Rice's opener went the way the record book expects against an FCS opponent — a 31-3 win over Houston Christian with 493 total yards. The follow-up did not. No. 3 Notre Dame forced four turnovers, built a 42-0 halftime lead, and held the Owls to just 128 yards of total offense in a 52-0 rout, Rice's first shutout loss since 2021. Coach Scott Abell didn't mince words about the start, comparing the turnovers to "throwing chum in the water" before his defense ever took the field.
Both programs get a reset in the Texas heat — first pitch conditions call for 90-degree, clear skies at Rice Stadium, a jump from either program's typical September weather. Western Michigan travels off its Week 1 result with no game in between to shake off the sting; Rice gets a home date to try to prove the Notre Dame film was an aberration and not a pattern.
The turnover math is the thing to watch most closely. Rice lost only seven fumbles across all of last season and coughed up four in a single half against Notre Dame — either a one-game outlier against a ferocious defensive front, or a real flaw that a MAC defense hungry for a signature win can also exploit. Western Michigan's defense hasn't forced much yet through one game, but it also hasn't faced an offense playing from behind and pressing the way Rice was in South Bend.
Neither team arrives unblemished, which is what makes this one worth watching for a program still hunting win No. 1. Western Michigan gets a chance to turn a near-miss against Michigan into results against lesser competition; Rice gets a chance to show the 52-0 final was more about one bad half than about who the Owls actually are.