It’s the first-ever meeting as American Athletic Conference opponents for the Rice Owls (2-2, 0-1 AAC) and East Carolina Pirates (1-3, 0-0 AAC). The geographically distant schools formerly shared membership in Conference USA throughout the 2000s and they’ll reunite against on the soil of Rice Stadium.
It’s the first AAC matchup in the venue’s history, and Rice will commemorate the occasion by donning a special set of uniforms that “pay homage to the NFL ties” in the city of Houston. The Owls got a head-start on conference play last weekend in Tampa, where they fell 42-29 to South Florida after allowing an onslaught of explosive plays in the second half.