Quinton Jackson lit up Rice Stadium early with a career-best performance, but a strong second half by Florida Atlantic handed the Owls a tough 27–21 loss Saturday night in front of 22,999 fans.
Rice couldn’t have scripted a better start. On just the third play of the game, Jackson broke loose for a stunning 68-yard touchdown run, electrifying the home crowd and putting the Owls up 7–0. It marked the earliest Rice touchdown since 2016.
But FAU quickly settled in and answered with back-to-back touchdowns, flipping the script to take a 14–7 lead after the first quarter. A field goal before the half pushed the margin to 17–7 heading into the break.
Rice fought back late in the third, as Chase Jenkins connected with Drayden Dickmann on a 46-yard strike, bringing the Owls within three at 17–14. However, FAU countered with 10 unanswered points to stretch the lead to 27–14 midway through the fourth.
Jenkins wasn’t done. The sophomore quarterback hit on four straight passes, including a 32-yard catch-and-run by Aaron Turner, setting up his own 2-yard rushing touchdown to cut the deficit to 27–21 with time still on the clock.
Unfortunately for Rice, the rally stopped there. FAU picked up two clutch third-down conversions on the final drive to run out the clock and escape with the win.
Jackson finished with a career-high 128 rushing yards, while Jenkins accounted for two total touchdowns — but it wasn’t quite enough to overcome the early deficit and FAU’s late-game execution.
