# 2024 Rice Owls football team

The 2024 Rice Owls football team represented Rice University in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Owls were led by Mike Bloomgren in his seventh year as the head coach. The Owls played their home games at Rice Stadium, located in Houston.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 6:00 p.m. | Sam Houston* | Rice StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN+ | L 14–34 | 17,298 |
| September 7 | 6:00 p.m. | Texas Southern* | Rice StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN+ | W 69–7 | 17,760 |
| September 14 | 7:00 p.m. | at Houston* | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX (rivalry) | ESPN+ | L 7–33 | 28,146 |
| September 21 | 11:00 a.m. | at Army | Michie StadiumWest Point, NY | CBSSN | L 14–37 | 26,654 |
| September 28 | 6:00 p.m. | Charlotte | Rice StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN+ | L 20–21 | 17,455 |
| October 12 | 6:00 p.m. | UTSA | Rice StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN+ | W 29–27 | 18,660 |
| October 19 | 2:30 p.m. | at Tulane | Yulman StadiumNew Orleans, LA | ESPN+ | L 10–24 | 22,897 |
| October 26 | 2:30 p.m. | at UConn* | Rentschler FieldEast Hartford, CT | CBSSN | L 10–17 | 23,711 |
| November 2 | 3:00 p.m. | Navy | Rice StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN2 | W 24–10 | 21,253 |
| November 8 | 8:00 p.m. | at Memphis | Simmons Bank Liberty StadiumMemphis, TN | ESPN2 | L 20–27 | 23,692 |
| November 23 | 1:00 p.m. | at UAB | Protective StadiumBirmingham, AL | ESPN+ | L 14–40 | 16,181 |
| November 30 | 1:00 p.m. | South Florida | Rice StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN+ | W 35–28 | 16,430 |
| *Non-conference gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Sam Houston

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bearkats | 17 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 34 |
| Owls | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Rice Stadium • Houston, Texas
* Date: August 31st
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: NE at 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
* Game attendance: 17,298
* Referee: Reid Jackson
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play), Doc Holliday (analyst)
| Statistics | SHSU | RICE |
| First downs | 20 | 14 |
| Plays–yards | 73–407 | 62–274 |
| Rushes–yards | 46–178 | 18–47 |
| Passing yards | 229 | 227 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 16–27–0 | 27–44–2 |
| Time of possession | 35:20 | 24:40 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Sam Houston | Passing | Hunter Watson | 16/27, 229 yards, 2 TD |
| Sam Houston | Rushing | Hunter Watson | 14 carries, 57 yards |
| Sam Houston | Receiving | Qua'Vez Humphreys | 3 receptions, 93 yards, 1 TD |
| Rice | Passing | E.J. Warner | 27/44, 227 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Rice | Rushing | Dean Connors | 12 carries, 52 yards, 1 TD |
| Rice | Receiving | Matt Sykes | 6 receptions, 74 yards |

### Texas Southern (FCS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers (FCS) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Owls | 14 | 24 | 17 | 14 | 69 |
at Rice Stadium • Houston, Texas
* Date: September 7th
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: NE at 13 miles per hour (21 km/h)
* Game attendance: 17,760
* Referee: James Jones
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Shawn Kenney (play-by-play), LaDarrin McLane (analyst)
| Statistics | TXSO | RICE |
| First downs | 9 | 24 |
| Plays–yards | 53–87 | 64–533 |
| Rushes–yards | 34–38 | 32–329 |
| Passing yards | 49 | 204 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 10–19–2 | 22–32–1 |
| Time of possession | 33:04 | 26:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Texas Southern | Passing | Jordon Davis | 8/13, 42 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Texas Southern | Rushing | Danny Green Jr. | 7 carries, 18 yards |
| Texas Southern | Receiving | Kordell Rodgers | 3 receptions, 23 yards, 1 TD |
| Rice | Passing | E.J. Warner | 20/30, 189 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Rice | Rushing | Dean Connors | 9 carries, 113 yards, 3 TD |
| Rice | Receiving | Matt Sykes | 2 receptions, 47 yards, 1 TD |

### at Houston (rivalry)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Cougars | 14 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 33 |
at TDECU Stadium • Houston, Texas
* Date: September 14th
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 92 °F (33 °C) • Wind: S at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
* Game attendance: 28,146
* Referee: Kevin Boitmann
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Lowell Galindo (play-by-play), Fozzy Whittaker (analyst), Tori Petry (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | RICE | HOU |
| First downs | 9 | 16 |
| Plays–yards | 51–159 | 63–379 |
| Rushes–yards | 24–75 | 42–237 |
| Passing yards | 84 | 142 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 16–27–1 | 12–21–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:03 | 31:57 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Rice | Passing | E.J. Warner | 12/21, 50 yards, 1 INT |
| Rice | Rushing | Dean Connors | 11 carries, 32 yards, 1 TD |
| Rice | Receiving | Christian Francisco | 2 receptions, 26 yards |
| Houston | Passing | Donovan Smith | 12/21, 142 yards, 1 TD |
| Houston | Rushing | Stacy Sneed | 7 carries, 82 yards, 1 TD |
| Houston | Receiving | Stephon Johnson | 1 reception, 44 yards, 1 TD |

