BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Owls of Florida Atlantic University football (4-7, 3-4 AAC) will travel to Houston, Texas this weekend to face the host Rice Owls (5-6, 3-4 AAC) at 1 p.m. EST in a game that will air on ESPN+.
While the two teams’ mascots are similarly called Owls, that is not the only similarity. Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Tom Herman returns to Rice where he served as the other Owls’ offensive coordinator in 2007 and 2008. Rice was his first OC position at the FBS level and became his fifth Texas college he called home. He would later serve as the head coach at both Houston and Texas, bringing his collection of Texas colleges to coach at to six (previously coached at Texas). Similarly, to Herman, wide receiver coach David Beaty served as an assistant coach at Rice. Beaty was at Rice first in 2006 and 2007, where he crossed paths with Herman. Beaty then returned to Rice in 2010. In total, five football staff members have worked in the state of Texas.
From a players’ standpoint, Jarron Morris, the Owls’ leading tackler, will return home to Texas in this game as will Devin Price and Jackson Sumlin. FAU has six players on the roster from the Lonestar State. There is one more with a tie in. Nick Salmon, the Owls’ holder and backup punter, hails from Melbourne, Australia but is connected to Rice through his brother, Campbell, who played tennis at Rice (2019-2023) and served as the team’s captain.
INSIDE THE OWLS’ BURROW
This is the final episode of Inside The Owls’ Burrow for 2023. The show will return on January 11, 2024 with our spring semester show covering everything Florida Atlantic athletics.
GAME DETAILS
Saturday, Nov. 25 – Florida Atlantic at Rice
- Time – 1 p.m. EST
- Television – ESPN+
- Radio – Ken LaVicka and Kris Bartels will have the game’s call on FoxSports South Florida
- ESPN+ – Richard Cross, Leger Douzable and Smacker Miles will provide the coverage
FOLLOW THE TEAM
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