# 2022 Rice Owls football team

The 2022 Rice Owls football team represented Rice University as a member of Conference USA (C-USA) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by head coach Mike Bloomgren, who was coaching his fifth season with the team. The Owls played their home games at the Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas.
In October 2021, Rice accepted the invitation to join the American Athletic Conference (AAC), scheduled to become a full-member on July 1, 2023. The 2022 season was expected to be the program's last season as a member of Conference USA.
The Owls finished their regular season with a 5–7 record, and became bowl eligible due to having the highest APR among FBS teams with 5–7 records.

## Preseason
### C-USA media day

The Conference USA media day was held on July 27 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The Owls were predicted to finish tenth in the conference's preseason poll.
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team |
| 1 | UTSA |
| 2 | UAB |
| 3 | WKU |
| 4 | Florida Atlantic |
| 5 | North Texas |
| 6 | UTEP |
| 7 | Charlotte |
| 8 | Middle Tennessee |
| 9 | Louisiana Tech |
| 10 | Rice |
| 11 | FIU |

## Schedule

Rice and Conference USA announced the 2022 football schedule on March 30, 2022.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 5:00 p.m. | at No. 14 USC* | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | P12N | L 14–66 | 60,113 |
| September 10 | 6:30 p.m. | McNeese State* | Rice StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN3 | W 52–10 | 18,629 |
| September 17 | 6:30 p.m. | Louisiana* | Rice StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN+ | W 33–21 | 18,746 |
| September 24 | 5:00 p.m. | at Houston* | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX (rivalry) | ESPN+ | L 27–34 | 26,377 |
| October 1 | 6:30 p.m. | UAB | Rice StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN+ | W 28–24 | 21,926 |
| October 15 | 5:00 p.m. | at Florida Atlantic | FAU StadiumBoca Raton, FL | ESPN+ | L 14–17 | 21,465 |
| October 22 | 2:00 p.m. | at Louisiana Tech | Joe Aillet StadiumRuston, LA | ESPN+ | W 42–41 $^{OT}$ | 18,300 |
| October 29 | 1:00 p.m. | Charlotte | Rice StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN3 | L 23–56 | 18,187 |
| November 3 | 6:00 p.m. | UTEP | Rice StadiumHouston, TX | CBSSN | W 37–30 | 18,326 |
| November 12 | 1:00 p.m. | at Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | ESPN+ | L 10–45 | 10,127 |
| November 19 | 12:00 p.m. | UTSA | Rice StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN+ | L 7–41 | 18,249 |
| November 26 | 1:00 p.m. | at North Texas | Apogee StadiumDenton, TX | ESPN+ | L 17–21 | 15,688 |
| December 17 | 4:45 p.m. | vs. Southern Miss* | Hancock Whitney StadiumMobile, AL (LendingTree Bowl) | ESPN | L 24–38 | 20,512 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 1) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### At No.14 USC Trojans

