After the annual Old Maroon exhibition match where A&M rugby’s past met its present, the Maroon side will return to regular-season play when they travel south to take on the Rice Owls in Houston on Saturday, Oct. 19.

The Maroon and White season started with two disappointing losses and zero wins, falling to Sam Houston and Tennessee 28-26 and 46-17, respectively, before notching the first win of the season, a 56-5 blowout over Arkansas on Sept. 27. Now 1-2 in regular season play, Maroon side has three games remaining in 15s regular season.

The losses were a wake-up call that gave the Aggies a chance to look at themselves in the mirror, mechanical engineering sophomore Jake Do said. 

“Every year, we start the season a little overconfident with our skills,” Do said. “The first games are an eye-opener and a reality check as the season develops; it drives our focus.” 

The Arkansas win provided missing focus after the first two losses, industrial distribution junior Dylan Dominey said.

“We feel more confident,” Dominey said. “We still need to work on our structure and gain even more confidence playing as a team.” 

A&M faces an uphill battle to even its record to .500 as the Owls are currently ranked No. 32 nationally as opposed to the Aggies’ No. 65 ranking. The Maroon and White, with momentum from the win over the Razorbacks, said they feel prepared for the challenge. 

“[The team is] feeling strong going into Rice,” Do said. “We have improved a lot since our first game.” 

The matchup against the Owls is the start of the second half of the Aggies’ regular season where they will end things against A&M’s biggest rival — the Texas Longhorns — on Saturday, Nov. 23. The Longhorns are currently ranked No. 51.

“We are foaming at the mouth for that Texas game,” Dominey said. 

Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Rice Rugby Pitch in Houston.