HOUSTON — AJ Padgett threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns and Rice became bowl eligible by holding off Florida Atlantic for a 24-21 victory on Saturday.
Padgett led an 11-play, 83-yard drive that took just more than five minutes and ended when he threw a 7-yard score to Luke McCaffrey to give Rice (6-6, 4-4 American Athletic Conference) a 17-14 lead. After holding FAU to a punt after five plays, Padgett led a nine-play, 75-yard drive that ended with his 11-yard scoring pass to Boden Groen to make it 24-14 as the third quarter expired.
Florida Atlantic (4-8, 3-5) got back in it, responding with a six-play, 75-yard drive that ended when Michael Johnson Jr. ran it in from the 6. Xavier Terrell set up the drive, running 35 yards to Rice's 40-yard line on the first play of the drive.
After Rice punted, the defense limited Florida Atlantic to a six-play, nine-yard drive. From there, Rice established a 13-play, 64-yard drive that lasted 6:20. Though the drive ended on downs, Florida Atlantic took over at its own 21 with just 1:37 remaining. FAU turned it over on downs when its four plays produce zero yardage.
McCaffrey caught 12 passes for 141 yards in the win.
“I’m wet from getting doused with the Gatorade bucket," Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren said after the game. "I’m stinky from hugging all those players and people throwing champagne at me on the second floor of this building. There’s a lot of jubilation as there should be."
Last year, Rice went to the Lending Tree Bowl as a five-win team. They got in because of their APR academic rating. Of the 5-win teams, theirs was highest, so they were first in line to fill a spot. They lost that bowl game to Southern Miss, 38-24.
