| Year: | 2022 |
| Team: | Rice Owls |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Conference USA |
| Short Conf: | C-USA |
| Record: | 5–8 |
| Conf Record: | 3–5 |
| Head Coach: | Mike Bloomgren |
| Hc Year: | 5th |
| Off Coach: | Marques Tuiasosopo |
| Oc Year: | 2nd |
| Off Scheme: | Pro-style |
| Def Coach: | Brian Smith |
| Dc Year: | 5th |
| Def Scheme: | Multiple 3–4 |
| Stadium: | Rice Stadium |
| Bowl: | LendingTree Bowl |
| Bowl Result: | L 24–38 vs. Southern Miss |
The 2022 Rice Owls football team represented Rice University as a member of Conference USA (C-USA) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by head coach Mike Bloomgren, who was coaching his fifth season with the team. The Owls played their home games at the Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas.
In October 2021, Rice accepted the invitation to join the American Athletic Conference (AAC), scheduled to become a full-member on July 1, 2023.[1] [2] The 2022 season was expected to be the program's last season as a member of Conference USA.
The Owls finished their regular season with a 5–7 record, and became bowl eligible due to having the highest APR among FBS teams with 5–7 records.[3] [4] [5]
The Conference USA media day was held on July 27 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The Owls were predicted to finish tenth in the conference's preseason poll.[6]
| Media poll | ||
| 1 | UTSA | |
| 2 | UAB | |
| 3 | WKU | |
| 4 | Florida Atlantic | |
| 5 | North Texas | |
| 6 | UTEP | |
| 7 | Charlotte | |
| 8 | Middle Tennessee | |
| 9 | Louisiana Tech | |
| 10 | Rice | |
| 11 | FIU | |
Rice and Conference USA announced the 2022 football schedule on March 30, 2022.[7]
See also: 2022 USC Trojans football team.
See also: 2022 McNeese State Cowboys football team.
See also: 2022 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team.
See also: 2022 Houston Cougars football team and Houston–Rice rivalry.
| style= | Pregame line! | style= | Over/under |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOU –17.5 | 52 |
| Statistics | Rice | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 22 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 65–424 | 58–427 |
| Rushes–yards | 25–90 | 32–178 |
| Passing yards | 334 | 249 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 25–40–1 | 19–26–1 |
| Time of possession | 29:55 | 30:05 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | Passing | T. J. McMahon | 25/39, 334 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Kobie Campbell | 1 carry, 34 yards | |
| Receiving | Bradley Rozner | 5 receptions, 123 yards | |
| Houston | Passing | 19/26, 249 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT | |
| Rushing | Ta'Zhawn Henry | 17 carries, 112 yards, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | 7 receptions, 134 yards, 1 TD |
See also: 2022 UAB Blazers football team.
| Statistics | UAB | RICE |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 22 | 15 |
| Total yards | 360 | 209 |
| Rushing yards | 122 | 105 |
| Passing yards | 238 | 104 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:00 | 30:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAB | Passing | 15/21, 231 yards, 2 TD, INT | |
| Rushing | 27 rushes, 121 yards, TD | ||
| Receiving | 2 receptions, 82 yards | ||
| Rice | Passing | T. J. McMahon | 11/17, 104 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Cameron Montgomery | 5 rushes, 34 yards | |
| Receiving | Luke McCaffrey | 5 receptions, 38 yards |
See also: 2022 Florida Atlantic Owls football team.
See also: 2022 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team.
| Statistics | RICE | LT |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 24 | 19 |
| Total yards | 487 | 373 |
| Rushing yards | 279 | 144 |
| Passing yards | 208 | 229 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 33:22 | 26:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | Passing | T. J. McMahon | 16/27, 208 yards, 3 TD |
| Rushing | Cameron Montgomery | 14 rushes, 87 yards | |
| Receiving | 10 receptions, 171 yards, 2 TD | ||
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Matthew Downing | 12/24, 159 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Rushing | Marquis Crosby | 14 rushes, 87 yards | |
| Receiving | 8 receptions, 92 yards, 3 TD |
See also: 2022 Charlotte 49ers football team.
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | Passing | 16–19, 254 yards, 5 TD | |
| Rushing | Shadrick Byrd | 13 rushes, 83 yards, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Elijah Spencer | 5 receptions, 84 yards, 3 TD | |
| Rice | Passing | T. J. McMahon | 18–33, 218 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | T. J. McMahon | 9 rushes, 45 yards | |
| Receiving | Bradley Rozner | 5 receptions, 105 yards, 2 TD |
| Statistics | CHAR | Rice |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 25 | 20 |
| Total yards | 514 | 370 |
| Rushing yards | 239 | 152 |
| Passing yards | 275 | 218 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 31:57 | 28:03 |
See also: 2022 UTEP Miners football team.
See also: 2022 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team.
See also: 2022 UTSA Roadrunners football team.
See also: 2022 North Texas Mean Green football team.
| Statistics | RICE | UNT |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 19 | 16 |
| Total yards | 415 | 362 |
| Rushing yards | 186 | 159 |
| Passing yards | 229 | 203 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 35:43 | 24:17 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | Passing | AJ Padgett | 13/22, 229 yards, TD, INT |
| Rushing | Juma Otoviano | 14 rushes, 94 yards | |
| Receiving | Braylen Walker | 4 receptions, 77 yards, TD | |
| North Texas | Passing | 16/29, 203 yards, 2 TD | |
| Rushing | Ikaika Ragsdale | 17 rushes, 122 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Ikaika Ragsdale | 5 receptions, 59 yards, TD |
See also: 2022 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team and 2022 LendingTree Bowl.