Arkansas vs. Rice Football: Time, TV channel, how to watch

HOW TO WATCH

Game: Arkansas vs. Rice

Odds: Arkansas (-19)

Time: 1 p.m. CT, Saturday Sept. 4

TV: ESPN+

Stream: ESPN App

Game Link: https://go.web.plus.espn.com/Jrm4J7

Folks, it’s been a long offseason and it’s finally time for some Arkansas Razorback football. It’s season two under Sam Pittman and the expectations have risen a bar or two heading into 2021.

The Razorbacks return 20 of the their 22 starters from last season’s team that finished 3-7 but were competitive in almost every game. A very tough schedule, as is the usual it seems, for Razorback Football does have a pathway to bowl eligibility. That’s the goal this year for fans and media alike.

Storylines
• The Razorbacks can’t look past Rice in week one. The Owls defeated a ranked and undefeated Marshall Green Herd team last year. To close the season they lost to eventual Conference USA Champions, UAB, by five points. There was hope for Mike Bloomgren’s team to close the season and they have hope of a continual rise to respectability leading into 2021.

• Former Nebraska and Louisville quarterback Luke McCaffrey decided to take his talents to Houston. He will likely be the starter on Saturday in Fayetteville. In the past Arkansas has struggled to contain athletic quarterbacks and McCaffrey is one of those.

• How does KJ Jefferson do as the starting quarterback? It’s his team now and was voted as one of the five team captains last Friday. Jefferson’s teammates believe in him and now it’s time to show out.

• Can Arkansas run the ball? Last season Rice had the 40th ranked run defense in the FBS. They return all three of their defensive lineman in Trey Schuman, Elijah Garcia and Ikenna Enechukwu. Arkansas has as talented of a backfield that the Owls will see all season and it will be worth watching if they can stop the Hogs.