The Rice football team hasn’t had much to celebrate in the past decade. The Owls have produced 10 straight losing seasons. The last time they ended a season with a record above .500 was an 8-5 effort in 2014.
After Rice went 4-8 and 3-5 in the AAC last season, the program decided to take a gamble on an intriguing but unproven coach in an effort to change its fortunes.
In comes Scott Abell, who began his head coaching career at Washington & Lee University, a Division III program in Virginia. He spent the past seven seasons as the head coach at Davidson, which he led to three appearances in the FCS playoffs.
Abell, a former minor league baseball player, has never coached at the FBS level in any capacity, but he has a history of creating exciting, explosive offenses. His up-tempo, spread option attack produced the top rushing attack in the FCS last season. Davidson led the country with 315.5 rushing yards a game and ranked No. 11 with 35.3 points a game.
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Rice Football’s American Conference Title Betting Odds
Rice’s odds to make the American Conference championship game are +5000, via BetMGM.
Rice Football’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
- Rice’s win total Over/Under is 3.5.
- Under 3.5 is at +110.
- Over 3.5 is at -135.
Rice Football’s 2025 Schedule
Aug. 30 @ Louisiana
Sept. 6 vs. Houston
Sept. 13 vs. Prairie View A&M
Sept. 18 @ Charlotte
Sept. 27 @ Navy
Oct. 4 vs. Florida Atlantic
Oct. 11 @ UTSA
Oct. 25 vs. UConn
Oct. 31 vs. Memphis
Nov. 8 vs. UAB
Nov. 22 vs. North Texas
Nov. 29 @ South Florida
Bold indicates American Conference games
Rice Football Season Preview
The Owls don’t return a single all-conference player from last season, but they have a lot of experience back on defense and the offensive line. Abell and his staff must find a quarterback who has the athleticism and mental acuity to run his offense and sort through a multitude of inexperienced ball carriers.
Three-Way Race At QB
Three quarterbacks are competing for the starting job at Rice, and one of them recently returned to the position. Redshirt sophomore Chase Jenkins was a backup quarterback for the Owls in 2023, but he moved to wide receiver last season. He returned to quarterback this spring, and he may be the most logical choice to win the starting job.
Jenkins is a dual threat who has the athleticism to be the driving force in Abell’s option attack. He appeared in four games and a bowl in 2023 and finished with 82 rushing yards.
He is competing against AJ Padgett, a 6-foot-3, 240-pound redshirt junior, and Drew Devillier, a 6-5, 228-pound redshirt freshman. Both have strong, accurate arms, but they’re more pocket passers than the quarterbacks who traditionally run Abell’s system.
Who Emerges In The Backfield?
Last season’s leading rusher, Dean Conners, transferred to Houston, but second-leading rusher Quinton Jackson is back in the mix. He’s an explosive athlete who ranked No. 5 in the American last season with 26.8 yards per kickoff return. Jackson returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown against UConn. He’s the first Rice player since 1976 to finish a season after scoring rushing, receiving, and special teams touchdowns.
He’ll likely split carries with a pair of freshmen: Tyvonn Byars and D’Andre Hardeman Jr. Micah Barnett, who is listed on the roster as a tight end, will see carries in short-yardage situations.
Several slot wide receivers will also likely see carries in Abell’s offense, including Tyson Thompson, Christian Edgar, and Owen Carter.
Whoever carries the ball will do so behind a solid offensive line, led by center David Stickle and guard Trace Norfleet. Yale transfer Sean Sullivan should end up starting at one of the tackle spots.
The Defensive Front Seven Is Solid
As impressive as the rushing numbers have been in Abell’s past offenses, the defense at Rice is more excited about its ability to control the clock. Davidson ranked No. 2 in the FCS in time of possession last season, averaging 35 minutes a game.
An extra breather or two will be a welcomed change for Rice’s defensive front seven, which should be the strength of the team.
Outside linebacker Ty Morris is back after he led the Owls with four sacks last season and ranked No. 2 on the team with 56 tackles and eight tackles for loss. He’s joined again by redshirt senior Andrew Awe, who was No. 3 on the team with 52 tackles last fall.
The run defense begins in the middle with 340-pound nose tackle Blake Boenisch, who has played in 37 games the past three seasons and has 96 career tackles. Veteran Plae Wyatt and junior college transfer Jo Chavez will split time in the Owls’ hybrid Viper role.
The Secondary Has Experience
Two veteran safeties are back in Daveon Hook and Peyton Stevenson. Hook was No. 5 on the team with 49 tackles last season.
Rice plucked transfer cornerbacks Jerrick Harper (Trinity Valley) and Omari Porter (Stanford) to replace starters Max Ahoia and Sean Fresch, who combined for 89 tackles and 17 pass breakups last season.
Rice Football Season Prediction
I predict Rice will not make the American Conference championship game. I also predict the Owls will win more than 3.5 games, but not by much.
They have winnable games against Prairie View A&M, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, and UAB on the schedule, and they could sneak up on North Texas, but their schedule is by no means easy. The Owls face Louisiana, Houston, and Navy in three of their first five games. The defense should keep Rice in a lot of matchups, but the season could rest on who Abell and his staff choose to start at quarterback.
