UTSA heads east on I-10 to face the Rice Owls for the 12th time in the last 13 seasons
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When last they were on the field, UTSA and Rice found themselves on the short side of the score against teams from the Tar Heel State.
UTSA fell 30-20 on the road at East Carolina, while Rice fell 21-20 at home to Charlotte. UTSA and Rice each got a bye week last week to learn from the losses and prepare to face each other for the 12th time since 2012.
For two schools of different backgrounds, UTSA and Rice have been a near constant on the football field since UTSA debuted in 2011. The first contest between UTSA and Rice in 2012 was the only time the two schools have ever met as non-conference opponents. The Owls welcomed UTSA to Houston for the celebration of Rice's centennial and then handed the 2012 team their first loss of the season.
In 2013, UTSA joined Rice in Conference USA and after falling to the Owls that year, the Roadrunners helped the Owls reach the conference championship game by beating North Texas that year. Rice went on to beat Marshall in the 2013 conference championship game, the Owls first outright conference crown since they won the Southwest Conference in 1957.
That 2013 crown remains the last one won by Rice. UTSA was able to claim two conference championships in the final two years in Conference USA, but the Roadrunners are still six conference championships away from matching Rice's total of eight.
This year's Roadrunners might still have dreams of winning a conference title, but those dreams took a hit with the loss to East Carolina. The Roadrunners fell to 0-1 in conference play for the first time since 2019. UTSA is heading to Rice and is looking to avoid its first 0-2 start to conference play since 2017.
Rice has already reached 0-2 in conference with the loss to Charlotte two weeks ago, but the Owls will still put up a fight against the Roadrunners as they try to snap an eight-game losing streak against UTSA.
This year marks 10 years since Rice last won in the series, a 17-7 win over UTSA in 2014. The Roadrunners got their first win in the series in 2015 and never looked back. The Roadrunners and Owls have met 11 times before, but it should have been 12 in a row. The 2020 contest scheduled for Rice Stadium was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols in the UTSA program.
UTSA has won in three straight trips to Rice Stadium, most recently in 2022 when the Roadrunners beat the Owls 41-7 after opening the game with 41 points across the first three quarters.
Trying to bounce back against the Owls
Owen McCown has been learning each week this season as he was called on to try and lead the Roadrunners in the post-Frank Harris era. McCown has completed 101 of his 164 pass attempts this season for 1,054 yards and seven touchdowns, as well as two interceptions. McCown has also run for nine yards and a touchdown this season.
McCown's top target this season has been Devin McCuin, with 30 catches. McCuin also leads UTSA with three receiving touchdowns. McCuin's 196 yards receiving is second on the team to Willie McCoy's 306 yards. McCoy has gotten those yards on 15 catches and scored two touchdowns.
Other Roadrunners over the century mark receiving are Chris Carpenter (13 catches for 137 yards), DJ Allen (nine catches for 116 yards) and Houston Thomas (seven catches for 109 yards).
Brandon High has run himself into the top spot of UTSA's running back group with 203 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. Robert Henry has run the ball more than any other Roadrunner, with 40 carries for 194 yards and a touchdown. Kevorian Barnes has 39 carries for 143 yards and a touchdown through five games this season.
Rice will have a familiar face to the Roadrunners at quarterback this weekend. The Owls quarterback this season is EJ Warner, son of Kurt Warner and the same EJ Warner who, as a Temple Owl last season, completed 46 of 65 pass attempts for 472 yards and five touchdowns in UTSA's American Conference opener. The Roadrunners were able to win that game 49-34.
This year as a Rice Owl, Warner has completed 109 of 178 pass attempts for 955 yards and seven touchdowns. Warner has also thrown six interceptions this season.
Warner's top target in the Rice Owls receiving corps this season has been Dean Connors, with 29 catches. Connors' 139 yards is second on the Owls to Matt Sykes’s 293 yards on 24 catches. Sykes also leads the Owls with two receiving touchdowns. Two other Owls have gone over 100 yards receiving this season. Kobie Campbell has 121 yards and a touchdown on 11 catches. Braylen Walker also has 11 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Connors is also the Owls leading runner this season. Connors has 55 carries for 369 yards and five touchdowns. Taji Atkins has carried the ball 24 times for 158 yards and two touchdowns.
Stephen's Prediction
It has been 10 years since Rice beat UTSA on the football field. This year, the series is back at historic Rice Stadium, the site of that last win by the Owls back in 2014. Both teams have struggled in the early run of the season.
UTSA has shown glimpses of positivity this season, but aside from the blowout win over Houston Christian, those glimpses have been few. What could help the Roadrunners put together a complete game is the fact that Rice has also been trying to find consistency this season.
In recent years, UTSA has been able to beat Rice comfortably, the last close game in the series came in 2019 when UTSA scored late to beat Rice 31-27. That was also the last time Rice had a good chance of snapping UTSA's winning streak in the series.
This feels like the Roadrunners first win at Rice when the Roadrunners built a 14-0 lead and then held on for a 14-13 win after Rice missed a field goal late in the fourth quarter.
UTSA might not reach the 41 points they scored in their last visit to Rice Stadium, but they should be able to score just enough to continue their winning ways against the Owls.
UTSA 31 Rice 24
FORUMS: UTSA Boulevard | Roadrunner Way
