Rice’s Mike Bloomgren is On3 national Group of Five head coach of the week

Each week during the season, On3 selects a national Group of Five head coach of the week.

Our choice for Week 2: Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren.

Bloomgren guided Rice to a 43-41 double overtime win over Houston. It was the Owls’ first win over a Power Five opponent since a 23-14 victory over Kansas in 2013. It was also Rice’s first win over Houston since 2010, snapping a seven-game losing streak to the Cougars in the Bayou Bucket series. 

The Owls jumped out a 28-0 lead in the first half, then pulled the win out in double overtime after Houston scored 28 unanswered points to tie the game and force overtime. Rice quarterback JT Daniels, who transferred to the Owls after stints at USC, Georgia and West Virginia, threw for 401 yards and three touchdowns in the win.

“We probably made it a little more interesting than we needed to, but to win the Bucket for the first time in 12 years and get it back to (Rice) was one of our goals for the season,” Bloomgren said after the game. “That’s a big deal for our program. To beat a Big 12 team is a big deal for our program. … I can’t remember a time I’ve been more proud of a group of men in the locker room.”

Bloomgren is in his sixth season as Rice’s head coach. The Owls finished last season 5-8. They were coming off a 37-10 Week 1 loss to Texas, which is now ranked No. 4 in the AP poll after beating Alabama on Saturday.

Honorable mention

James Madison’s Curt Cignetti: Cignetti led JMU to a 36-35 victory over an in-state Power Five opponent, Virginia. The Dukes overcame an 11-point fourth quarter deficit and scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 55 seconds remaining. It capped their second eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive of the fourth quarter. Under Cignetti, James Madison is now 10-3 in its two seasons as a Power Five team, including 2-0 to start this year.