American college football season
The 2020 Rice Owls football team represented Rice University in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Owls played their home games at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas , and competed in the West Division of Conference USA (C–USA). They were led by third-year head coach Mike Bloomgren .
Listed in the order that they were released
The preseason poll will be released prior to the Conference USA media days sometime during summer 2020 via a virtual conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
West Division
Predicted finish
Team
Votes
Louisiana Tech
North Texas
Rice
Southern Miss
UAB
UTEP
UTSA
East Division
Predicted finish
Team
Votes
Charlotte
FIU
Florida Atlantic
Marshall
Middle Tennessee
Old Dominion
Western Kentucky
Preseason All–C-USA teams[ edit ]
The Preseason team will be released during the Virtual Media Day to be held in the summer of 2020.
References :[ 6] [ 7]
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
40‡
Commit date
Jaren Banks Linebacker
Junction City, OR
Sheldon HS New Mexico Military
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
–
Feb 6, 2020
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Kobie Campbel Running Back
Missouri City, TX
Hightower HS
5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Michael "Mike" Collins Quarterback
New Canaan, CT
New Canaan HS TCU
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : ESPN : N/A
Jordan Dunbar Cornerback
Tarrytown, NY
Iona Prep
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Sean Fresch Athlete
Austin, TX
Lyndon B. Johnson HS
5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Khalan Griffin Running Back
Tyler, TX
Chapel Hill HS
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Geron Hargon Linebacker
Shreveport, LA
Captain Shreve HS
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Nate Kamper Tight End
Fort Hood, TX
Killeen HS
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Cole Latos Defensive Lineman
Allen, TX
Allen HS
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
270 lb (120 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Mike Leone Offensive Lineman
Bryn Mawr, PA
The Hun School
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
270 lb (120 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Andrew Mason Wide Receiver
Spring Hill, TN
Ravenwood HS
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
155 lb (70 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
TJ McMahon Quarterback
Anaheim, CA
Servite HS Cerritos College
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Lamont Narcisse Cornerback
Pasadena, CA
Calabasas HS
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
176 lb (80 kg)
–
Feb 6, 2020
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Braedon Nutter Offensive Lineman
Tomball, TX
Tomball Memorial HS
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
290 lb (130 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Trey Phillippi Offensive Tackle
Montgomery, TX
Montgomery HS
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
260 lb (120 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Jalen Reeves Defensive Lineman
Hollywood, FL
NSU University School
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : ESPN :
Collin Riccitelli Kicker
San Marcos, CA
Carlsbad HS Stanford
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
198 lb (90 kg)
–
Feb 6, 2020
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Adam Sheriff Offensive Lineman
Prosper, TX
Prosper HS Butler CC
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
285 lb (129 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Gabriel "Gabe" Taylor Defensive Back
Miami, FL
Gulliver Prep
5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
–
Feb 6, 2020
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Jovaun Woolford Offensive Lineman
Des Plaines, IL
Maine West HS Colgate
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
285 lb (129 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A
Plae Wyatt Safety
McKinney, TX
Boyd HS
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
–
Dec 18, 2019
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
