Navy and Rice to Meet for the First Time Since 2009

Navy (6-1, 4-0 AAC) at Rice (2-6, 1-3 AAC)
When	Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 | 4:00 pm (ET) / 3:00 pm (CT)
Location	Houston, Texas | Rice Stadium
Television	ESPN2 (Mike Monaco, Kirk Morrison, Dawn Davenport)
Live Video Stream	WatchESPN and ESPN+
Listen	Navy Football Radio Network (Pete Medhurst, Joe Miller, Keith Mills, Scott Wykoff) WBAL 1090 AM / 101.5 FM (Baltimore) | WFED 820 AM, 94.3 FM (Frederick, Md.) | WFED 1500 AM (Washington, DC) | WFED 104.5 FM (Western Fairfax/Loudon, Va.) | WNAV 1430 AM, 99.9 FM (Annapolis) | KWFN 97.3 FM (San Diego) | WGH 1310 AM / 100.9 FM (Norfolk, Va.) | WJGM 105.7 FM (Jacksonville, Fla.) | KIKI 990 AM (Honolulu, Hawai’i) | Satellite: Sirius Ch. 83, SXM App Ch. 83 | Apps: Audacy (WNAV and KWFN) and TuneIn (WBAL)
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	Navy | Rice | AAC
Season Statistics	Navy | Rice | AAC
Social Media	@NavyAthletics | @NavyFB | Facebook | instagram

Opening Kick

• Navy (6-1, 4-0 in the American Athletic Conference) and Rice (2-6, 1-3 AAC) meet for the 13th time on the gridiron and for the first time since 2009 when the two square off on Saturday afternoon (4:00 pm) at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas. Saturday’s contest is being televised by ESPN2.
• Navy is looking for its first 7-1 start to a season since 2019. The Mids opened that year 7-1 en route to an 11-2 record, won the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy with victories over Air Force and Army and defeated Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl.
• Rice enters Saturday having lost 2 hard-fought games on the road to UConn (17-10) and Tulane (24-10). The last time Rice played at home was on Oct. 12 when the Owls knocked off UTSA 29-27.
• Rice starting quarterback EJ Warner, who was a game-time decision last Saturday against UConn and ended up not playing due to injury, had a big day against Navy last year when he was at Temple. He threw for 402 yards and 4 touchdowns, as the Owls defeated the Mids 32-18 in Philadelphia. That upset loss to the Owls last fall ended up costing Navy a bowl game.
• The all-time series between Navy and Rice is tied at 6, with the Mids winning the last 4 contests. Navy is 3-4 all-time against Rice in Houston, with the Owls winning the first 4 and Navy winning the last 3. The last time these two programs met (2009), the Mids won 63-14 at Rice.
• Navy is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 51-14 loss to No. 12 Notre Dame. The Mids, who had turned the ball over just twice all year (both in the opener against Bucknell), turned it over 6 times against the Irish, including losing 5 fumbles (Navy had not lost a fumble all year entering the game). It was the first time Navy had 6 turnovers in a game since 2002 in a loss to Boston College.
• Navy, picked 11th in the 14-team AAC preseason poll, is currently in second place with a 4-0 record and owns a win over preseason favorite Memphis. The Mids, who play 3 of the top-4 teams in the preseason poll (Memphis, Tulane, South Florida), control their own destiny to make the American Athletic Conference Championship Game.
• Navy’s 283 points in its 7 games this season are 71 more than it scored in its combined 12 games last year (212).
• Navy has scored a touchdown on the 1st play of a drive 5 times this fall, which is the 3rd most in the FBS.
• Navy is averaging 267.3 rushing yards per game this fall, the 4th-best average in the FBS and the program’s best since 2019 when it averaged a school-record 360.5 rushing yards per game.
• Navy is 24-26 (.923) in the red zone this year with 23 of those scores resulting in touchdowns (Navy’s first 20 red zone trips resulted in touchdowns before settling for a field goal against Charlotte). Last year, the Mids were tied for 130th in the country in red zone offense, scoring just 14 touchdowns on 29 attempts.
• Eli Heidenreich (Jr. / Snipe) and Alex Tecza (Jr. / FB), who grew up in Pittsburgh and have known each other since the first grade, have combined to score a touchdown for Navy in 14 of the last 17 games dating back to the 2023 season.
• Rayuan Lane III (Sr. / Safety) made his 37th-consecutive start at safety for the Mids against Rice, which is the longest active streak for a safety in the FBS and second longest by a player in the secondary. Lane III also has 3 forced fumbles this year, tied for the 4th most in the FBS. Sporting News named him to the Midseason All-America Team.
• DaShaun Peele (Sr. / CB) became the 1st player in school history to return 2 interceptions for a touchdown in the same game in the Mids’ win over Charlotte. It’s the 3rd time this year Navy has returned an interception for a touchdown as Rayuan Lane III (Sr./S) had an 86-yard interception return for a touchdown with 23 seconds left in the game against Memphis that clinched the victory for the Mids.
• Blake Horvath (Jr./QB), Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe and Washington State quarterback John Mateer are the only 3 quarterbacks in the FBS with double-figure rushing AND passing touchdowns.
• Horvath is the No. 6-rated quarterback (min. 75 drop backs) and the No. 5 overall runner (all positions, min. 75 attempts), Heidenreich is tied as the No. 1 overall receiver (min. 25 targets) and Lane III is the No. 1-rated safety (min. 425 snaps) in the FBS according to Pro Football Focus. Additionally, Connor McMahon (Mr. / OT) is the 7th best pass blocker (min. 375 snaps).

