East Carolina did not play last weekend, so they've had a couple of weeks to get healthy and prepare for the Rice offense.

In fact, the schedule makers did Rice no favors, as each of the two following opponents plays an option team the week before playing the Owls. Tulsa plays at Navy and Florida Atlantic plays at Army.

Line is ECU-10, O/U 48.5
27-17 or 31-21 would fit.

Sounds like another one score game in the 4th qtr.

Would expect the Owls to keep it close again. 10 is a lot of points.

(10-05-2026 10:05 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  In fact, the schedule makers did Rice no favors, as each of the two following opponents plays an option team the week before playing the Owls. Tulsa plays at Navy and Florida Atlantic plays at Army.

This may be the toughest Rice schedule I recall. We've had years with 2 body bag games and no FCS teams, but after week 1 this schedule is consistently tough. Western Michigan, Fresno, and UTSA are all currently in the top 15 G6 teams per the power rankings I've seen here and there. ECU gets 2 weeks to prep. Tulsa and FAU get option teams the week before.

Looking briefly at ECU stats and boxscores, looks like they are good vs the run, weak vs the pass. Allowing only 3.2 per rush. Will take another stellar defensive effort and a spark on offense.

This should be a very close game. The East Carolina offense is as equally inept as Rice's. They're also a run-first team. I can understand them being favored at home. It's a game they should win.

If our offense had a legit passing game, no one would be stopping us, but...

Maybe it will be like last week and the predicted weather won’t materialize but again rain is a distinct possibility. This time we might be dealing with the outer bands of the hurricane (tropical system at this point) hitting the northern Gulf tonight.

Game moved to 12:00 CT

Love the idea of a rain game

You think we will ever pass on first down?

It’s looking like moving up the game won’t help the game avoid the raindrops (the storm is moving quickly and we would have needed to play it yesterday to avoid the raindrops altogether).

So the big question is it going to just be a nuisance rain or will there be enough juice in the atmosphere to cause some delays?

Let’s go get one! Probably our most “winnable” game yet outside of HCU

RFND

Where were you 19 years ago?
Clement and Dillard brought Rice back from the precipice to win the third of what would eventually be six in a row (after a 1-5 start) to qualify for the New Orleans Bowl (our first bowl appearance in 40 years)



November 18 2006, Rice wins their third straight after that 1-5 start.

Here’s some raw sideline footage including the long conversion to put Rice in FG position at :49 and the game winning FG at 1:08

The players are psyched about winning “three straight “ after the win!

https://youtu.be/R3o1ghGi5-k?is=VZYHiQwvp2TiFrls

Rice 18, ECU 17

Rice game notes Wrote:Game #6 Rice (1-4/0-1) @ East Carolina (2-2/0-0) 12 p.m.
Stadium: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
Television: ESPN+ Evan Budrovich (Play by Play), Jay Sonnhalter (Analyst), Erin Summers (Sidelines).
Rice Radio: JP Heath (play-by-play), Nate Griffin (analyst)
Audio Streaming: RiceOwls.com, Varsity Network
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Series Information: sixth meeting (Rice 3-2)


Series Notes
•This will be the sixth meeting between the schools and the first in Greenville since 2009.
• Rice leads the series 3-2, with the home team winning each of the first five, including a 24-17 win by Rice at then-Rice Stadium on 9/30/23, the Owls' first American Conference win.
• JT Daniels threw for 232 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Rice stymied East Carolina's last three drives with fourth-down stops.
• The Pirates tied the game on a touchdown and two-point conversion midway through the fourth, but Daniels needed just four plays to drive Rice 75 yards to take the lead for good.
• ECU won the last matchup in Greenville, 41-13, and won the initial meeting between the schools in 2005 on the Pirates' home field, 41-28, scoring the final 17 points after the Owls took a 28-24 lead into the final quarter.
• Rice's first win in the series was a dramatic 18-17 in 2006 as the Owls scored nine points in the last 2:35, capped by Clark Fangmeier's 40-yard field goal with :03 left.
• The win was the fifth of a season-ending six-game winning streak that sent Rice to its first bowl game since 1961.
• Jay Sonnhalter, the analyst for Saturday's ESPN+ broadcast, started at tight end for ECU in that game.


Of Note
•Kickoff for Saturday's game was moved up three hours due to potential weather issues later on Saturday from the remnants of Hurricane Isaias.
•Jacurri Brown is tied for the lead in the American Conference and tied for fifth nationally with 17 rushing plays of at least 10 yards this season.
•Brown is third in the conference with 495 yards on the ground, and his rushing total is the most for an Owl through five games since Charles Ross had 535 in 2013 and 687 after six on his way to 1,280.
•Rice held UTSA to 16 points on Saturday, the fewest points for the Roadrunners in a conference game since 2023 vs. Tulane.
•UTSA gained 204 yards and averaged 5.8 per play in the first half, but was held to 110 yards (3.3 per play) in the second.
•The Owls force a pair of turnovers against UTSA, which came into the game with one in its first four games.
•Rice is averaging 10.4 plays of at least 10 yards per game this season (52 in five games, compared with 9.1 last season (9.1).

Come on Owls! This season ain't over! Bust these guys in the teeth!

(10-09-2026 10:24 PM)Texasowl Wrote:  You think we will ever pass on first down?

There is your pass on the 1st offensive play of the game. We see now why the Owls don’t normally pass on 1st down.

(10-09-2026 10:24 PM)Texasowl Wrote:  You think we will ever pass on first down?

There it is.

Dropped.

Second and ten.

similar teams - stout defense, run first, iffy offenses.

(10-10-2026 12:11 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  similar teams - stout defense, run first, iffy offenses.

ECU offense looks pretty good on their second possesion.

“This should be a short review…”

10 minutes later …

At least they got it right.