Rice Football Preview 2026: Improved Owls Need a Few Breaks

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Rice Football Preview 2026: Improved Owls Need a Few Breaks

Pete Fiutak

Sun, Jun 7, 2026 ·

8 min read

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No, Rice football isn't a lost cause.

It takes everything to hit just right for big things to happen - like the ten-win seasons in 2008 and 2013 - and no matter how it happened, getting to three bowl games in the last four years is something.

Is Rice Better Than Its Record Will Be?

Oct 25, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Rice Owls head coach Scott Abell waits to lead the team onto the field before the game against the UConn Huskies at Rice Stadium.

© Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Fine, so Rice only went bowling last year and in 2022 because it had five wins, and it's a brilliant academic school that had a high APR . But it got there.

The offensive scheme is good, the defense can go nowhere but up, and head coach Scott Abell is a winner who got the first year out of the way.

- 2026 American Conference Win Totals

Rice Quick Hits

Head Coach:Scott Abell (2nd year, 5-8; 15th year overall, 91-60)
Best Case / Worst Case:First winning season since 2014/First full season with fewer than four wins since 2019
Key Player:Aquantis Clemmons, NT Jr.
2025 Record:5-8
Biggest Question:Can the defense come up with more big plays and stops?

Rice Key 2025 Stats

First Quarter Scoring: Opponents 104, Rice 48
Time of Possession: Rice 32:43, Opponents 27:11
Average Passing Yards Per Game: Opponents 240.09, Rice 97.62

Offense

No one can say the Rice offense isn't interesting.

Considering the program's overall talent level and the problems stopping anyone from scoring, there needs to be a differentiator of an advantage with the attack, and Scott Abell teams have it.

It's sort of an option attack, but there's more passing thrown in there compared to what the service academies run.

What's Working

When the ground game works, it really works.It's a controlled style that gets its quick backs into space and lets them rumble.

The Owls hit the 300-yard mark on the ground twice, and were over 200 yards four other times, going 5-2 when running for more than 190 yards.

Jacurri Brown is an interesting option to run the attack.Chase Jenkins wasn't bad, but now he's at Kansas. He's also a smallish baller, unlike the 6-4, 200-pound Brown, who started out at Miami before working at UCF for a few seasons.

Brown's accuracy isn't consistent, but he's a big, slippery runner who should add more of a downfield passing game, but ...

Quinton Jackson is the star of this thing.The 5-7, 160-pounder is tough as nails with breakaway speed, averaging close to five yards per carry with 889 yards and six scores. There's decent depth with D'Andre Hardemann and Tyonn Byars back.

What Needs Work

When the ground game doesn't work, it really doesn't work.There will be more of a passing game to help this season, but the Owls have to dominate on the ground to have any shot of winning.

They went 0-6 when running for 190 yards or fewer, and all but one was a brutal blowout.

The receiving corps is starting over.Leading target Aaron Turner and his 63 catches are done, and second-leading receiver Drayden Dickmann is off to Wake Forest. Max Mosey comes in from Holy Cross to be a No. 1 target, but no returning Owl caught more than six passes.

There's decent experience returning on the line,but the whole operation has to be more consistent. Princeton's Scott Becker comes in at center, and Yale's Leo Bluhm will work somewhere in the interior.

They need to save an attack that gave up the second-most tackles for loss in the nation - only Missouri State allowed more - and has to take over games.

Player to Watch

Luke Miller, OT Soph.The 6-5, 294-pounder became one of the steadier blockers up front, and he took on a bulk of the work at tackle. He might not be huge, but he knows what he's doing on the right side and can move.

Defense

The defense has to make more plays. There's a little bit of a feast-or-famine way of working, but there were too many times when this group wasn't even close.

Any improvement starts by getting nastier against the run, making more things happen behind the line, and generating a few turnovers.

What's Working

It all starts in the secondary.It might be a stretch to call this the team's biggest unit strength, but there should be a big improvement with the addition of safety Koa Akui from Sacramento State and corners Jamir Benjamin (UCLA), Kyren Condoll (Duke), and Zack Cody (Coastal Carolina).

