Coming off the program’s first road win over Boston College, the UConn football team (5-2) stays on the road and heads south to Houston to face the Rice Owls (3-4, 1-3 American) on Saturday, Oct. 25.
The Huskies head into Rice Stadium one win away from bowl eligibility. It would be the third time in Connecticut head coach Jim Mora’s four-year tenure that the Huskies made it to a bowl game.
UConn is on a four-game winning streak, beginning with a 31-25 win over Ball State on Sept. 20, but the same cannot be said for Rice. It is the Huskies’ longest winning streak since the 2010 season.
The Owls are coming into the game on a three-game losing streak, including a 61-13 beatdown by UTSA at the Alamodome on Oct. 11.
Rice is in a rebuilding year, with a brand-new head coach in Scott Abell. Abell spent the past seven seasons at Davidson, leading the Wildcats to three playoff appearances at the FCS level.
The Owls are led by quarterback Chase Jenkins, who has completed 60 of 89 passing attempts for 553 yards and four touchdowns, with one interception. However, he got injured in the UTSA loss and will be day-to-day.
“Everyone saw him grow before he was injured,” Abell said. “His ability to make plays with his arm, his ability to make plays with his feet, I’m really proud of that. It certainly has made our offense more dynamic and given us the ability to grow.”
Rice is not a prominent team when it comes to offense through the air, ranking 133rd in FBS in passing offense (91.1 yards per game).
UConn’s rushing defense will be tested, with Rice boasting the No. 17 rushing offense in college football. The Owls are averaging 215.4 yards on the ground, with running back Quinton Jackson leading the way. The Fort Worth, Texas native has 96 carries for 487 yards and two touchdowns this season. It is all thanks to the gun triple option offense that Abell has implemented. Along with him is Daelen Alexander, who has rushed for 370 yards and three touchdowns. Abell called the running back tandem “Smash and Dash.”
“Fourth-most rushing attempts per game in the country, behind only the service academies,” Mora said. “They made a real commitment to the scheme that their new coach brought in.”
While the Huskies’ defense has looked suspect at times, especially during a two-minute drill, the offense has flourished all season long.
UConn quarterback Joe Fagnano is coming off one of his best games of the season. The former Maine Black Bear completed 23-of-31 passes for a career-high 362 yards and four touchdowns, while also showing off his legs with 25 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
“[Fagnano] did a great job,” Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien said following the game. “He’s very calm, he knows what to do with the ball.”
The Williamsport, Pa., native has been flawless all season long. On Thursday afternoon, Fagnano was added to the watch list for the Manning Award, which honors the top quarterback in college football. This season, he ranks 11th nationally in passing yards (1,918), 13th in passing yards per game (274), 18th in passing efficiency (161.3) and 18th in passing touchdowns (15). That is just a few of the statistical categories that Fagnano ranks nationally in. He has completed 154-of-226 passes without an interception.
“Joe’s a relentless worker,” Mora said at his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 21. “He’s always around [The Burton Family Football Complex], he’s always studying film, he’s always in there with Coach [Pryce] Tracy, he’s always trying to find a better way. He practices with intent and purpose. He doesn’t ever feel like he’s got it, and that’s what you want out of players, you know? Guys that are constantly striving to be better.”
So far, wide receiver Skyler Bell is among the best receivers in college football; UConn is 5-0 when he scores a touchdown and 0-2 when he does not. He has seven touchdowns this season in addition to 687 receiving yards. He finished the win over Boston College with 10 receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown.
This marks the third consecutive season UConn and Rice have met on the gridiron. The first two meetings belonged to the Huskies, each by exactly seven points.
Since becoming independent in 2021, the Huskies are 5-3 against the American Conference (formerly known as the American Athletic Conference), with a perfect 4-0 record against members of their former conference during the 2024 campaign.
Connecticut and Rice will face off against each other on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 3 p.m., streaming exclusively on ESPN+.