### at Army

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Black Knights | 7 | 21 | 9 | 0 | 37 |
at Michie Stadium • West Point, New York
* Date: September 21st
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Wind: NE at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
* Game attendance: 26,654
* Referee: Steven Anderson
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Dave Ryan (play-by-play), Adam Breneman and Tina Cervasio (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | RICE | ARMY |
| First downs | 18 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 57–297 | 69–408 |
| Rushes–yards | 13–41 | 56–288 |
| Passing yards | 256 | 120 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 29–44–2 | 9–13–0 |
| Time of possession | 20:55 | 39:05 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Rice | Passing | E.J. Warner | 28/43, 235 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Rice | Rushing | Dean Connors | 9 carries, 51 yards |
| Rice | Receiving | Matt Sykes | 6 receptions, 82 yards, 1 TD |
| Army | Passing | Bryson Daily | 6/9, 107 yards, 2 TD |
| Army | Rushing | Bryson Daily | 23 carries, 145 yards, 3 TD |
| Army | Receiving | Noah Short | 2 receptions, 47 yards, 1 TD |

### Charlotte

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| 49ers | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
| Owls | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
at Rice Stadium • Houston, Texas
* Date: September 28th
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 90 °F (32 °C) • Wind: NW at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
* Game attendance: 17,455
* Referee: Darryl DeBerry
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Ted Emrich (play-by-play) and Charlie Strong (analyst)
| Statistics | CLT | RICE |
| First downs | 17 | 23 |
| Plays–yards | 65–304 | 71–463 |
| Rushes–yards | 29–67 | 31–209 |
| Passing yards | 237 | 254 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 18–36–1 | 22–40–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:59 | 30:01 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Charlotte | Passing | Deshawn Purdie | 10/15, 183 yards, 2 TD |
| Charlotte | Rushing | Cartevious Norton | 10 carries, 56 yards |
| Charlotte | Receiving | O'Mega Blake | 5 receptions, 153 yards, 2 TD |
| Rice | Passing | E. J. Warner | 22/40, 254 yards, 2 TD |
| Rice | Rushing | Dean Connors | 14 carries, 121 yards |
| Rice | Receiving | Matt Sykes | 8 receptions, 84 yards |

### UTSA

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Roadrunners | 0 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 27 |
| Owls | 0 | 9 | 14 | 6 | 29 |
at Rice Stadium • Houston, Texas
* Date: October 12th
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 86 °F (30 °C) • Wind: S at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
* Game attendance: 18,660
* Referee: Steven Anderson
* TV announcers (ESPN+): James Westling (play-by-play), Leger Douzable (analyst) and Smacker Miles (sideline)
| Statistics | UTSA | RICE |
| First downs | 22 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 78–394 | 60–389 |
| Rushes–yards | 35–138 | 21–42 |
| Passing yards | 256 | 347 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 28–43–0 | 25–39–0 |
| Time of possession | 30:33 | 29:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UTSA | Passing | Owen McCown | 28/43, 256 yards, 3 TD |
| UTSA | Rushing | Owen McCown | 9 carries, 53 yards |
| UTSA | Receiving | Devin McCuin | 7 receptions, 83 yards, TD |
| Rice | Passing | E. J. Warner | 25/39, 347 yards, 2 TD |
| Rice | Rushing | Dean Connors | 8 carries, 27 yards, TD |
| Rice | Receiving | Dean Connors | 5 receptions, 109 yards, TD |

### at Tulane

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Green Wave | 3 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
at Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: October 19th
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 77 °F (25 °C) • Wind: NE 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
* Game attendance: 22,897
* Referee: Charles Lamertina
* TV announcers (ESPN+): James Westling (play-by-play) and Leger Douzable (analyst)
| Statistics | RICE | TULN |
| First downs | 16 | 18 |
| Plays–yards | 63–344 | 65–306 |
| Rushes–yards | 17–73 | 40–154 |
| Passing yards | 271 | 152 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 26–46–3 | 12–25–0 |
| Time of possession | 25:03 | 34:57 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Rice | Passing | E. J. Warner | 26/46, 271 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Rice | Rushing | Dean Connors | 11 carries, 76 yards |
| Rice | Receiving | Kobie Campbell | 6 receptions, 100 yards |
| Tulane | Passing | Darian Mensah | 12/25, 152 yards, TD |
| Tulane | Rushing | Makhi Hughes | 27 carries, 140 yards, TD |
| Tulane | Receiving | Dontae Fleming | 2 receptions, 36 yards |

