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<\/a><\/p>\nHOUSTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 22: Quinton Jackson #10 of the Rice Owls returns a kickoff during the second quarter against the North Texas Mean Green at Rice Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kevin M. Cox\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n
Rice (5-7, 2-6 American) is one of three 5-7 teams that qualified for bowl eligibility, due to the opt-outs of Kansas State, Iowa State, and Notre Dame. The Owls seized the opportunity in year one of the Scott Abell era after falling one victory short, and it will be their second time bowl at 5-7 in a 4-year span.<\/p>\n
Rice is long starved for success. The program hasn\u2019t seen a winning season since 2014, and that trend is slated to continue another year. However, the Owls can clinch their first bowl victory since 2014 in Fort Worth as they look for revenge against their last bowl opponent in Texas State.<\/p>\n
The Owls look substantially different than the 2023 team that battled the Bobcats. Most noticeably, Rice altered its offensive scheme, implementing an option-style offense under Abell. Only the three service academies pass fewer times per game than the Owls (16.9), and they rank third nationally in rushing attempts (50.3) \u2014 2nd-to-last in passing yards and 14th in rushing yards per contest.<\/p>\n
But Rice\u2019s offense will take on an unforeseen form in Cowtown, as QB1 Chase Jenkins and QB2 Drew Devillier are planning transfers elsewhere. That leaves Lucas Scheerhorn and Patrick Crayton Jr. as the Owls\u2019 rather inexperienced options at quarterback. Scheerhorn transferred from Kennesaw State and previously played in an option-style offense. The 6\u20190\u201d, 196 pound redshirt freshman has seven career passes and 10 career rushing attempts, not offering much film to the Texas State defense. Crayton is similar. The true freshman threw six passes and ran seven times this year and could see valuable action Friday.<\/p>\n
With the quarterback room severely depleted, expect Rice to rely heavily on star running back Quinton Jackson. Jackson enters with 811 rushing yards on the year \u2014 showing the peak of his powers in a 168-yard rushing, 80-yard receiving, 4-total touchdown masterclass vs. UConn this year. He\u2019ll remain the focal point of the offense, but Rice has also increased the utilization of freshman D\u2019Andre Hardeman Jr. lately, and he had 10+ carries twice in November. The other skill position standout to watch in the run game is Aaron Turner. As a receiver, he\u2019s the clear-cut No. 1 option is 53 receptions, and as a runner, the senior can be dangerous on jet sweeps.<\/p>\n
Rice is 119th in scoring offense and 120th in scoring defense, and the defensive-oriented games were beneficial for the Owls. Abell\u2019s team finished 4-0 holding opponents to 17 points or fewer and 1-7 otherwise. And things got out of hand against the top offenses Rice faced, as three opponents posted 52+ points this season.<\/p>\n
The defense\u2019s star power resides in the linebacking unit. Leading tacklers Andrew Awe and Ty Morris belong to that group, and they boast 101 and 82 stops, respectively, with a combined 15 tackles for loss. Blake Boenisch and Tony Anyanwu also produced a slew of negative plays from the first level. There were plenty of concerns with this Rice defense, but the main one was the lack of turnovers forced. The Owls are tied for last in the country with six takeaways, yet, the offense\u2019s ability to hold onto the ball only makes them a -2 in 2025.<\/p>\n
Texas State Bobcats outlook<\/p>\n