Winless Run Meets Over Streak: Can Rice Stop Its Slide Against Tulane?

Rice arrives at First Community Stadium on 6 straight losses, the last 3 of them at home. Tulane arrives having gone over the total in 3 straight games and failed to cover the spread in 3 straight. Those streaks stand out, but they describe what has happened and do not forecast what comes next. The teams have not met in the last 400 days, so there is no recent head-to-head to give them context.

Rice's recent usage points to a ground-based offense. Tyvonn Byars has 39 carries over the team's last 3 games, and D'Andre Hardeman Jr. has 29. Gael Ochoa led the team in pass attempts against North Texas on 2026-11-07, but on only 9 attempts, and he has led in 2 of its last 3 games. Jordan Clark, the top wide receiver, has 5 receptions over those three games. That is a low-volume passing game, the kind that normally keeps the clock running.

Tulane's offense looks more balanced. Trace Johnson has led the team in pass attempts in each of its last 3 games, including 19 attempts against Tulsa Golden Hurricane on 2026-11-07. Johnnie Daniels has 31 carries over the last 3 games, with Maurice Turner at 14. Destyn Hill has 15 receptions over that span, Anthony Brown-Stephens has 12 and Zycarl Lewis Jr. has 7, so the targets are spread across three receivers rather than concentrated in one.

The evidence pulls in different directions. Tulane's run of overs suggests its recent games have been high-scoring, while Rice's usage suggests a slower, run-first approach at home. Tulane's three straight failures to cover also show that its recent results have fallen short of expectations. Rice's six-game losing run, meanwhile, shows a team that has not been winning, and four of those losses came in a narrower home split of in-conference, non-division games.

Conditions are unlikely to shape the game, with a forecast of 65°F, wind 12 mph NW and clear skies. Neither team has an injury to report, so both offenses should look as they have recently, with Johnson and Ochoa under center.

The overall picture is thin and mixed. Rice's skid is the most prominent single fact, but every other piece of evidence here is a three-game usage trend, which is a small sample. Whether Tulane's recent scoring pace carries into a game against a run-heavy Rice offense is the main open question.