There isn't a ton of experience, but there's athleticism and upside to at least add more options than Abell and his staff had last year. There's depth now.

There might not be a ton of returning experience up front,but enough parts from last year are back to form a decent rotation. It's about quickness more than size on the interior, and this group should be a bit better at generating pressure.

The third down defense started to work.It didn't translate into fewer points allowed, but after getting ripped to shreds on third downs at an alarming level to start the season, the defense held teams to under a 30% conversion rate three times in the last six games.

What Needs Work

Red Zone defense.Rice students are used to getting 100% on things, but ...

The Owl defense was the only one in America that had a perfect (bad) score of 100% on red zone points allowed. Teams got inside the 20 42 times against Rice, and came away with points all 42 times.

The Owls have to beg, borrow, and steal turnovers however they can.The defense came up with just three interceptions all year, and only generated three fumble recoveries before the Armed Forces Bowl loss to Texas State.

Rice has to avoid giving up the big play.It didn't generate picks last year, and that's where the new corners come in - they need to attack.

Rice was 0-8 when allowing teams to average 7.5 yards or more per attempt, and 5-0 when giving up fewer.

Player to Watch

Aquantis Clemmons, NT Jr.
He might only be 5-10 and 281 pounds, but he's built to grow into an anchor role in the middle of the defensive front.

Quick, he should be the team's best pass-rushing interior lineman coming off a 21-tackle, one sack, 2.5 tackle-for-loss part of the rotation

Keys to the Season

Take the running game up a few notches - be unstoppable more often.
Generate some semblance of a downfield passing game.
Find someone on defense who can make more big plays.

Player Who Needs To Shine

Jacurri Brown, QB Sr.Really, Chase Jenkins wasn't bad, but the offense needs a true difference-maker under center who can win a game with his arm as well as his legs. Brown is getting a chance to make the offense his.

Biggest Concern

Big plays all the way around.The Owls do what they can to control games and the clock, but it all has to lead somewhere. It's hard to win games when you fail to score more than 14 points - that happened seven times.

Biggest Game

Tulsa, October 17
If things go according to likelihood, Rice should beat Houston Christian, will lose at Notre Dame, and should be around 3-3 at best before hitting the midpoint of the season.

Tulsa is a winnable home game before a tough stretch with just one home game until the regular season finale against Army.

Transfer Portal

Few schools have a tougher time with the transfer portal.

Keeping the top players around who want to leave is almost impossible, and it takes the highest level of academic abilities to even be considered by one of the best schools in the FBS.

Best Signing

Preston Zinter, TE (Notre Dame)
The Owls could use a pass rusher, which is what Zinter was supposed to be at Notre Dame, but the 6-2, 240-pounder should grow into a whale of a tight end for the Owls.

He'll block, but he has the athleticism to develop into a bit of a pass catcher who can bully his way for yards after the catch.

Biggest Loss

Ty Morris, LB (Rutgers)The defense can't afford to lose any of the better options, and losing the 95 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss of Morris hurts.

Other Names to Know

Koa Akui, S (Sacramento State)
Scott Becker, C (Princeton)
Jesus Machado, LB (Houston)

CFN Season Prediction

It doesn't seem right that Rice might have a worse record with a better team with far more depth, but the schedule isn't providing any help.

Out of the five wins last year, three were by one score each, one was a fight over a Charlotte team that went 1-11, and one was against Prairie View A&M from the FCS.

CFN Prediction: 3-9

Missing Memphis, Navy, and USF is nice, but UAB and Charlotte - two teams Rice beat - aren't on the slate, either.

Western Michigan should be the best team in the MAC - or close to it - and it'll be tough to do much of anything in the road games to Notre Dame and Fresno State in non-conference play.

The Owls will fight the good fight in game after game. Don't get caught up in the final record - the program will look better and take a step forward.

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