In a battle of the Owls, Florida Atlantic soared past Rice 27-21 in Houston thanks to quarterback Caden Veltkamp's three touchdown passes, including two to Michael Kirch. Rice struck first with Quinton Jackson's explosive 68-yard touchdown run, but couldn't overcome FAU's balanced attack. Despite a late push with Chase Jenkins finding the end zone on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter, Florida Atlantic's 10-point cushion proved just enough to secure the road victory.