Rice had games scheduled against Lamar , Louisiana Tech , LSU , UTEP , and UTSA which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic .[ 8] [ 9]
[ 10]
Middle Tennessee at Rice
1
2 3 4 OT Total
• Blue Raiders
0
14 17 3 6
40
Owls
6
7 6 14 0
33
Date: October 24, 2020Location: Rice Stadium Houston, TX Game start: 2:32 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 51 minutesGame attendance: 0Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: N 6 MPH Referee: Joe LehringTV announcers (ESPN3 ): David Saltzman (play–by–play) and Taylor McHargue (analyst)
Scoring summary 1 11:11 RICE Collin Riccitelli 34-yard field goal(8 plays, 63 yards, 3:49) RICE 3–0
04:29 RICE Collin Riccitelli 45-yard field goal(9 plays, 29 yards, 3:56) RICE 6–0
2 10:40 MTSU Yusuf Ali 25-yard pass from Asher O'Hara (Crews Holt kick)(7 plays, 68 yards, 2:22) MTSU 7–6
01:33 RICE August Pitre III 3-yard pass from Mike Collins (Collin Riccitelli kick)(18 plays, 80 yards, 9:07) RICE 13–7
00:30 MTSU CJ Windham 21-yard pass from Asher O'Hara (Crews Holt kick)(6 plays, 66 yards, 1:03) MTSU 14–13
3 11:52 MTSU Asher O'Hara 2-yard rush (Crews Holt kick)(7 plays, 62 yards, 3:08) MTSU 21–13
07:55 MTSU Jonathan Butler 32-yard fumble returned (Crews Holt kick)(2 plays, 9 yards, 0:49) MTSU 28–13
05:34 RICE Austin Trammell 8-yard pass from Mike Collins (two-point pass conversion attempt failed)(5 plays, 65 yards, 2:21) MTSU 28–19
00:00 MTSU Crews Holt 20-yard field goal(5 plays, 15 yards, 1:52) MTSU 31–19
4 11:34 RICE Jack Bradley 22-yard pass from Mike Collins (Collin Riccitelli kick)(6 plays, 83 yards, 3:26) MTSU 31–26
00:34 RICE Austin Trammell 20-yard pass from Mike Collins (Mike Collins two-point conversion pass to Austin Trammell)(10 plays, 83 yards, 1:50) RICE 34–31
00:00 MTSU Crews Holt 48-yard field goal(5 plays, 35 yards, 0:34) TIE 34–34
2OT MTSU Asher O'Hara 14-yard rush(4 plays, 25 yards) MTSU 40–34
Pregame line
Over/under
RICE −4
48.5[ 11]
Statistics
Middle Tennessee
Rice
First downs
22
26
Total yards
451
425
Rushing yards
118
183
Passing yards
333
242
Turnovers
1
3
Time of possession
27:03
32:57
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Middle Tennessee
Passing
Asher O'Hara
24/33, 333 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Asher O'Hara
22 carries, 69 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving
CJ Windham
7 receptions, 109 yards, 1 TD
Rice
Passing
Mike Collins
18/35, 242 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing
Juma Otoviano
20 carries, 84 yards
Receiving
Austin Trammell
3 receptions, 76 yards, 2 TDs
Rice at Southern Mississippi
1
2 3 4 Total
• Owls
3
20 0 7
30
Eagles
0
6 0 0
6
Date: October 31, 2020Location: M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS Game start: 2:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 2 hours and 59 minutesGame attendance: 0Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: ESE 2 MPH Referee: Ken AnteeTV announcers (ESPN3 ): Jason Baker (play–by–play) and Dustin Almond (analyst)
Scoring summary 1 02:03 RICE Collin Riccitelli 21-yard field goal(14 plays, 80 yards, 7:17) RICE 3–0
2 14:09 RICE Austin Trammell 72-yard pass from Mike Collins (Collin Riccitelli kick)(2 plays, 75 yards, 0:51) RICE 10–0
13:58 RICE Jake Bailey 25-yard pass from Mike Collins (Collin Riccitelli PAT failed)(1 play, 25 yards, 0:11) RICE 16–0
08:05 USM Briggs Bourgeois 45-yard field goal(13 plays, 47 yards, 5:53) RICE 16–3
02:04 RICE Austin Trammell 13-yard pass from Mike Collins (Collin Riccitelli kick)(3 plays, 17 yards, 1:34) RICE 23–3
00:00 USM Briggs Bourgeois 26-yard field goal(4 plays, 32 yards, 0:26) RICE 23–6
4 06:47 RICE Austin Trammell 14-yard pass from Mike Collins (Collin Riccitelli kick)(16 plays, 88 yards, 9:00) RICE 30–6
Pregame line
Over/under
RICE −1
59[ 12]
Statistics
Rice
Southern Miss
First downs
22
11
Total yards
412
269
Rushing yards
179
100
Passing yards
233
169
Turnovers
1
3
Time of possession
36:52
23:08
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Rice
Passing
Mike Collins
12/17, 233 yards, 4 TDs
Rushing
Juma Otoviano
25 carries, 111 yards
Receiving
Austin Trammell
7 receptions, 143 yards, 3 TDs
Southern Miss
Passing
Jack Abraham
12/17, 112 yards, 1 INT
Rushing
Frank Gore Jr.
