Week three of the college football season is here. Houston plays Rice, and Heartland College Sports has your game prediction, preview, and betting odds ahead of the matchup.
GAME INFO
Saturday, September 14; 7:00 p.m. (CT); TDECU Stadium; Houston, TX
TV: ESPN+
Records: Rice (1-1); Houston (0-2)
Last Week: Rice def. Texas Southern, 69-7; Houston lost to Oklahoma, 16-12
Series History: Houston leads 33-12
Last Meeting: Rice 43, Houston 41 (2023).
Fun Fact: Prior to last year’s game, Houston had won seven straight games against Rice and in their last 17 meetings, the Owls have only won four times.
Rice vs. Houston Betting Lines and Odds
Opening Line: Houston (-4)
Over/Under: 44.5
Key Players
Rice Owls
QB EJ Warner
If the name sounds familiar that is because EJ is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner. EJ transferred in from Temple last season and is now the starting quarterback for the Owls. He struggled against Sam Houston on opening weekend but had a bounce back performance against Texas Southern completing nearly 67% of his passes.
LB Josh Pearcy
The senior linebacker from Moorestown, New Jersey is one of the leaders of this Rice defense. Last season Pearcy finished the year with seven tackles for loss which was the second most on the team.
Houston Cougars
QB Donovan Smith
With Houston’s struggles this season, it’s hard not to look past the play for quarterback Donovan Smith. Through the first two games, Smith has more interceptions (3) than touchdown passes (1).
DB AJ Haulcy
AJ was one of just two returning starters for the Cougars defense coming into the year but he was certainly a key player for them in 2023. Haulcy led the team with 98 tackles last season and is looking to have another big year in 2024.
Key Storylines
Rice Owls
Can They Keep the Bucket?
Last season was the first win for Rice in this series since 2010 when they won 34-31. Nobody had the Owls winning a year ago and not many people think they can do it again. While the offense is capable of putting up some numbers, can this Rice defense hold up their end? Two weeks ago their defense gave up 34 points to Sam Houston and while Houston’s offense isn’t great, they still have their work cut out for them this weekend.
Houston Cougars
Where is the Offense?
The Cougars are off to a 0-2 start this season and a loss here would be devastating to their bowl chances. I know it has been a total rebuild for this team but they can’t lose to Rice this weekend. Offensively, this team has shown little life as they are averaging just 1.6 yards per carry on the ground and have scored just 19 points in their first two games. Rice is going to be one of the easiest games on their schedule and if they can’t put some points on the board on Saturday then it is going to be one LONG season in the Bayou City.
Prediction: Houston 24, Rice 14
Neither offense is going to wow anyone here but I am going to go with the Cougars here in this one. Last season the Owls pulled off the upset and I know that game left a bad taste in the mouths of everyone inside the Houston football program. At some point this offense has to get their act together and I believe this is the game they do it. It’s going to be a battle but eventually the Cougars will make some key plays when it matters most.
