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3rd Quarter Report
Texas State is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Rice 38-21.
If Texas State keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 8-5 in no time. On the other hand, Rice will have to make due with a 6-7 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Preview
The Rice Owls and the Texas State Bobcats will square off in the First Responder Bowl at Gerald J. Ford Stadium 5:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Texas State does have the home-field advantage, but Rice is expected to win by 5.5 points.
Rice gave up the first points back in November, but they didn't let that get them down. They came out on top in a nail-biter against FAU and snuck past 24-21. The win made it back-to-back wins for Rice.
Rice's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Luke McCaffrey led the charge by picking up 141 receiving yards and a touchdown. AJ Padgett also helped out by tossing the rock for 255 yards.
Meanwhile, even though South Alabama scored an imposing 44 points back in November, Texas State still came out on top. Texas State walked away with a 52-44 win over South Alabama. The win was just what Texas State needed coming off of a 77-31 loss in their prior game.
Texas State can attribute much of their success to TJ Finley, who threw for 368 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 13.1 yards per attempt. Kole Wilson also helped out as he racked up 102 receiving yards.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Texas State's defensive line and their five sacks. Kalil Alexander was especially locked on to South Alabama's QB and sacked him twice. Wilson also managed to return a kickoff 100-yards to the end zone in the second quarter.
The win got Rice back to even at 6-6. As for Texas State, their win bumped their record up to 7-5.
