Saturday, November 29
Tampa, FL
6 PM
Rice University
at
South Florida
Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics
Owls Look to Extend Season in Tampa
11/28/2025 6:50:00 PM | Football
Rice seeks bowl eligibility vs.USF
Game #12
Who: Rice (5-6/2-5) @South Florida (8-3/5-2) 6:00 p.m. CT
Where: Tampa, Florida
Stadium: Raymond James Stadium
Television: ESPN+ Eric Rothman (Play by Play), Patrick Murray Jr. (Analyst), Savanna Collins (Sidelines)
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: StatBroadcast
Digital Game Program: Game 12 South Florida
Series Information: Tied 1-1
2025 Rice Football Fact Book
Full Game Notes
Series Notes
•This will be the third consecutive meeting between the Owls and Bulls, who are one of three American Conference teams Rice has faced in each of its first three seasons (UTSA & Charlotte).
• The series is tied 1-1, with each team winning at home, including Rice's 35-28 win to close the 2024 season.
• After facing USF in Tampa in the Owls' first game in the American, the schools have closed the regular season in each of the last two.
• Rice fell 42-29 at Raymond James Stadium in 2023 in the first meeting between the schools.
• This will be the Owls' 14th in the state of Florida. Rice is 5-8 all-time in Florida since making its debut in the Sunshine State with an 8-0 win over Tennessee in the 1947 Orange Bowl.
• The Owls are 1-2 at the University of Florida (0-2 in Gainesville, 1-0 in Miami); 1-1 at UCF, 1-1 at FIU, 1-1 at FAU, and 0-1 at Florida State, Miami, and South Florida in addition to their Orange Bowl win over Tennessee.
Rice is…
…wrapping up its third season in the American Conference, looking to win at least three conference games for the third consecutive season (4-4 in 2023, 3-5 in 2024, 2-5 in 2025).
…9-14 all-time in the American and its nine conference wins rank third among the six former C-USA schools who joined the conference in 2023 (UTSA 15-8; North Texas 12-11; Rice 9-14; Florida Atlantic 7-16, and Charlotte and UAB 6-17).
…looking to match its best road record in the American (2-2 in 2023, 1-2 this season).
…looking to reach bowl eligibility with a win in the season finale on the road for the second time in school history (2012).
…5-3 when the opponent scores first, 0-3 when scoring first.
…ending a season on the road at night for the first time since kicking off at Stanford at 7 p.m. (central) to wrap up the 2016 season.
Down to the Wire
Rice has reached bowl eligibility seven times since 2006 and in four of those seven seasons, the Owls' status was not decided before the final game of the season. In 2006, Rice was 6-5 heading into the season finale vs. SMU (6-5), but only the winner was guaranteed a bowl berth from Conference USA's allotment. Rice earned a spot in the New Orleans Bowl with a 31-27 win. In 2012, Rice won five of its last six to reach 6-6 with a win a UTEP and went on to beat Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. In 2022, Rice was 5-4 before dropping the last three, but qualified for a bowl because of its APR score after there were not enough teams with six wins to qualify. One year later, the Owls were 4-6 before winning at Charlotte and at home against Florida Atlantic to finish 6-6 and play in the First Responders Bowl.
Notable
•Rice has lost its last four games played at the current or past home field of NFL teams since a wild 49-47 win over Tulane at the Superdome in 2012. (42-29 vs. USF in 2023 at Raymond James (Buccaneers); 66-14 vs. USC in 2022 at Los Angeles Coliseum (Rams/Raiders); 42-10 in 2017 at Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh); 31-26 in 2013 at NRG Stadium (Houston).
•Scott Abell needs one win to move past Al Conover and Ken Hatfield for the third-most wins by a Rice football head coach in his first season.
•Andrew Awe's 87 tackles are the most by an Owl since Blaze Alldredge finished with 102 in 2019.
•Quinton Jackson's 808 rushing yards are the most by an Owl since Jowan Davis led Rice with 956 in 2014.
•The Owls have rushed for 2,407 yards (218.8 per game) this season, their most since they finished 2013 with 3,183 in 14 games (227.4 per game) on their way to the C-USA title… The 2025 Owls are 319 rushing yards from moving past the 2002 Owls for 10th on the program's all-time list.
•Rice ranks fourth in the FBS with a total of seven turnovers lost this season (four fumbles, three interceptions), which is five better than the school record of 12 set in 2014 (four fumbles, eight interceptions)… The school record for fumbles lost in a season is four in 2014, while the record for fewest interceptions is two (103 attempts) in 1998… The Owls' .016 interception rate (three in 185 attempts) currently ranks fourth all-time at Rice.
