2021 Rice
4–8 (3–5 Conference USA), coached by Mike Bloomgren. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Texas Southern 48–34Sep 25
By 14 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Louisiana Tech 35–31Nov 27
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4 | at Arkansas | L 17–38 | 44% |
| Sep 11 | vs Houston | L 7–44 | 54% |
| Sep 18 | at Texas | L 0–58 | 17% |
| Sep 25 | vs Texas Southern | W 48–34 | 84% |
| Oct 2 | vs Southern Miss | W 24–19 | 56% |
| Oct 16 | at UTSA | L 0–45 | 22% |
| Oct 23 | at UAB | W 30–24 | 17% |
| Oct 30 | vs North Texas | L 24–30 | 70% |
| Nov 6 | at Charlotte | L 24–31 | 41% |
| Nov 13 | vs Western Kentucky | L 21–42 | 35% |
| Nov 20 | at UTEP | L 28–38 | 31% |
| Nov 27 | vs Louisiana Tech | W 35–31 | 53% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Louisiana Tech 35–31; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 9th in the Conference USA.
In program history: The 87th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 115 on file).
- Record
- 4–8
- Conference
- 3–5 tied for 9th in Conference USA
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 258–434
- Coach
- Mike Bloomgren
- Elo
- 1353 −99 this season
- SP+ rating
- -22.9 No. 126 of 130; offense No. 122, defense No. 123
- SRS
- −14.7 No. 115 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- 34% of last season’s EPA, No. 120 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 93 roster talent No. 99 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Marques Tuiasosopo
- Defensive coordinator
- Brian Smith
- Offense
- Pro-style
- Defense
- Multiple 3–4
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.06 | 38% | 1.23 | 100th of 130 |
| Defense | 0.27 | 49% | 1.32 | 115th of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.07 off 0.22 def | 38% off 47% def | — | 102nd off 111th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.2 | own 28 | 16% allowed |
| Defense | 4.2 | own 32 | 16% caused |
CORE rating -13.6, 108th of 130 (offense -2.7, defense 10.9).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Jake Constantine QB | 1,622 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Jake Constantine QB | 8 TD |
| Rushing yards | Ari Broussard RB | 569 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Jordan Myers TE | 8 TD |
| Receiving yards | Jake Bailey WR | 714 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Cedric Patterson III WR | 6 TD |
| Tackles | Elijah Garcia DL | 64 tkl |
| Sacks | Ikenna Enechukwu DE | 5.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Naeem Smith S | 4 INT |
Top recruits in the 2021 class
| D.J. Arkansas LB | ★★★ | No. 1031 |
| Ethan Onianwa OL | ★★★ | No. 1463 |
| Kenny Seymour Jr. LB | ★★★ | No. 1535 |
| Peyton Stevenson ATH | ★★★ | No. 1671 |
| Jaggar Hebeisen TE | ★★★ | No. 1753 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2021 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.826 |
| Receivers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.822 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.824 |
| Defensive line | 4 | 2.8 | 0.809 |
| Linebackers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.840 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 2.7 | 0.814 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.833 |
| Whole class | 18 | 2.9 | 0.822 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 124
The 2021 roster124 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2021 line; 59 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 3
The 2021 portal Luke McCaffrey QB | ★★★ | from  Nebraska |
 Cedric Patterson WR | ★★★ | from  New Mexico |
 Jake Constantine DUAL | from  Weber State |
Transfers out 5
 Blaze Alldredge LB | ★★★ | to  Missouri |
| Chris Boudreaux WR | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Jonathan Sanchez TE | ★★ | no new school on file |
| Tyrae Thornton CB | ★★ | to  North Texas |
| Jawan King RB | to Kilgore J.C. |
2021 Conference USA standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| UTSA | 7–1 | 12–2 | |
| Western Kentucky | 7–1 | 9–5 | |
| UAB | 6–2 | 9–4 | |
 Marshall | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
| North Texas | 5–3 | 6–7 | |
 Old Dominion | 5–3 | 6–7 | |
 Middle Tennessee | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
| UTEP | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
| Charlotte | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
 Florida Atlantic | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| Rice | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| Southern Miss | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Louisiana Tech | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
 Florida International | 0–8 | 1–11 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.