What Happened the Last Time Notre Dame Played Rice?

SOUTH BEND, IN - AUGUST 30: Jaylon Smith #9 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish moves to tackle Darik Dillard #32 of the Rice Owls at Notre Dame Stadium on August 30, 2014 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Rice 48-17. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) | Getty Images Looking ahead to a season full of familiar foes, we’re going to be taking some time this offseason to look at what happened the last time each of Notre Dame’s 2026 opponents met the Irish on the football field.

Week two brings us to an opponent who isn’t scary, but also doesn’t feel totally safe due how to similar games have gone in recent seasons. Crank that time machine up because where last week took us back a mere five years, this week we’re going back twelve – to a time when your humble correspondent was still an undergrad himself. Week 2: Rice Owls Last matchup: Aug.

30, 2014 – Notre Dame 48, Rice 17 The opener of a legendarily chaotic 2014 season didn’t exactly set the tone for what was to come, as it was a relatively breezy affair. Rice kept things somewhat interesting in the first half (it was just 14-10 Irish with 5:51 left before halftime), but the Irish then ripped off 27 straight points and ultimately handled the Owls with ease. Despite the dog-bites-man nature of the outcome, there were a few interesting narratives happening on the periphery of this game.

The season opened in the shadow of the “Frozen Five” scandal that broke a few weeks prior. That cursed affair saw five players suspended indefinitely as a result of academic misconduct whose sordid details I won’t get into on this family blog. The suspended players included projected #1 receiver Davaris Daniels, lockdown corner KeiVarae Russell, and a solid, veteran starting pass rusher in Ishaq Williams.