Rice vs. Texas State: First Responder Bowl TV Channel, Live Stream, Time, How to Watch – December 26

Updated Dec. 26, 2023 5:28 p.m. ET

Data Skrive

TJ Finley and the Texas State Bobcats and the Rice Owls will play in the First Responder Bowl on December 26, 2023, with kickoff at 5:30 PM ET, airing on ESPN.

You'll want to head to ESPN for the upcoming matchup between the Bobcats and Owls.

Learn more about the Texas State Bobcats and the Rice Owls.

How to Watch Texas State vs. Rice

When: Tuesday, December 26, 2023 at 5:30 PM ET
Location: Gerald J. Ford Stadium in University Park, Texas
TV: Watch on ESPN

Texas State's 2023 Schedule

Date	Opponent	Score	Spread
9/2/2023	at Baylor	W 42-31	+27
9/9/2023	at UTSA	L 20-13	+14
9/16/2023	vs. Jackson State	W 77-34	+14
9/23/2023	vs. Nevada	W 35-24	-17
9/30/2023	at Southern Miss	W 50-36	-6.5
10/7/2023	at Louisiana	L 34-30	+1.5
10/14/2023	vs. UL Monroe	W 21-20	-19.5
10/28/2023	vs. Troy	L 31-13	+6.5
11/4/2023	vs. Georgia Southern	W 45-24	-2
11/11/2023	at Coastal Carolina	L 31-23	-2.5
11/18/2023	at Arkansas State	L 77-31	-3
11/25/2023	vs. South Alabama	W 52-44	+6
12/26/2023	at Rice	-

Bobcats 2023 Stats & Insights

Texas State has the 108th-ranked defense this season (414.3 yards allowed per game), and has been more effective on the other side of the ball, ranking 14th-best with a tally of 463.5 yards per game.
Despite sporting a bottom-25 pass defense that ranks 14th-worst in the FBS (256.4 passing yards allowed per game), Texas State has had more success on the other side of the ball, ranking 29th in the FBS by putting up 272.6 passing yards per game.
The Bobcats have struggled on defense, ranking 16th-worst in the FBS (33.8 points allowed per game) this season. However, they rank 17th-best on offense, putting up 36 points per game.
The Bobcats rank 81st in run defense this year (157.9 rushing yards allowed per game), but they've been thriving on offense, ranking 23rd-best in the FBS with 190.9 rushing yards per game.
Texas State has the 25th-best offense this season in terms of third-down efficiency (44.9% third-down percentage), but ranks fourth-worst on defense (48% third-down conversion rate).
The Bobcats own the 22nd-worst turnover margin in college football at -6, forcing 15 turnovers (89th in the FBS) while turning it over 21 times (106th in the FBS).

Texas State 2023 Key Players

Name	Position	Stats
TJ Finley	QB	3,188 YDS (68.6%) / 24 TD / 8 INT 92 RUSH YDS / 5 RUSH TD / 7.7 RUSH YPG
Ismail Mahdi	RB	1,209 YDS / 10 TD / 100.8 YPG / 6.1 YPC 18 REC / 177 REC YDS / 1 REC TD / 14.8 REC YPG
Joey Hobert	WR	71 REC / 847 YDS / 8 TD / 70.6 YPG
Kole Wilson	WR	61 REC / 697 YDS / 8 TD / 58.1 YPG
Brian Holloway	LB	84 TKL / 10 TFL / 1.5 SACK / 2 INT
Ben Bell	DE	44 TKL / 12 TFL / 8 SACK
Shawn Holton	S	68 TKL / 0 TFL / 1 INT / 1 PD
Kaleb Culp	S	58 TKL / 0 TFL

Rice's 2023 Schedule

Date	Opponent	Score	Spread
9/2/2023	at Texas	L 37-10	+35.5
9/9/2023	vs. Houston	W 43-41	+7
9/16/2023	vs. Texas Southern	W 59-7	+7
9/23/2023	at South Florida	L 42-29	-3
9/30/2023	vs. East Carolina	W 24-17	-4
10/7/2023	vs. UConn	L 38-31	-9.5
10/19/2023	at Tulsa	W 42-10	+3.5
10/28/2023	vs. Tulane	L 30-28	+10
11/4/2023	vs. SMU	L 36-31	+12.5
11/11/2023	at UTSA	L 34-14	+13.5
11/18/2023	at Charlotte	W 28-7	-1
11/25/2023	vs. Florida Atlantic	W 24-21	-3
12/26/2023	vs. Texas State	-

Owls 2023 Stats & Insights

Rice ranks 74th with 376.8 total yards per game on offense, and it ranks 57th with 370 total yards allowed per game on the defensive side of the ball.
From an offensive standpoint, Rice is accumulating 264.2 passing yards per contest (37th-ranked). It ranks 53rd in the FBS on defense (217.2 passing yards allowed per game).
In terms of points scored the Owls rank 48th in the FBS (30.3 points per game), and they are 68th defensively (26.7 points allowed per game).
The Owls rank 22nd-worst in rushing yards per game (112.6), but they've been better on the other side of the ball, ranking 71st in the FBS with 152.8 rushing yards surrendered per contest.
In terms of third-down efficiency, Rice ranks 67th in the FBS (38.8% third-down conversion rate) and 46th defensively (36.6% third-down rate allowed).
The Owls have fared poorly in terms of turnovers, as the team's turnover margin of -7 is 14th-worst in the FBS.

Rice 2023 Key Players

Name	Position	Stats
Luke McCaffrey	WR	68 REC / 963 YDS / 12 TD / 80.3 YPG
JT Daniels	QB	2,443 YDS (63.1%) / 21 TD / 7 INT -65 RUSH YDS / 1 RUSH TD / -5.4 RUSH YPG
Dean Connors	RB	707 YDS / 5 TD / 58.9 YPG / 6.7 YPC 42 REC / 395 REC YDS / 3 REC TD / 32.9 REC YPG
Juma Otoviano	RB	312 YDS / 4 TD / 26 YPG / 3.7 YPC
Plae Wyatt	S	60 TKL / 3 TFL / 1 SACK
Myron Morrison	LB	58 TKL / 1 TFL / 1 SACK
Sean Fresch	CB	43 TKL / 2 TFL / 1 SACK
Gabe Taylor	S	40 TKL / 1 TFL / 1 SACK / 2 INT