Up Next
Rice will welcome the newest Owls to South Main on Wednesday when the first members of the 2026 recruiting class will be announced.
Who: Rice (5-6/2-5) @South Florida (8-3/5-2) 6:00 p.m. CT
Where: Tampa, Florida
Stadium: Raymond James Stadium
Television: ESPN+ Eric Rothman (Play by Play), Patrick Murray Jr. (Analyst), Savanna Collins (Sidelines)
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: StatBroadcast
Digital Game Program: Game 12 South Florida
Series Information: Tied 1-1
2025 Rice Football Fact Book
Full Game Notes
Series Notes
•This will be the third consecutive meeting between the Owls and Bulls, who are one of three American Conference teams Rice has faced in each of its first three seasons (UTSA & Charlotte).
• The series is tied 1-1, with each team winning at home, including Rice's 35-28 win to close the 2024 season.
• After facing USF in Tampa in the Owls' first game in the American, the schools have closed the regular season in each of the last two.
• Rice fell 42-29 at Raymond James Stadium in 2023 in the first meeting between the schools.
• This will be the Owls' 14th in the state of Florida. Rice is 5-8 all-time in Florida since making its debut in the Sunshine State with an 8-0 win over Tennessee in the 1947 Orange Bowl.
• The Owls are 1-2 at the University of Florida (0-2 in Gainesville, 1-0 in Miami); 1-1 at UCF, 1-1 at FIU, 1-1 at FAU, and 0-1 at Florida State, Miami, and South Florida in addition to their Orange Bowl win over Tennessee.
Rice is…
…wrapping up its third season in the American Conference, looking to win at least three conference games for the third consecutive season (4-4 in 2023, 3-5 in 2024, 2-5 in 2025).
…9-14 all-time in the American and its nine conference wins rank third among the six former C-USA schools who joined the conference in 2023 (UTSA 15-8; North Texas 12-11; Rice 9-14; Florida Atlantic 7-16, and Charlotte and UAB 6-17).
…looking to match its best road record in the American (2-2 in 2023, 1-2 this season).
…looking to reach bowl eligibility with a win in the season finale on the road for the second time in school history (2012).
…5-3 when the opponent scores first, 0-3 when scoring first.
…ending a season on the road at night for the first time since kicking off at Stanford at 7 p.m. (central) to wrap up the 2016 season.
Down to the Wire
Rice has reached bowl eligibility seven times since 2006 and in four of those seven seasons, the Owls' status was not decided before the final game of the season. In 2006, Rice was 6-5 heading into the season finale vs. SMU (6-5), but only the winner was guaranteed a bowl berth from Conference USA's allotment. Rice earned a spot in the New Orleans Bowl with a 31-27 win. In 2012, Rice won five of its last six to reach 6-6 with a win a UTEP and went on to beat Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. In 2022, Rice was 5-4 before dropping the last three, but qualified for a bowl because of its APR score after there were not enough teams with six wins to qualify. One year later, the Owls were 4-6 before winning at Charlotte and at home against Florida Atlantic to finish 6-6 and play in the First Responders Bowl.
Notable
•Rice has lost its last four games played at the current or past home field of NFL teams since a wild 49-47 win over Tulane at the Superdome in 2012. (42-29 vs. USF in 2023 at Raymond James (Buccaneers); 66-14 vs. USC in 2022 at Los Angeles Coliseum (Rams/Raiders); 42-10 in 2017 at Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh); 31-26 in 2013 at NRG Stadium (Houston).
•Scott Abell needs one win to move past Al Conover and Ken Hatfield for the third-most wins by a Rice football head coach in his first season.
•Andrew Awe's 87 tackles are the most by an Owl since Blaze Alldredge finished with 102 in 2019.
•Quinton Jackson's 808 rushing yards are the most by an Owl since Jowan Davis led Rice with 956 in 2014.
•The Owls have rushed for 2,407 yards (218.8 per game) this season, their most since they finished 2013 with 3,183 in 14 games (227.4 per game) on their way to the C-USA title… The 2025 Owls are 319 rushing yards from moving past the 2002 Owls for 10th on the program's all-time list.
•Rice ranks fourth in the FBS with a total of seven turnovers lost this season (four fumbles, three interceptions), which is five better than the school record of 12 set in 2014 (four fumbles, eight interceptions)… The school record for fumbles lost in a season is four in 2014, while the record for fewest interceptions is two (103 attempts) in 1998… The Owls' .016 interception rate (three in 185 attempts) currently ranks fourth all-time at Rice.
Up Next
Rice will welcome the newest Owls to South Main on Wednesday when the first members of the 2026 recruiting class will be announced.
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
RB
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