Rice vs Texas State Armed Forces Bowl Preview
For the third straight season, Texas State will be participating in a bowl game, marking the program’s longest stretch of postseason play since its final three seasons in the Division II level from 1981-83, which included two national championships.
A five-game losing streak to open Sun Belt play — including back-to-back overtime losses — put GJ Kinne’s squad on the brink of failing to qualify for a bowl. An upset victory over Southern Miss shifted the momentum, and Texas State closed the regular season with three straight wins to secure the sixth victory needed for bowl eligibility.
In what will be the program’s final game as a Sun Belt member in football, Texas State accepted an invitation to the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. The game will be played Jan. 2, 2026, at TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth.
Texas State is headed to the Armed Forces Bowl!@armedforcesbowl
🆚 Rice
🗓️January 2, 2026
⏰12:00 PM CT
🏟️Amon G. Carter Stadium
📍Fort Worth, TX➡️https://t.co/jZllLXNRja – presented by Rebecca Creek
🎟️Tickets on sale soon – https://t.co/USJMrcjG4i pic.twitter.com/QKOYgwIRHv— Texas State Bobcats (@TxStateBobcats) December 7, 2025
The contest will be the final collegiate game for 27 Texas State seniors, including Lincoln Pare. The redshirt senior rushed for 1,022 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Defensively, Treylin Payne and Kalil Alexander anchored the unit. Payne recorded 102 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss, while Alexander led the team with four sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Brad Jackson will led the nation’s 16th ranked scoring offense into the bowl game. Jackson completed 71.3% of his passes for 3,050 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The San Antonio native added 692 net rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns.
Texas State will face Rice, which enters the bowl at 5-7 out of the American Conference. The Owls finished their regular season with a 56-24 loss to No. 22 North Texas.
Bowl Prep Starts NOW 😤#WE pic.twitter.com/b9d9HW1Cvo
— Rice Football (@RiceFootball) December 16, 2025
Rice earned its bowl berth after both Iowa State and Kansas State declined to participate in bowl games, opening two at-large spots for the highest-rated 5-7 teams based on Academic Progress Rate. Mississippi State filled one opening, while Rice secured the other, allowing the Owls to remain in state for the postseason.
Defensively, Rice is led by redshirt senior Andrew Awe, who recorded 101 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss. Graduate student Tony Anyanwu added 53 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and a team-high five sacks.
Offensively, the Owls are guided by redshirt sophomore quarterback Chase Jenkins. The Katy, Texas native completed 69.2% of his passes for nine touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for 531 net yards and five touchdowns.
This marks the second straight season a team has declined bowl participation, following Marshall’s decision to opt out in 2024 after a large number of players entered the transfer portal when coach Charles Huff departed for Southern Miss.
Friday’s matchup will be the sixth meeting between Texas State and Rice, with the Bobcats holding a 3-2 edge in the all-time series. It will be just the second meeting between the programs at the FBS level. Texas State won the previous matchup, defeating Rice 45-21 in the 2023 SERVPRO First Responders Bowl.
Rice is seeking to snap a two-game bowl losing streak. Its last postseason victory came in the 2014 Hawaii Bowl against Fresno State.
Rice vs Texas State
Kickoff: Friday, Jan. 2 at 1:00 p.m. EST
TV: ESPN
Radio: KTSW 89.9 (also streaming on the Varsity Network app); Rice broadcast is here.
Click here for information on tickets. Once Texas State sells through its allotment, tickets can be purchased directly through the Armed Forces Bowl website. Fans can call the ticket office at (512) 245-2272 or email the ticket office at gametickets@txstate.edu with any additional questions.
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