The Rice Owls have yet to go bowling in the Mike Bloomgren era, but this team clearly has established an identity as one of the defensive stalwarts of the C-USA. The recurring success of this unit has allowed Rice to remain competitive against the upper echelon of the conference.
Rice ranked 12th in 2020 in points allowed per game permitting just 18.8 to opponents. In both seasons working under the guidance of defensive coordinator Brian Smith, the Owls produced a top 40 run defense. The prowess of the unit was especially observed by the Marshall Thundering Herd last December in Huntington, WV.