Following a narrow loss to SMU in Week 10, the Rice Owls set their sights on their Week 11 opponent — UTSA — and the health of their star quarterback. JT Daniels was shaken up on a hit in the second quarter against SMU in Week 10, finishing the drive with a touchdown pass.
However, Daniels went to the locker room following the touchdown and returned without his helmet in the second half.
JT Daniels Injury Update: Will He Play in Week 11?
With the race for the AAC coming down to the last three undefeated in-conference teams (Tulane, SMU, UTSA), each game is integral for every team matching up against one of those foes. For Rice, they not only get UTSA in a pivotal battle for AAC supremacy, they also must win two of their last three games to reach a bowl game in 2023.
Unfortunately for Daniels, it appears that he will likely be out of the contest in Week 11 against UTSA.
On Tuesday, Rice head coach Mike Blomgren said that Daniels was doubtful for their contest against the Roadrunners as he remains in concussion protocol.
Rice currently sits at 4-5 overall with a 2-3 mark in American Athletic Conference play.
Daniels has played well this season, leading Rice to some high-scoring affairs and heavy offensive outputs. His play has only been marred by inconsistency that has led to a few close losses.
The well-traveled signal-caller has certainly found his home at Rice, however, and is undergoing a career year. He’s a mere 229 yards away from a career-high figure in passing yards and his 21 touchdown passes in 2023 are seven more than he had thrown in any previous year.
Daniels had a two-year stay at USC, followed by his high-profile journey to Georgia for two seasons and a one-year stop at West Virginia.
Currently, Daniels has 9,390 career passing yards and 66 touchdowns, having thrown 21 TDs and 2,443 passing yards at Rice this season.