UConn Huskies at Rice Owls Picks and Prediction for Saturday, October 25, 2025
Use Code SSWC We have an intriguing nonconference matchup in Week 9 of the college football season as the UConn Huskies face off against the Rice Owls in our Huskies vs. Owls prediction. Set to take place inside Rice Stadium on October 25th at 3:00 PM ET, this game, airing on ESPN+, will be an exciting matchup with two teams playing relatively well throughout the year. UConn is 5-2 so far while Rice is currently 3-4. With these teams on losing streaks heading into this game, let's dive into the stats, injuries, and key insights for this matchup. Before kickoff: NCAAF predictions for UConn Huskies at Rice Owls in one clean snapshot.
Huskies Looking to Become Bowl Eligible
The UConn Huskies are looking strong heading into this game as they are on a three-game winning streak after a 38-23 road win over the Boston College Eagles last week. Their offense has been dominating as they are scoring 37.1 points per game this year, placing them tied for 17th in the NCAA. Quarterback Joe Fagnano has been incredible this season as he has completed 154-of-226 passes (68.1%) for 1,918 yards with 15 touchdown passes without any interceptions as well as 27 carries for 94 yards (3.5 yards per attempt) with a pair of rushing touchdowns heading into this game. As a team, they are moving the ball as one of the top offenses as they are ranked 17th in the country in total yards, averaging 467.9 per game. UConn’s passing offense, which averages 297.6 yards per game, puts them at 11th in the sport. The rushing game, contributing 170.6 yards per game (52nd nationally), has been able to keep the defense guessing throughout the year.
The Huskies’ defense is currently 56th in the sport with 22.7 points allowed per game. They are middling in terms of the amount of yardage as they are 84th in the country with 380.4 total yards per game. The team needs to do better at limiting the rushing attack against them to continue being successful throughout the second half of the regular season.
Injury Report for UConn
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- Wide receiver Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman: Knee (Questionable)
- Running back Mel Brown: Collarbone (OUT)
Owls Needing to Snap Their Losing Streak
The Rice Owls are looking to get back on track as they are on a three-game losing streak after a 61-13 road loss against the UTSA Roadrunners in their last game. They are currently 119th in the NCAA with 19.4 points per game scored. The Owls’ offense is being led by quarterback Chase Jenkins, and he has been able to complete 60-of-89 (67.4%) passes for 553 yards with four passing touchdowns with one interception, while adding 80 rushing attempts for 275 yards (3.4 yards per carry) with four rushing touchdowns to add. Running back Quinton Jackson is stepping up in the running game with his production as he has 96 rushes for 487 yards (5.1 yards per carry) with three touchdown runs on the year. Their total offense stands at 306.6 yards per game (127th in NCAA), with the rushing attack able to get 215.4 yards (17th). The passing game has been the significantly worse part of the offense, with an average of only 91.1 yards per game (135th).
Defensively, Rice is giving up 27.1 points per game right now, which is tied for 91st in college football. The team has been getting stops as they are allowing 357.3 total yards per game (58th), and a significant portion of that has been their ability to hold teams to a 56.0 completion percentage (13th) against them.
Injury Report for Rice
- Offensive lineman Luke Needham: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Tight end Will Swartz: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Offensive lineman David Stickle: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Wide receiver Landon Ransom-Goelz: Leg (Questionable)
- Offensive lineman Cole Morgan: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Defensive end Michael Daley: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Wide receiver Ryan Guillo: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Wide receiver Owen Carter: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Safety Shepherd Bowling: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Offensive lineman John Long: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Defensive lineman Ejike Adele: Undisclosed (OUT)
- Wide receiver Max Balthazar: Undisclosed (OUT)
UConn Huskies at Rice Owls Pick
Spread Pick for UConn vs. Rice
- UConn Huskies -10.5 (5 units)
UConn has one of the most prolific offensive teams in the country and should be able to dominate throughout the 60 minutes. Joe Fagnano is yet to throw an interception and even with the weather expected to be lightning, the Huskies should be able to move the ball as they have an incredible running back room to lean on if they need to. Linebacker Bryun Parham has recorded 8.5 sacks this season, which is more than half of the total that Rice has as a team defensively. To put the defensive outputs in perspective, the Owls allowed 61 points in their most recent game, while the Huskies gave up 50 total points in their last three games. Even with Rice having the rest advantage as they did not play last week, go with the UConn Huskies to cover the spread here.
Over/Under Pick for UConn vs. Rice
- Under 50.5 (5 units)
With a team that runs the ball as incredibly as Rice, it is difficult to imagine there will be many possessions. UConn is still a team that does not play in a conference, so their stats are a bit skewed compared to other teams, but they can move the football at a good level to keep drives alive throughout the game. Rice has shut down the opposing passing game, which is going to hurt as Fagnano can do under center. Jenkins is going to struggle in obvious passing situations as UConn has shown the ability to deflect 28 passes this year. With two teams that can run the football effectively, expect under 50.5 total points to hit as the better bet.
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