LSU opened the season on September 20 with a 26–6 upset win over the defending SWC champion Rice Owls in Rice Stadium. The Tigers were projected as six point underdogs against the Owls, whose coach Jess Neely was entering his eighteenth season with the team. Constant rain throughout the day before and during the game had muddied the field and made handling the ball difficult. This proved to be a problem for the Owls, as they fumbled the ball six times, losing two of them. LSU opened the game with a ten play, 57-yard drive capped by a quarterback scramble by Warren Rabb into the end zone. In the second quarter, LSU's Don Purvis returned a punt 27 yards into Rice territory, and the Tigers again drove down the field and scored on a two-yard run by fullback J.W. Brodnax. Tommy Davis missed the extra point, and LSU went into halftime with a 13–0 lead. Rice was unable to convert a first down until its last possession of the first half.