Southern Miss at Rice Week 5 College Football Matchup Southern Miss at Rice Matchup - Week 5
Sat, Oct 2 2021 · Week 5 · 🏟 Rice Stadium Houston, TX · Turf · 47,000 cap
Southern Miss✈ 378 miSame TZ
19 24
Final
Home
📊 Punt & Rally Projection
Southern Miss
27
Rice
21
P&R Line Southern Miss -6
P&R Total O/U 48.5
Confidence 75 Good
Vegas Rice -1.5 · O/U 45.0
Matchup Prediction
Southern Miss has the edge in this matchup
Both Momentum Control (CSS) and Game Control metrics favor Southern Miss entering this game.
Momentum Control
61.3%
Southern Miss wins
Lean
Game Control
58.3%
Southern Miss wins
Lean
Vegas Spread
Rice -1.5
O/U 45.0
teamrankings
Advanced Stats
Advanced factors are split · No strong agreement signal
↓ See full breakdown
🏠 Rice 2nd straight Home Game 🚌 Southern Miss 2nd straight Road Game
Southern Miss 2021 Schedule
Southern Miss's 2021 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 9/4Southern Miss at South Alabama+2.0L7–3156.5L7–31UN
Sat 9/11Southern Miss vs Grambling-23.0W37–047.5W37–0UY
Sat 9/18Southern Miss vs Troy+11.0L9–2149.0L9–21UN
Sat 9/25Southern Miss at Alabama+45.0L14–6357.5L14–63ON
Sat 10/2Southern Miss at Rice+1.5L19–2445.0L19–24UN
Sat 10/9Southern Miss vs UTEP+1.0L13–2646.5L13–26UN
Sat 10/16Southern Miss vs UAB+17.0L0–3443.0L0–34UN
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/30Southern Miss at Middle Tennessee+12.5L10–3547.0L10–35UN
Sat 11/6Southern Miss vs North Texas+5.5L14–3849.0L14–38ON
Sat 11/13Southern Miss at UTSA+32.5L17–2754.0L17–27UY
Fri 11/19Southern Miss at Louisiana Tech+15.0W35–1947.5W35–19OY
Sat 11/27Southern Miss vs Florida International-14.5W37–1745.5W37–17OY
Rice 2021 Schedule
Rice's 2021 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 9/4Rice at Arkansas+19.5L17–3850.0L17–38ON
Sat 9/11Rice vs Houston+7.5L7–4450.0L7–44ON
Sat 9/18Rice at Texas+26.0L0–5852.0L0–58ON
Sat 9/25Rice vs Texas Southern-37.0W48–3453.5W48–34ON
Sat 10/2Rice vs Southern Miss-1.5W24–1945.0W24–19UY
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/16Rice at UTSA+17.0L0–4553.0L0–45UN
Sat 10/23Rice at UAB+23.5W30–2444.5W30–24OY
Sat 10/30Rice vs North Texas-1.5L24–3055.0L24–30UN
Sat 11/6Rice at Charlotte+6.5L24–3151.5L24–31ON
Sat 11/13Rice vs Western Kentucky+19.0L21–4261.0L21–42ON
Sat 11/20Rice at UTEP+9.0L28–3847.0L28–38ON
Sat 11/27Rice vs Louisiana Tech+3.5W35–3152.5W35–31OY
Advanced Stats
Advanced Analytics Matchup
Matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense) · 2021 season
Rice PPA Edge
Agreement Signals — When All Metrics Agree
Elite · 83.1% ATS
PPA + PPO + SR + Havoc
Split
Metrics disagree
Elite · 82.4% ATS
PPA + PPO + Havoc
Split
Metrics disagree
Elite · 73.9% ATS
PPA + Success Rate
Split
Metrics disagree
Individual Factors — Ranked by Predictive Strength
PPA Overall
Points added per play · Elite predictor
Southern Miss
+0.331
Rice
+0.418
Rice Edge
PPA Passing
Pass efficiency edge · Strong predictor
Southern Miss
+0.620
Rice
+0.667
Rice Edge
Havoc Total
Def. disruption rate · Strong predictor
Southern Miss
0.189
Rice
0.178
TFLs, sacks, PBUs, forced fumbles — higher is better
Southern Miss Edge
Points Per Opp
Drive-finishing edge · Strong predictor
Southern Miss
+6.471
Rice
+6.949
Rice Edge
Success Rate
Play consistency edge · Solid predictor
Southern Miss
+0.828
Rice
+0.822
Southern Miss Edge
Field Position
Avg start (lower=better) · Solid predictor
Southern Miss
70.9
Rice
72.2
Avg yards from own endzone to average start — lower is better · longer bar = better field position
Southern Miss Edge
Advanced stats sourced from CFBD · 2021 season · Edges are matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense)
Power Ratings
Team Power Ratings
Overall · Offense · Defense ratings · Updated as season progresses
Southern Miss Rated Higher
Overall Power Rating
Southern Miss
-13.0
Rice
-17.1
Offense Rating
Southern Miss
8.0
Rice
6.4
Defense Rating (lower = better defense)
Southern Miss
21.0
Rice
23.5
Power ratings updated throughout the season as results accumulate
Momentum Control (CSS)
Consecutive Scoring Sequences Who builds scoring momentum? Southern Miss Edge
Avg sequences created per game
Southern Miss #124
0.33
Rice #119
0.00
Avg sequences allowed per game (lower is better)
Southern Miss #117
2.00
Rice #114
3.00
Southern Miss +0.33
CSS Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 61.3% of games historically
Based on 3 games this season
Game Control (GC)
Win Probability Dominance Who controls games start to finish? Southern Miss Edge
Avg GC score per game (offense)
Southern Miss #1
36.4
Rice #1
27.4
Avg GC score allowed per game (lower is better)
Southern Miss #104
59.2
Rice #110
69.8
Southern Miss +9.0
GC Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 58.3% of games historically
Based on 4 games this season
Actual Result
CSS Battle
Rice
2 — 0 sequences
✗ Predicted incorrectly
GC Battle
Rice
65.7 — 10.7 GC score
✗ Predicted incorrectly
Game Result
Rice won by 5
✗ Model missed it
Spread Context
ATS Historical Context
Based on 2021–2025 backtest · FBS vs FBS · Regular season

