NEW ORLEANS — No. 22 Tulane is atop the American Athletic Conference standings, but the Green Wave is tied with SMU and UTSA, who are also 3-0.
Tulane is seeking its sixth straight win.
Rice needs two wins to become bowl-eligible for a second straight season.
The Owls also can remain in the hunt in the AAC with a win.
GAME NOTES
No. 22 Tulane (6-1, 3-0 AAC) at Rice (4-3, 2-1), Saturday at 4 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Line: Tulane by 10 ½, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Rice leads 20-15-1
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Tulane is atop the American Athletic Conference standings, but tied with SMU and UTSA, who are also 3-0. The Green Wave are seeking their sixth straight win. Rice needs two wins to become bowl eligible for a second straight season after earning a bowl berth last season. The Owls can remain in the hunt in the AAC with a win.
KEY MATCHUP
Tulane RB Makhi Hughes against Rice’s run defense. Hughes has rushed for a league-high 619 yards, including at least 120 yards in each of the last three games with three touchdowns in that span. The Owls have allowed an average of 141 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns this season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Tulane: DB Lance Robinson has a team-high four interceptions this season and had nine tackles, including six solo tackles, against North Texas last week.
Rice: WR Luke McCaffrey has 36 receptions for 613 yards and seven touchdowns this season. The junior has two games of at least 100 yards receiving this season and two more with 99 yards.
FACTS & FIGURES
Rice has won three straight games in the series, but the teams last played Nov. 30, 2013, when both schools were members of Conference USA. The first meeting between the two schools was Nov. 11, 1916. … Tulane has won seven straight road games, which is the third longest streak in the nation behind Georgia and Michigan. … Tulane has converted just over 44% of its third down attempts, and Rice has converted right at 44% of its third down attempts. … Rice QB JT Daniels leads the AAC and is 11th nationally with 2,173 passing yards this season. He has thrown for 17 touchdowns with five interceptions. … Tulane DL Darius Hughes is second in the AAC and tied for 16th nationally with 5 ½ sacks this season. … Tulane leads the AAC with nine interceptions and is third in the league with 21 sacks. … The Green Wave allow the fewest rushing yards in the AAC with 78.4 yards per game. … Rice’s 42-10 win over Tulsa last week was the Owls’ largest conference win since 2013. … Rice’s last win over a ranked opponent was Dec. 5, 2020, when the Owls beat No. 15 Marshall 20-0. … The Owls are 2-1 in games decided by 7 points or fewer this season.
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