Who's Playing

UTEP (home) vs. Rice (away)

Current Records: UTEP 1-10; Rice 2-9

What to Know

The UTEP Miners are hoping to patch up the holes in a defense that has allowed an average of 36.45 points per game. UTEP and the Rice Owls will face off in a Conference USA battle at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday at Sun Bowl. UTEP staggers in eager to bring about an end to their ten-game losing streak.

The Miners came up short against the New Mexico State Aggies last week, falling 44-35. The losing side was boosted by QB Kai Locksley, who picked up 103 yards on the ground on 18 carries and accumulated 358 passing yards.

Meanwhile, Rice didn't have too much breathing room in their contest with the North Texas Mean Green, but they still walked away with a 20-14 win. The Rice offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the matchup anyway.

Rice's victory lifted them to 2-9 while UTEP's defeat dropped them down to 1-10. A pair of offensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: UTEP is stumbling into the contest with the eighth fewest passing touchdowns in the nation, having accrued only eight on the season. Rice has experienced some offensive struggles of their own as they are fifth worst in the nation in yards per game, with only 287.2 on average. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.

How To Watch

• When: Saturday at 3 p.m. ET
• Where: Sun Bowl -- El Paso, Texas
• TV: ESPN3.com
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Ticket Cost: $15.00

Odds

The Owls are a solid 6.5-point favorite against the Miners.

Vegas was right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 6.5-point spread, and stayed right there.

Over/Under: 44

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Series History

UTEP and Rice both have two wins in their last four games.

• Nov 03, 2018 - UTEP 34 vs. Rice 26
• Sep 09, 2017 - Rice 31 vs. UTEP 14
• Nov 19, 2016 - Rice 44 vs. UTEP 24
• Nov 06, 2015 - UTEP 24 vs. Rice 21