Florida Atlantic and Rice came into Saturday's game in a similar situation. Both teams were in desperate need of a win.
In a battle of 1-7 teams, it was the Florida Atlantic Owls that left Rice Stadium in a positive mood.
Sparked by Jason Driskel's strong play at quarterback, Devin Singletary's 252 rushing yards, and a defense that provided five first-half sacks, FAU prevailed 42-25 over the Rice Owls on Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 19,892.
FAU amassed 657 yards. Driskel, who did come into the game until the third series, passed for 317 yards, completing 15 of 23 passes.