11 carries, 71 yards
Receiving
Antoine Robinson
3 receptions, 41 yards
Rice at North Texas
1
2 3 4 Total
Owls
10
0 0 7
17
• Mean Green
0
14 3 10
27
Date: November 21, 2020Location: Apogee Stadium Denton, TX Game start: 1:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 4 minutesGame attendance: 5,976Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy • Wind: S 11 MPH Referee: Jonathan NoliTV announcers (ESPN3 ): Doug Anderson (play–by–play) and LaDarrin McLane (analyst)
Scoring summary 1 11:11 RICE Collin Riccitelli 45-yard field goal(8 plays, 48 yards, 3:49) RICE 3–0
04:26 RICE Austin Trammell 14-yard pass from Mike Collins (Collin Riccitelli kick)(7 plays, 97 yards, 4:01) RICE 10–0
2 06:56 UNT Jason Bean 66-yard rush (Ethan Mooney kick)(4 plays, 89 yards, 1:17) RICE 10–7
01:09 UNT Jaelon Darden 25-yard pass from Jason Bean (Ethan Mooney kick)(6 plays, 38 yards, 2:00 UNT 14–10
3 09:56 UNT Ethan Mooney 27-yard field goal(13 plays, 55 yards, 5:04) UNT 17–10
4 13:03 UNT Ethan Mooney 30-yard field goal(9 plays, 67 yards, 2:40) UNT 20–10
07:27 UNT DeAndre Torrey 1-yard rush (Ethan Mooney kick)(6 plays, 39 yards, 2:43) UNT 27–10
00:08 RICE Jake Bailey 17-yard pass from Mike Collins (Collin Riccitelli kick)(6 plays, 80 yards, 1:18) UNT 27–17
Pregame line
Over/under
UNT –1.5
65[ 13]
Statistics
Rice
North Texas
First downs
23
17
Total yards
376
389
Rushing yards
49
269
Passing yards
327
120
Turnovers
2
0
Time of possession
36:25
23:35
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Rice
Passing
Mike Collins
23/34, 327 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Khalan Griffin
20 carries, 72 yards
Receiving
Austin Trammell
6 receptions, 116 yards, 1 TD
North Texas
Passing
Jason Bean
9/20, 120 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
DeAndre Torrey
19 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Austin Ogunmakin
3 receptions, 60 yards
Rice at Marshall
1
2 3 4 Total
• Owls
7
3 10 0
20
No. 21 Thundering Herd
0
0 0 0
0
Date: December 5, 2020Location: Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV Game start: 11:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hoursGame attendance: 10,429Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind:WNW 6 MPH Referee: Ken AnteeTV announcers (ESPN+ ): Jake Griffith (play–by–play) and Dave Wilson (analyst)
Scoring summary 1 01:06 RICE Jordan Myers 1-yard rush (Collin Riccitelli kick)(10 plays, 47 yards, 6:48) RICE 7–0
2 05:49 RICE Collin Riccitelli 39-yard field goal(10 plays, 66 yards, 5:21) RICE 10–0
3 09:24 RICE Collin Riccitelli 40-yard field goal(4 plays, 5 yards, 2:21) RICE 13–0
07:50 RICE Naeem Smith 36-yard interception returned (Collin Riccitelli kick)(3 plays, -5 yards, 1:34) RICE 20–0
Pregame line
Over/under
MARSH –23.5
46.5[ 14]
Statistics
Rice
Marshall
First downs
17
19
Total yards
213
245
Rushing yards
127
80
Passing yards
86
165
Turnovers
1
5
Time of possession
36:26
23:34
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Rice
Passing
JoVoni Johnson
10/14, 86 yards
Rushing
Ari Broussard
19 carries, 62 yards
Receiving
Jake Bailey
7 receptions, 57 yards
Marshall
Passing
Grant Wells
18/35, 165 yards, 5 INTs
Rushing
Brenden Knox
20 carries, 76 yards
Receiving
Talik Keaton
7 receptions, 48 yards
Alabama–Birmingham at Rice
1
2 3 4 Total
• Blazers
0
7 14 0
21
Owls
3