Both metrics agree on Southern Miss. Teams with this edge profile have covered 50.3% historically — essentially a coin flip against the spread.

ATS data is informational only. Past cover rates do not guarantee future results.

Coaching Matchup
Southern Miss
Will Hall #1
1–2 (33%) · Yr 1 at school
OC Cayden Cochran Yr 1 #1
DC Austin Armstrong Yr 1 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
Rice
Mike Bloomgren #1
7–26 (21%) · Yr 4 at school
OC Marques Tuiasosopo Yr 1 #1
DC Brian Smith Yr 1 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
About these metrics
Advanced Stats shows matchup-adjusted factor edges (offense vs opponent defense). Combination signals — when PPA, PPO, Success Rate, and Havoc all point the same direction — have historically predicted the SU winner in 95–97% of games and the ATS winner in 82–83% of games (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS, regular season).
Impact: Advanced Stats are the best performance based metric used to predict the outcome of games.

Momentum Control (CSS) measures consecutive scoring sequences — when a team scores, holds the opponent scoreless, then scores again. Teams entering a game with a CSS edge of +1.0 or more have won 71–78% of games historically (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS).
Impact: CSS is not a predictive ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Game Control (GC) measures win probability dominance — how thoroughly a team controlled the game from start to finish. Teams with a GC edge of +12 or more have won 67–76% of games historically. When both metrics agree, combined confidence is higher. When they split, treat as a lean at best.
Impact: GS is not a predictive ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Power Ratings are a custom-built composite of a Teams Talent, Experience & Production, Coaching & Performance Metrics. These are updated constantly with roster changes, performance once the games start for the 2026 season, injuries the team is dealing with and scheduling situations.
Impact: There are a wide range of power ratings available, we think ours is the best, you can decide for yourself