Rice loses to UH in Bayou Bucket Classic

By Andersen Pickard     9/9/25 11:15pm

The Bayou Bucket will remain with the University of Houston until at least 2030 after Rice football lost to the Cougars Saturday. 

With Rice and Houston not expected to play each other for at least another five years according to an X post from Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle, there was plenty to play for at Rice Stadium.

30,116 watched as Rice fell to Houston 35-9. This was the largest attendance for a home game at Rice since Sept. 14, 2019, when 42,417 people filed into the venue as Rice lost to University of Texas at Austin.

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A large turnout of 2,841 students contributed to a high-energy environment at Rice Stadium for the Owls’ first home game of the 2025 season, according to a Rice Athletics post on X. The game followed several events and activities that aimed to build school spirit, including a pep rally Friday and tailgating festivities prior to kickoff.

“Our crowd was special,” head coach Scott Abell said. “That was amazing. I give them a large shoutout.”

Rice and Houston opened the game with four consecutive three-and-outs before the Cougars were able to move across midfield on the fifth drive of the game. However, Rice stopped them before they were able to enter scoring range. Junior linebacker Ty Morris sacked Houston’s quarterback to force a turnover on downs. 

“We were just going out there and playing our type of defense,” Morris said. “The defensive guys up front were making plays, as well as the guys on our second level and the back end.”

Morris recorded six tackles in the first quarter alone. He would ultimately finish the game with 15 tackles, which is the most by an Owl through the first two games this season. 

The first quarter ended in a scoreless tie, and the Owls didn’t record a first down until the opening play in the second quarter. Rice eventually crossed midfield before settling for a 42-yard field goal from redshirt junior kicker Enock Gota.

“We had some drives going in the second quarter, and we need to finish those with touchdowns, not field goals,” Abell said. “I think the game is completely different if we can punch that in there, but we didn’t.”

Rice’s defense stood strong on the next two Houston drives, headlined by a pass break-up from graduate cornerback Khary Crump to force third down and a sack from redshirt junior defensive end Michael Daley as Houston’s quarterback failed to scramble away from pressure.  

Crump played a key role for Rice, finishing the game with a team-high 81.6 PFF defense grade. That ranked in the 95th percentile of Football Bowl Subdivision defenders in Week 2.

Strong for the first 28 minutes, Rice’s defense eventually allowed Houston to score points on its final drive of the second half. UH senior running back Dean Connors, who spent the last three seasons with Rice, broke through the line of scrimmage and ran unabated to the end zone for a 54-yard touchdown. Rice punted early in the second half, and Houston responded with a touchdown drive that included four third-down conversions. 

The Owls would eventually catch a break on a Cougars missed field goal from 45 yards out. However, their luck ran out shortly after as redshirt sophomore quarterback Chase Jenkins threw a pass that was deflected and returned for a pick-six.

“We [had] a quick pass call and the kid gets his hand on it,” Abell said. “That really kind of sealed the deal for us right there, unfortunately.” 

Rice reclaimed possession of the football and Jenkins broke off a 45-yard run, but it was called back due to holding. The Owls continued to add yards in chunks, though; before long, they were knocking on the door of the end zone. Jenkins scrambled in for a 2-yard touchdown, and the Owls pulled within 12 points after a failed 2-point conversion attempt.

Following the touchdown drive, Abell said he pulled Jenkins aside to tell him how impressed he was with the quarterback’s play.

“This is the Chase that I want to see each and every snap,” Abell said. “You saw a difference. We broke the long run, got called back for the penalty, but because of that, it opened up everything else. It opens up the inside running game, it opens up some of the perimeter run game opposite of our quarterback. There are some encouraging things from that.”

Jenkins finished the game 10-for-12 passing with 50 yards through the air and 33 yards on the ground. He found more success rushing the football Saturday than he did during the season-opening win at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

However, as Jenkins improved as a ball-carrier, running backs Quinton Jackson and Daelen Alexander saw their production decline. They combined for 107 rushing yards on 25 carries, and neither of them caught a pass. 

“The first week, it wasn’t opening up much for me, but it was opening up for our running backs,” Jenkins said. “Toward the end of this game, it started opening up for me. I think that once we put two and two together, it will be great for our offense.”

Jenkins’ touchdown was Rice’s final score of the game, but the Cougars weren’t done. Their quarterback threw a 74-yard touchdown pass, and soon after, Connors added more points with a 42-yard touchdown run. The former Owl’s standout totaled 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his return to Rice Stadium.

The Owls are now 1-1 with just one game remaining before they open conference play. Rice will host Prairie View A&M University at 6 p.m. Saturday. Abell wants to see another large group of fans in attendance.

“I hope that they’ll come back each and every Saturday to support our football program,” Abell said. “We will get better. Next week is a new week.”

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