The Rice Owls and UAB Blazers clash Saturday in C-USA week 5 college football action at Rice Stadium. The UAB Blazers look to build on their 2-1 record. The Rice Owls look to get a game above a .500 record.
The UAB Blazers have won 4 of their last 6 road games. Dylan Hopkins is completing 67.3 percent of his passes for 430 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Tejhaun Palmer and TJ Jones have combined for 201 receiving yards on 18 catches, while Trea Shropshire has 1 reception. The UAB Blazers ground game is averaging 253.3 yards per contest, and DeWayne McBride leads the way with 400 yards and 5 touchdowns. Defensively, UAB is allowing 14 points and 347.7 yards per game. Noah Wilder leads the UAB Blazers with 32 tackles, Kyle Harrell has 1.5 sacks and Jaylen Key has 2 interceptions.
The Rice Owls have won their last 3 home games. TJ McMahon is completing 63.9 percent of his passes for 976 yards, 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Luke McCaffrey and Bradley Rozner have combined for 601 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns, while Isaiah Esdale has 17 receptions. The Rice Owls ground game is averaging 148.8 yards per contest, and Ari Broussard leads the way with 160 yards and 6 touchdowns. Defensively, Rice is allowing 32.8 points and 367.5 yards per game. Chris Conti leads the Rice Owls with 19 tackles, Ikenna Enechukwu has 2.5 sacks and Gabe Taylor has 1 interception.
The Blazers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games and 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall. The Owls are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 conference games and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The under is 8-3 in Blazers last 11 road games. The over is 13-3 in Owls last 16 games overall. The home team is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 meetings.
The Rice Owls have had a tough schedule up to this point, so it’s hard to figure out just how good they are, but their defense leaves a lot to be desired. The UAB Blazers are obviously the more talented team here, but they’ve also had a couple of weeks off, which is key. UAB is fresh and ready to go, while Rice is coming off a physical game against Houston that had lots of back and forth. Juicy number, but UAB should roll and pull away in the second half.