Memphis rides Anderson, Thomas to 27-20 win over Rice

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — 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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