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| No. 14 Trojans | 7 | 24 | 28 | 7 | 66 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA
* Date: September 3rd
* Game time: 3:00 P.M PST
* Game attendance: 60,113
* Referee: Jim Wharrie
* TV announcers (P12N): Ted Robinson (play by play), Yogi Roth (analyst)
| Statistics | Rice | No. 14 USC |
| First downs | 14 | 27 |
| Plays–yards | 62–280 | 58–538 |
| Rushes–yards | 34–146 | 28–208 |
| Passing yards | 134 | 330 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 14–28–4 | 25–30–0 |
| Time of possession | 32:39 | 27:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Rice | Passing | Wiley Green | 8/13, 69 yards, 1 INT |
| Rice | Rushing | Cameron Montgomery | 6 carries, 99 yards |
| Rice | Receiving | Luke McCaffrey | 5 receptions, 51 yards |
| No. 14 USC | Passing | Caleb Williams | 19/22, 249yds, 2 TD |
| No. 14 USC | Rushing | Austin Jones | 4 carries, 48 yards, 2 TD |
| No. 14 USC | Receiving | Jordan Addison | 5 receptions, 54 yards, 2 TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Rice | No. 14 USC |
| 1st | 12:06 | 7 | 75 | 3:42 | USC | Jordan Addison (#3) 5-yard touchdown reception from Caleb Williams (#13), Denis Lynch (#46) kick good | 0 | 7 |
| 1st | 3:12 | 16 | 74 | 8:09 | Rice | Ari Broussard (#30) 1-yard touchdown run, Christian VanSickle (#31) kick good | 7 | 7 |
| 2nd | 15:00 | 9 | 84 | 3:56 | USC | Austin Jones (#6) 4-yard touchdown run, Denis Lynch (#46) kick good | 7 | 14 |
| 2nd | 11:45 | 4 | 70 | 1:54 | USC | Raleek Brown (#14) 14-yard touchdown run, Denis Lynch (#46) kick good | 7 | 21 |
| 2nd | 9:14 | 1 | 93 | - | USC | Interception returned 93 yards for touchdown by Calen Bullock (#7), Denis Lynch (#46) kick good | 7 | 28 |
| 2nd | 2:20 | 10 | 75 | 6:30 | Rice | Ari Broussard (#30) 2-yard touchdown run, Christian VanSickle (#31) kick good | 14 | 28 |
| 2nd | 0:00 | 11 | 67 | 1:35 | USC | 25-yard field goal by Denis Lynch (#46) | 14 | 31 |
| 3rd | 14:22 | 1 | 40 | - | USC | Interception returned 40 yards for touchdown by Shane Lee (#53), Denis Lynch (#46) kick good | 14 | 38 |
| 3rd | 13:06 | 1 | 31 | - | USC | Interception returned 31 yards for touchdown by Ralen Goforth (#10), Denis Lynch (#46) kick good | 14 | 45 |
| 3rd | 9:12 | 4 | 34 | 2:12 | USC | Jordan Addison (#3) 3-yard touchdown reception from Caleb Williams (#13), Denis Lynch (#46) kick good | 14 | 52 |
| 3rd | 2:22 | 8 | 85 | 5:16 | USC | Austin Jones (#6) 28-yard touchdown run, Denis Lynch (#46) kick good | 14 | 59 |
| 4th | 7:05 | 5 | 72 | 3:13 | USC | Darwin Barlow (#22) 2-yard touchdown run, Denis Lynch (#46) kick good | 14 | 66 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 14 | 66 |

### Vs. McNeese State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Owls | 10 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 52 |
at Rice Stadium • Houston, TX
* Date: September 10th
* Game time: 6:30 P.M CST
* Game attendance: 18,629
* Referee: Ed Ardito
* TV: ESPN3
| Statistics | McNeese State | Rice |
| First downs | 14 | 26 |
| Plays–yards | 51–263 | 74–487 |
| Rushes–yards | 30–172 | 43–209 |
| Passing yards | 91 | 278 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 8–21–2 | 21–31–0 |
| Time of possession | 21:48 | 38:12 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| McNeese State | Passing | Know Kadum | 5/12, 65 yards, 1 INT |
| McNeese State | Rushing | Deonta McMahon | 5 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD |
| McNeese State | Receiving | Mason Pierce | 3 receptions, 37 yards |
| Rice | Passing | TJ McMahon | 20/29, 274 yards, 4 TD |
| Rice | Rushing | Ari Broussard | 17 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD |
| Rice | Receiving | Bradley Rozner | 3 receptions, 101 yards, 2 TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | McNeese State | Rice |
| 1st | 7:23 | 4 | -1 | 0:57 | Rice | 28-yard field goal by Christian VanSickle (#31) | 0 | 3 |
| 1st | 4:38 | 4 | 35 | 1:35 | Rice | Bradley Rozner (#2) 13-yard touchdown reception from TJ McMahon (#7), Christian VanSickle (#31) kick good | 0 | 10 |
| 2nd | 10:17 | 11 | 70 | 7:07 | Rice | TJ McMahon (#7) 9-yard touchdown run, Christian VanSickle (#31) kick good | 0 | 17 |
| 2nd | 6:59 | 1 | 91 | - | Rice | Interception returned 91 yards for touchdown by Gabe Taylor (#26), Christian VanSickle (#31) kick good | 0 | 24 |
| 2nd | 3:26 | 5 | 20 | 2:05 | Rice | Ari Broussard (#30) 2-yard touchdown run, Christian VanSickle (#31) kick good | 0 | 31 |
| 3rd | 14:31 | 2 | 77 | 0:23 | McNeese State | Deonta McMahon (#20) 62-yard touchdown run, Garrison Smith (#37) kick good | 7 | 31 |
| 3rd | 14:20 | 1 | 75 | 0:11 | Rice | Bradley Rozner (#2) 75-yard touchdown reception from TJ McMahon (#7), Christian VanSickle (#31) kick good | 7 | 38 |
| 3rd | 9:35 | 6 | 80 | 2:57 | Rice | Jack Bradley (#87) 17-yard touchdown reception from TJ McMahon (#7), Christian VanSickle (#31) kick good | 7 | 45 |
| 3rd | 3:10 | 7 | 60 | 1:41 | McNeese State | 23-yard field goal by Garrison Smith (#37) | 10 | 45 |
| 4th | 13:14 | 11 | 75 | 4:56 | Rice | Juma Otoviano (#8) 15-yard touchdown reception from TJ McMahon (#7), Christian VanSickle (#31) kick good | 10 | 52 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 10 | 52 |

