El Paso native Gael Ochoa delivers historic rushing performance in Rice defeat

BOCA RATON, Fla. (KVIA) -- El Paso native Gael Ochoa delivered a career-defining performance Saturday.

The Pebble Hills graduate, redshirt sophomore quarterback accounted for five touchdowns in Rice’s 51-49 loss to Florida Atlantic.

Making his first collegiate start in place of the injured Jacurri Brown, Ochoa wasted little time making an impact.

The former Pebble Hills standout opened the scoring with a 55-yard touchdown run, then broke free for another 52-yard score to give Rice a 14-0 lead.

Ochoa continued to put on a show, ripping off touchdown runs of 74 and 69 yards. He finished with 259 rushing yards on just 12 carries, the second-highest single-game rushing total in Rice program history.

Ochoa’s performance helped Rice pile up 499 rushing yards and 608 yards of total offense.

Despite the offensive explosion, the Owls struggled to slow down Florida Atlantic, which scored 51 points and took advantage of costly mistakes.

Rice stayed within striking distance, and Ochoa gave his team one final push late in the fourth quarter. After Florida Atlantic extended its lead to nine points on an 82-yard punt return touchdown, Ochoa connected with Braylen Walker for a 71-yard touchdown pass.

The score cut the deficit to two with 2:51 remaining.

Rice’s defense forced a punt, giving the Owls a chance to complete the comeback. But a 55-yard field-goal attempt fell short with 45 seconds left, sealing the two-point loss.

Rice falls to 1-7 overall and 0-4 in American Conference play.

The Owls have a bye week before returning to action Nov. 7 against North Texas.

For Ochoa, the performance marks a major milestone for the El Paso product and could open the door to a larger role as Rice looks to finish the season strong.