Memphis Tigers rout Rice Owls on Halloween night
Memphis quarterback Brendon Lewis (2) attempts to break a tackle by Rice safety Marcus Williams (4) on Oct. 31, 2025, in Houston. (Michael Wyke/AP)
HOUSTON — The Memphis Tigers didn’t play with their food at Rice Stadium on Friday night.
Memphis put the Rice Owls away early by scoring the first 28 points of the game on the way to a 38-14 victory.
The Tigers (8-1, 4-1 American Conference) scored four touchdowns and a field goal in six first-half drives.
The Owls’ 12-play drive, which ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chase Jenkins to Aaron Turners in the second quarter, was only one of four Rice drives out of 11 offensive series to last for more than three plays. The other three drives ended in an interception, a 1-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter and a knee on fourth down to end the game.
Rice (4-5, 1-4) was averaging 226 rushing yards per game heading into Friday. Memphis held the Owls to 112 yards rushing while stifling an option offense that racked up 491 total yards in an overtime win over UConn last week.
Memphis quarterback Brendon Lewis completed 18 of 23 passes for 225 yards while leading the team with 87 yards rushing on 10 carries. He limped to the sideline after taking a big hit on a run early in the fourth quarter. The Tigers were leading 38-7 at the time.
Coach Ryan Silverfield said he planned to pull the starters after that drive.
“We told him, like I always do, ‘Hey, continue to trust your read,’” Silverfield said. “The ball actually should have been out of his hands by then. But we’re going to see. We’ll monitor him day to day, like we’ll do with any of our guys who are banged up tonight.”
Redshirt freshman Arrington Maiden replaced Lewis. True freshman AJ Hill filled in for Lewis when he was sidelined against UAB two weeks ago.
Memphis running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. (13) attempts to drive around the tackle by Rice linebacker Andrew Awe (0) on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, in Houston. (Michael Wyke/AP)
Lewis missed the second half of a loss at UAB after suffering an injury that forced him to wear a walking boot. He returned to throw for a season-high 307 yards in an upset win against South Florida last Saturday.
The Tigers were in no danger of losing the lead by the time Lewis left the game against Rice. The Owls never presented a legitimate threat of a Halloween upset. The Tigers remain in control of their own destiny in the race toward a possible American Conference championship.
Frank the Tank
Frank Peasant channeled his inner Brandon Thomas when the Tigers leaned on him as a goal-line runner Friday. He only had five carries for 10 yards by halftime, but scored all three of his rushing touchdowns in the first two quarters.
“Any way I can help the team out, any way I can get on the field,” Peasant said, “just put me out there, coach. I’m ready.”
Peasant finished with 24 yards on 10 carries. Peasant tied his career-high of three rushing touchdowns he set against Tennessee State while playing for Middle Tennessee on Sept. 17, 2022.
Memphis totaled 130 yards rushing and five rushing touchdowns.
Tigers force two Rice turnovers
Rice entered Friday tied for the third fewest turnovers in the country, with two lost fumbles and two interceptions in eight games. It didn’t take long for Memphis to add a fifth turnover to the tally.
Safety Kamari Wilson read the play perfectly and broke up a backward pass, forcing a fumble late in the first quarter. Wilson recovered the ball and ran into the end zone, but the play was called dead. The referees originally ruled the play an incompletion and changed the ruling to a fumble after a review. Peasant scored his first touchdown of the night on a 2-yard run three plays later.
Cornerback Omarion Cooper intercepted Jenkins after a dropped pass was deflected late in the third quarter.
The Tigers have forced at least one turnover in each game this season and have earned a takeaway in 24 of their last 29 games, dating back to the 2023 season.
“They run to the ball,” Silverfield said of the defense. “And it’s something that we preach. ... We found a way to get two takeaways, the forced fumble and the interception. That’s massive. The defense believes in it. Getting takeaways is part of our DNA as a defense.”
Up next
Memphis is back at home against Tulane for its second straight Friday game on Nov. 7 (8 p.m., ESPN). UTSA beat Tulane by 22 points to hand the Green Wave their first conference loss of the season Thursday.
Topics
Subscriber Only Memphis Tigers Rice Owls Tigers vs. Owls Memphis vs. Rice college footballAre you enjoying your subscription?
Your subscription gives you unlimited access to all of The Daily Memphian’s news, written by nearly 40 local journalists and more than 20 regular freelancers. We work around the clock to cover the issues that impact your life and our community.
You can help us reach more Memphians.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we provide free news access at K-12 schools, public libraries and many community organizations. We also reach tens of thousands of people through our podcasts, and through our radio and television partnerships – all completely free to everyone who cares about Memphis.
When you subscribe, you get full access to our news. But when you donate, you help us reach all Memphians.
Pay it forward. Make a fully tax-deductible donation to The Daily Memphian today.
Thank you for reading the local news. Thank you for investing in our community.
Frank Bonner II
Frank Bonner is the Memphis Tigers football beat writer. He is originally from Indiana but arrived in Memphis after spending two years in Tulsa, covering Oklahoma State football and basketball. He covered high school sports in Columbus, Indiana for two years before getting his Master’s degree in Sports Journalism at IUPUI. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Indiana University.
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.