### at UConn

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Huskies | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 17 |
at Rentschler Field • East Hartford, Connecticut
* Date: October 26th
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C) • Wind: SE at 13 miles per hour (21 km/h) • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 23,711
* Referee: Gary Patterson
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Jordan Kent (play-by-play), Logan Ryan (color analyst) & Keiana Martin (sideline)
| Statistics | RICE | CONN |
| First downs | 10 | 18 |
| Plays–yards | 62–178 | 68–309 |
| Rushes–yards | 32–90 | 44–181 |
| Passing yards | 88 | 128 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 14–30–0 | 9–24–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:26 | 31:34 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Rice | Passing | Drew Devillier | 14/30, 88 yards |
| Rice | Rushing | Dean Connors | 20 carries, 46 yards |
| Rice | Receiving | Matt Sykes | 3 receptions, 24 yards |
| UConn | Passing | Nick Evers | 9/24, 128 yards, INT |
| UConn | Rushing | Durell Robinson | 15 carries, 132 yards, TD |
| UConn | Receiving | Skyler Bell | 3 receptions, 47 yards |

### Navy

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Midshipmen | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Owls | 14 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Rice Stadium • Houston, Texas
* Date: November 2nd
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Rain • Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Wind: SW 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)
* Game attendance: 21,253
* Referee: Reid Jackson
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Mike Monaco (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (analyst) and Dawn Davenport (sideline)
| Statistics | NAVY | RICE |
| First downs | 12 | 20 |
| Plays–yards | 61–260 | 65–344 |
| Rushes–yards | 40–140 | 25–105 |
| Passing yards | 120 | 239 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 10–21–2 | 28–40–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:46 | 31:14 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Navy | Passing | Blake Horvath | 10/21, 120 yards, 2 INT |
| Navy | Rushing | Blake Horvath | 16 carries, 64 yards, TD |
| Navy | Receiving | Eli Heidenreich | 3 receptions, 56 yards |
| Rice | Passing | E. J. Warner | 28/40, 239 yards, TD, INT |
| Rice | Rushing | Dean Connors | 18 carries, 105 yards, 2 TD |
| Rice | Receiving | Matt Sykes | 8 receptions, 93 yards, TD |

### at Memphis

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 6 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Tigers | 0 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 27 |
at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium • Memphis, Tennessee
* Date: November 8th
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Wind: E 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
* Game attendance: 23,692
* Referee: Charles Lamertina
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst) and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
| Statistics | RICE | MEM |
| First downs | 20 | 22 |
| Plays–yards | 68–367 | 72–366 |
| Rushes–yards | 23–121 | 41–207 |
| Passing yards | 246 | 159 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 29–45–0 | 14–31–1 |
| Time of possession | 30:11 | 29:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Rice | Passing | E. J. Warner | 29/45, 246 yards, 2 TD |
| Rice | Rushing | Quinton Jackson | 6 carries, 70 yards |
| Rice | Receiving | Matt Sykes | 6 receptions, 76 yards, TD |
| Memphis | Passing | Seth Henigan | 14/31, 159 yards, TD, INT |
| Memphis | Rushing | Mario Anderson Jr. | 25 carries, 144 yards, TD |
| Memphis | Receiving | Roc Taylor | 4 receptions, 52 yards |

### at UAB

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Blazers | 14 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 40 |
at Protective Stadium • Birmingham, Alabama
* Date: November 23rd
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 60 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 16,181
* Referee: Darryl DeBerry
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Justin Kutcher (play-by-play) and Dave Steckel (analyst)
| Statistics | RICE | UAB |
| First downs | 18 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 74–337 | 57–364 |
| Rushes–yards | 25–115 | 34–190 |
| Passing yards | 222 | 174 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 28–49–3 | 18–23–0 |
| Time of possession | 30:44 | 29:16 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Rice | Passing | E. J. Warner | 28/49, 222 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Rice | Rushing | Dean Connors | 16 carries, 62 yards, TD |
| Rice | Receiving | Braylen Walker | 2 receptions, 54 yards |
| UAB | Passing | Jalen Kitna | 18/23, 174 yards, 2 TD |
| UAB | Rushing | Lee Beebe Jr. | 16 carries, 161 yards, 2 TD |
| UAB | Receiving | Corri Milliner | 6 receptions, 90 yards, TD |

### South Florida

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| Owls | 17 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 35 |
at Rice Stadium • Houston, Texas
* Date: November 30th
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Wind: E 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
* Game attendance: 16,430
* Referee: Tim Rich
* TV announcers (ESPN+): David Salzman (play-by-play) and LaDarrin McLane (analyst)
| Statistics | USF | RICE |
| First downs | 18 | 27 |
| Plays–yards | 72–431 | 82–550 |
| Rushes–yards | 30–111 | 40–120 |
| Passing yards | 320 | 430 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 24–42–1 | 27–42–0 |
| Time of possession | 21:23 | 38:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| South Florida | Passing | Bryce Archie | 19/35, 227 yards, TD, INT |
| South Florida | Rushing | Nay'Quan Wright | 6 carries, 35 yards, TD |
| South Florida | Receiving | Sean Atkins | 7 receptions, 110 yards, TD |
| Rice | Passing | E. J. Warner | 27/42, 430 yards, 3 TD |
| Rice | Rushing | Christian Francisco | 12 carries, 42 yards |
| Rice | Receiving | Matt Sykes | 7 receptions, 118 yards |