Broadcast Coverage
• ESPN2 will carry Saturday’s game with Mike Monaco (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (color) and Dawn Davenport (sidelines) on the call.
• The Navy Football Pregame Show with Pete Medhurst, Joe Miller, Keith Mills, Scott Wykoff and special commentary from John Feinstein will get underway at 3 pm on the Navy Radio Network, followed by game action beginning at 4 pm with Medhurst, Miller and Mills on the call.
• Following the contest, Medhurst, Miller, Mills and Wykoff will recap the day’s events in a 30-minute postgame show.

Better Get Used to the Road
• After opening the season with 3-consecutive home games, the Mids will play 7 of their final-9 games away from home (5 road, 2 neutral site).
• Navy is the only FBS team in the country that has just 2 true home games in the final 9 contests.

Success in the Red Zone
• Navy is 22nd in the country in red zone offense (24-26) with 23 (19 rush, 4 pass) of those scores resulting in touchdowns. Last year, Navy was tied for 130th in the country, scoring just 14 touchdowns on 29 attempts.
• Navy is 2nd in the country in red zone touchdown percentage, scoring a touchdown 88.5 percent of the time (23-26)
• Navy’s defense is tied for 7th in red zone defense, giving up just 17 scores in 25 attempts (9 rushing, 3 passing, 5 FGs).

Quick Strikes
• Navy has scored a touchdown on the first play of a drive 5 times in its 7 games this season.
• Daba Fofana (Sr. / FB) scored on a 49-yard run against Bucknell, while Brandon Chatman (Jr. / Snipe) scored on a 42-yard screen pass from Blake Horvath (Jr./QB).
• Horvath and Alex Tecza (Jr. / FB) scored on back-to-back runs of 62 and 65 yards against Temple.
• Horvath did it again against Memphis, going 90 yards on a keeper.
• The 5 touchdown scores on the first play of a drive are the 3rd most in the FBS.

Hitting the Big Plays
• Navy has had 15 offensive plays this year of 40 yards or more, which is tied for the 4th most in the country.
• Navy has had 9 offensive plays this year of 50 yards or more, which is tied for the 2nd most in the country.
• Navy has had 7 offensive plays this year of 60 yards or more, which is the 2nd most in the country.
• Navy has had 3 offensive plays this year of 70 yards or more, which is tied for the 3rd most in the country.
• Navy has had 1 offensive play this year of 80 yards or more, which is tied for the 6th most in the country.
• Navy is 1 of just 7 schools that has had a 90-yard play this year. Jacksonville State, Miami, North Texas, Temple, Western Michigan and Troy are the other 6.

Piling Up the Points
• Navy is averaging 40.4 points per game, which is tied for the 9th-best scoring average in the country.
• Navy has scored at least 34 points in every game this year except one when it turned the ball over 6 times against Notre Dame and scored just 14.
• Navy’s 283 points in its 7 games this year are 71 points more than Navy scored in a combined 12 games last year (212).
• A big reason for Navy’s scoring outburst is the play of the offensive line. Navy is tied for 1st in the country in tackles for losses allowed (2.1) and is 2nd in sacks allowed (0.43).
• Connor McMahon (Sr./OT) is the 3rd-highest rated pass blocker (min. 375 snaps) in the FBS according to Pro Football Focus.