Battle of the Owls Resumes in Boca Raton - Rice University Athletics

Game #8    Rice (1-6) @ Florida Atlantic (4-2/1-1) 11:00 a.m. CT
Stadium: Flagler Credit Union Stadium
Television: ESPNU   Richard Cross (Play-by-Play), Craig Haubert (Analyst)
Rice Radio: JP Heath (play-by-play), Nate Griffin (analyst), Luke Mauro (Sidelines)
Audio Streaming: RiceOwls.com, Varsity Network
Live Stats:   Statbroadcast
Series Information: Sixth Meeting (tied 3-3)

2026 Rice Football Fact Book
Series Notes
•The series with Florida Atlantic is tied 3-3, (1-1 in Boca Raton, 2-2 in Houston).
• Five of the six games have been decided by six points or less, four by four or less.
• Rice's average margin of victory in its three wins over its nicknamesakes is 2.7 points, winning 18-14 in 2013, 27-26 in 2015, and 24-21 in the most recent meeting in 2023.
• Florida Atlantic won by three (17-14) in Boca Raton in 2022 and posted the largest margin of victory at Rice Stadium in 2016 (42-25).
•All three wins by Rice required rallies to win.
• Rice trailed 14-6 with less than seven minutes remaining in 2013, but scored twice thanks to their defense to win 18-14.
• Rice rallied from 12 points down with 13:50 remaining in the first meeting in Boca Raton in 2015, roaring back after a 1-hour, 30-minute weather delay to win 27-26.
•Rice overcame an FAU touchdown on the fifirst play of the game in Houston in 2023 and led 14-10 in the third
before Rice scored twice and held on for a 24-10 win and clinched a bowl berth.

Notable

Rice's 2026 opponents are 49-29 so far this season and the Owls' slate ranks as the 31^st toughest in FBS through 10/18.
Rice ranks seventh nationally with 13 players making their first career collegiate starts this season: Braden Bays, Jamir Benjamin, Tyvonn Byars, Jordan Clark, Seth Clarke, Kyren Condoll, Ben Grice, Cooper King, Davis Lane, Justin Michaelis, Robert Rooks, Will Swartz, Preston Zinter.
Jacurri Brown is tied in the American Conference and tied for 5th nationally with 22 rushing plays of at least 10 yards this season and is tied for the conference lead and tied for third nationally with three rushes of 50 yards or more.
Brown is fifth in the conference with 669 yards on the ground, and his rushing total is the most for an Owl through seven games since Charles Ross had 798 in seven games (1013 after eight).
Brown's 669 yards rushing are the most by a Rice QB since Chase Clement had 693 in 13 games in 2008, and he is the first Owls' QB to have three 100-yard games in a season since Kyle Herm in 2003.
His 95.4 yards per game would be the most ever by a Rice QB (minimum of 100 carries)… Chad Nelson (86.6 in 1997) currently holds the mark.
He is the second Rice QB to have more than one rushing game of 140+ yards in a season (two)... Chad Richardson topped 160 three times in 1999.
His 669 yards rank seventh all-time among Rice quarterbacks and he needs 32 yards to become the third Owls' signal caller to rush for 700 in a season.
Rice has had six100-yard rushing games in the first seven games this season and has had 11 in the 20 games under Scott Abell.

Next Up: Rice is idle next weekend before returning to action on November 7 when the Owls travel north to face North Texas.

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Players Mentioned

Braden Bays

Jamir Benjamin

Jacurri Brown

Tyvonn Byars

Jordan Clark

Seth Clarke

Kyren Condoll

Ben Grice

Cooper King

Davis Lane

Justin Michaelis

Robert Rooks

Will Swartz

Preston Zinter