Last October, Rice strolled into Birmingham as considerable underdogs and exited UAB’s house with a stunning, 30-24 victory. The momentum generated from that win looked as if it could usher in a new, more prosperous era of Owl football.
One year later, the effects of that victory could be felt as UAB paid a return trip to Houston with hopes of avenging Rice. Instead, the Owls proved their progress in tangible fashion by upending the team which head coach Mike Bloomgren repeatedly referred to as the “standard” in the C-USA. Rice rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat the Blazers for the second consecutive season, 28-24.