10 0 3
16
Date: December 12, 2020Location: Rice Stadium Houston, TX Game start: 12:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 13 minutesGame attendance: 2,000Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Weather: OvercastReferee: Rodney BurnetteTV announcers (ESPN3 ): Matt Pederson (play–by–play) and Taylor McHargue (analyst)
Scoring summary 1 00:49 RICE Collin Riccitelli 40-yard field goal(20 plays, 62 yards, 12:12) RICE 3–0
2 10:09 RICE Collin Riccitelli 35-yard field goal(8 plays, 35 yards, 4:35) RICE 6–0
06:55 UAB Lucious Stanley 7-yard rush (Matt Quinn kick)(6 plays, 75 yards, 3:14) UAB 7–6
00:38 RICE Jordan Myers 26-yard pass from JoVoni Johnson (Collin Riccitelli kick)(5 plays, 83 yards, 0:41) RICE 13–7
3 12:46 UAB Myron Mitchell 63-yard pass from Tyler Johnson III (Matt Quinn kick)(1 play, 63 yards, 0:10) UAB 14–13
10:16 UAB Samario Rudolph 42-yard pass from Tyler Johnson III (Matt Quinn kick)(5 plays, 71 yards, 1:44) UAB 21–13
4 11:14 RICE Collin Riccitelli 40-yard field goal(8 plays, 30 yards, 3:41) UAB 21–16
Pregame line
Over/under
UAB –7
42.5[ 15]
Statistics
UAB
Rice
First downs
13
20
Total yards
354
232
Rushing yards
137
66
Passing yards
217
166
Turnovers
0
1
Time of possession
22:42
37:18
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
UAB
Passing
Tyler Johnson III
9/18, 217 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Tyler Johnson III
7 carries, 41 yards
Receiving
Myron Mitchell
1 reception, 63 yards, 1 TD
Rice
Passing
JoVoni Johnson
17/23, 139 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Khalan Griffin
14 carries, 34 yards
Receiving
Jake Bailey
7 receptions, 72 yards
^ "2020 Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List" . July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "2020 Biletnikoff Award Watch List" . July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "The Butkus Award 2020 Collegiate Watch List" . July 20, 2020. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "2020 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List Unveiled" . July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "50 Players Named to 2020 Paul Hornung Award Watch List" . July 23, 2020. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
^ "Owls Add 17 During Early Signing Period" . Rice Owls . Retrieved May 27, 2020 .
^ "Owls Add Four to 2020 Recruiting Haul" . Rice Owls . Retrieved May 27, 2020 .
^ Talty, John. "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season" . AL.com . Retrieved July 30, 2020 .
^ "Football Opener with Lamar Cancelled" . Rice Athletic Department. August 21, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020 .
^ "2020 Football Schedule" . Rice Owls . Retrieved August 22, 2020 .
^ "Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs Rice Owls" . Odds Shark . Retrieved January 2, 2021 .
^ "Rice Owls vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles" . Odds Shark . Retrieved January 2, 2021 .
^ "Rice Owls vs North Texas Mean Green" . Odds Shark . Retrieved January 2, 2021 .
^ "Rice Owls vs Marshall Thundering Herd Prediction, 12/5/2020 College Football Pick, Tips and Odds" . www.docsports.com . Retrieved January 2, 2021 .
^ "UAB Blazers vs Rice Owls" . Odds Shark . Retrieved January 2, 2021 .
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons