Six Days After Firing Coach, Underdogs Shock the World with Major College Football Upset.

The Rice Owls had an eventful week and day as they defeated Navy on Saturday.

The Rice Owls football program experienced a week full of activities. At the start of last Saturday, Mike Bloomgren was leading them as their coach as they readied themselves for a game against Connecticut, which they were expected to win, followed by a home game against a ranked Navy team.

However, UConn defeated the Owls, Notre Dame heavily beat Navy, causing them to lose their Top 25 ranking, and as a result, Bloomgren was fired after a disappointing 2-6 record. Taking over his position, the Owls appointed Pete Alamar, who joined the program in 2023 as associate coach and special teams coordinator, as the interim coach.

Rice achieved the unexpected by defeating Navy in their most significant victory of the season, with a dominant 24-10 win over the Midshipmen.

Washout, in fact, is a fitting description. The game was postponed multiple times on Saturday afternoon due to rain and lightning, which definitely affected Navy’s concentration. The Navy-Rice game was scheduled to start at 4 p.m. The event was scheduled for EDT, but experienced a delay.

When the game ended, it was past midnight on the East coast.

Despite at least five game delays, Rice managed to secure an early 17-0 lead thanks to junior EJ Warner’s performance, throwing for 239 yards, one touchdown, and one interception on the day. Warner completed 26 of 40 attempts despite the challenging weather conditions.

Dean Connors, the running back, rushed for 105 yards and scored two touchdowns on 18 carries.

Rice will reach 3-6 in a memorable way. The game set a new challenge to break the NCAA record for longest delay, set last year during the Virginia Tech and Purdue match. The delay lasted for five hours and 27 minutes.