### Vs. Louisiana

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ragin' Cajuns | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Owls | 3 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 33 |
at Rice Stadium • Houston, TX
* Date: September 17th
* Game time: 6:30 P.M CST
* Game weather: 87 °F (31 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SE 10 MPH
* Game attendance: 18,746
* Referee: Scott Hardin
* TV announcers (ESPN+): David Saltzman (play-by-play), Chris Mycoskie (analyst)
| Statistics | Louisiana | Rice |
| First downs | 9 | 26 |
| Plays–yards | 43–175 | 80–449 |
| Rushes–yards | 15–61 | 44–146 |
| Passing yards | 114 | 303 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 13–28–1 | 25–36–3 |
| Time of possession | 18:09 | 41:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana | Passing | Ben Wooldridge | 6/14, 76 yards |
| Louisiana | Rushing | Chris Smith | 6 carries, 39 yards, 1 TD |
| Louisiana | Receiving | Michael Jefferson | 5 receptions, 53 yards |
| Rice | Passing | TJ McMahon | 25/36, 303 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT |
| Rice | Rushing | Ari Broussard | 19 carries, 49 yards, 1 TD |
| Rice | Receiving | Luke McCaffrey | 10 receptions, 105 yards, 2 TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Louisiana | Rice |
| 1st | 7:17 | 7 | 33 | 2:42 | Rice | 23-yard field goal by Christian VanSickle (#31) | 0 | 3 |
| 1st | 2:47 | 1 | 54 | - | Louisiana | Interception returned 54 yards for touchdown by Caleb Anderson (#11), Preston Stafford (#37) kick good | 7 | 3 |
| 2nd | 5:20 | 13 | 83 | 7:56 | Rice | Luke McCaffrey (#10) 8-yard touchdown reception from TJ McMahon (#7), Christian VanSickle (#31) kick good | 7 | 10 |
| 2nd | 1:24 | 3 | 17 | 1:28 | Louisiana | Terrence Williams (#23) 11-yard touchdown reception from Chandler Fields (#18), Preston Stafford (#37) kick good | 14 | 10 |
| 2nd | 0:01 | 9 | 60 | 1:19 | Rice | 31-yard field goal by Christian VanSickle (#31) | 14 | 13 |
| 3rd | 10:20 | 11 | 75 | 4:40 | Rice | Bradley Rozner (#2) 12-yard touchdown reception from TJ McMahon (#7), 2-point pass incomplete | 14 | 19 |
| 4th | 11:25 | 10 | 65 | 6:07 | Rice | Luke McCaffrey (#10) 6-yard touchdown reception from TJ McMahon (#7), 2-point pass good | 14 | 27 |
| 4th | 9:17 | 7 | 75 | 2:08 | Louisiana | Chris Smith (#13) 22-yard touchdown run, Preston Stafford (#37) kick good | 21 | 27 |
| 4th | 2:59 | 11 | 70 | 6:14 | Rice | Ari Broussard (#30) 2-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass incomplete | 21 | 33 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 21 | 33 |

