Memphis rides Anderson, Thomas to 27-20 win over Rice
Rice Owls vs. Memphis Tigers: Full Highlights
Rice Owls vs. Memphis Tigers: Full Highlights
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- — Mario Anderson ran for 144 yards and a touchdown and Brandon Thomas' punishing 14-yard touchdown run with an offensive line escort helped seal Memphis' 27-20 win over Rice on Friday night.
Thomas' scoring run ended a 10-play, 92-yard drive that lasted a little more than four minutes that gave Memphis a 24-13 lead. The longest play of the drive occurred when Anderson rambled down the left sideline for 34 yards to the Rice 28 with the Tigers (8-2, 4-2 American Athletic Conference) facing third-and-3.
Down 17-13, the Owls missed an opportunity to score points when on second-and-1, quarterback E.J. Warner misplayed a handoff attempt and Memphis' Chandler Martin broke through the line to recover it.
Rice (3-7, 2-4) took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter on field goals of 25 and 28 yards by Tim Horn.
Memphis seized the lead for good when Seth Henigan threw a 9-yard touchdown to Brendan Doyle with 6:21 before halftime for a 7-6 advantage. Anderson ran it in from the 10 with 1:28 left before intermission for a 14-6 lead.
Warner threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns. His 27-yard scoring pass to Matt Sykes with 38 seconds before the break reduced Rice's deficit to 14-13. With 1:55 remaining, he threw a 5-yard touchdown to Elijah Mojarro for the game's final score.
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Game Information
2024 American Athletic Conference Standings
Team | CONF | OVR |
---|---|---|
Army | 8-0 | 11-1 |
Tulane | 7-1 | 9-4 |
Navy | 6-2 | 8-3 |
Memphis | 6-2 | 10-2 |
East Carolina | 5-3 | 7-5 |
South Florida | 4-4 | 6-6 |
UTSA | 4-4 | 6-6 |
Charlotte | 4-4 | 5-7 |
North Texas | 3-5 | 6-6 |
Rice | 3-5 | 4-8 |
Temple | 2-6 | 3-9 |
UAB | 2-6 | 3-9 |
Florida Atlantic | 1-7 | 3-9 |
Tulsa | 1-7 | 3-9 |