22
Since his debut at Temple in 2022, Quarterback EJ Warner ranks second to Memphis' Seth Henigan among active AAC quarterbacks in career passing yards in conference games, and they are tied for the lead in passing touchdowns in AAC games. Warner has thrown for 4,778 yards and 33 touchdowns in 15 career AAC games; Henigan has 5,132 and 33 TDs in 17 AAC games since 2022.
Up Next
The Owls are off next Saturday and return to action on October 12 when they host UTSA. Game time will be announced by the AAC on Monday.

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