### At Houston (Bayou Bucket Classic)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 0 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 27 |
| • Cougars | 7 | 3 | 14 | 10 | 34 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| HOU –17.5 | 52 |
| Statistics | Rice | Houston |
| First downs | 22 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 65–424 | 58–427 |
| Rushes–yards | 25–90 | 32–178 |
| Passing yards | 334 | 249 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 25–40–1 | 19–26–1 |
| Time of possession | 29:55 | 30:05 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Rice | Passing | T. J. McMahon | 25/39, 334 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Rice | Rushing | Kobie Campbell | 1 carry, 34 yards |
| Rice | Receiving | Bradley Rozner | 5 receptions, 123 yards |
| Houston | Passing | Clayton Tune | 19/26, 249 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| Houston | Rushing | Ta'Zhawn Henry | 17 carries, 112 yards, 1 TD |
| Houston | Receiving | Tank Dell | 7 receptions, 134 yards, 1 TD |

### UAB

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blazers | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Owls | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
| Statistics | UAB | RICE |
| First downs | 22 | 15 |
| Total yards | 360 | 209 |
| Rushing yards | 122 | 105 |
| Passing yards | 238 | 104 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:00 | 30:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UAB | Passing | Dylan Hopkins | 15/21, 231 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| UAB | Rushing | DeWayne McBride | 27 rushes, 121 yards, TD |
| UAB | Receiving | Tejhaun Palmer | 2 receptions, 82 yards |
| Rice | Passing | T. J. McMahon | 11/17, 104 yards, TD |
| Rice | Rushing | Cameron Montgomery | 5 rushes, 34 yards |
| Rice | Receiving | Luke McCaffrey | 5 receptions, 38 yards |

### At Florida Atlantic

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rice Owls | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| FAU Owls | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |

### At Louisiana Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Owls | 0 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
| Bulldogs | 10 | 0 | 17 | 8 | 6 | 41 |
| Statistics | RICE | LT |
| First downs | 24 | 19 |
| Total yards | 487 | 373 |
| Rushing yards | 279 | 144 |
| Passing yards | 208 | 229 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 33:22 | 26:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Rice | Passing | T. J. McMahon | 16/27, 208 yards, 3 TD |
| Rice | Rushing | Cameron Montgomery | 14 rushes, 87 yards |
| Rice | Receiving | Luke McCaffrey | 10 receptions, 171 yards, 2 TD |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Matthew Downing | 12/24, 159 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Marquis Crosby | 14 rushes, 87 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Tre Harris | 8 receptions, 92 yards, 3 TD |

### Charlotte

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • 49ers | 7 | 21 | 21 | 7 | 56 |
| Rice | 14 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Charlotte | Passing | Chris Reynolds | 16–19, 254 yards, 5 TD |
| Charlotte | Rushing | Shadrick Byrd | 13 rushes, 83 yards, 1 TD |
| Charlotte | Receiving | Elijah Spencer | 5 receptions, 84 yards, 3 TD |
| Rice | Passing | T. J. McMahon | 18–33, 218 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Rice | Rushing | T. J. McMahon | 9 rushes, 45 yards |
| Rice | Receiving | Bradley Rozner | 5 receptions, 105 yards, 2 TD |
| Statistics | CHAR | Rice |
| First downs | 25 | 20 |
| Total yards | 514 | 370 |
| Rushing yards | 239 | 152 |
| Passing yards | 275 | 218 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 31:57 | 28:03 |

### UTEP

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Miners | 7 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 30 |
| Owls | 10 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 37 |

### At Western Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Hilltoppers | 7 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 45 |

### UTSA

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Roadrunners | 21 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 41 |
| Owls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |

### At North Texas

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Mean Green | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Statistics | RICE | UNT |
| First downs | 19 | 16 |
| Total yards | 415 | 362 |
| Rushing yards | 186 | 159 |
| Passing yards | 229 | 203 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 35:43 | 24:17 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Rice | Passing | AJ Padgett | 13/22, 229 yards, TD, INT |
| Rice | Rushing | Juma Otoviano | 14 rushes, 94 yards |
| Rice | Receiving | Braylen Walker | 4 receptions, 77 yards, TD |
| North Texas | Passing | Austin Aune | 16/29, 203 yards, 2 TD |
| North Texas | Rushing | Ikaika Ragsdale | 17 rushes, 122 yards, TD |
| North Texas | Receiving | Ikaika Ragsdale | 5 receptions, 59 yards, TD |

### Vs. Southern Miss (LendingTree Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 0 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 24 |
| Golden Eagles | 7 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 38 |