Game notes
- Time and date: Friday, October 31 at 7:00 p.m. ET
- Network: ESPN2
- Location: Rice Stadium — Houston, TX
- Spread: Memphis (-13.5)
- Over/under: 49.5
- All-time series: Memphis leads, 3-2
- Last meeting: Memphis 27, Rice 20 — November 8, 2024
- Current streak: Memphis, 2 (2012-24)
Setting the scene
This Halloween, make sure to stop by Historic Rice Stadium if you want a great treat.
The No. 25 Memphis Tigers (7-1, 3-1 American) stroll into town, reclaiming a spot back in the College Football Playoff race after an inspiring comeback to knock off South Florida. Memphis eyes its first conference championship since 2019, but the Tigers cannot get tricked again on the road. Two weeks after dropping a stunner at UAB, they’ll face a feisty Rice (4-4, 1-3 American) team — fresh off a shocking double-overtime
upset over UConn.
Memphis hopes to wear the costume of a CFP contender on Friday night, while the ghosts of the 75-year old Rice Stadium look to haunt the visitor.
Memphis Tigers outlook
Memphis was one of the 11 remaining unbeatens heading into Week 8 when the unthinkable happened. The Tigers lost to UAB, immediately after the Blazers fired head coach Trent Dilfer. Watching an undefeated record snap on a goal line stand as 23.5-point favorites can break a season.
But the 2025 Memphis Tigers prove time and time again to be the face of resiliency in the midst of adversity. We saw this trait Week 4 when they stared down an 18-point deficit and rallied to defeat Arkansas. We saw it again last week, not only overcoming the UAB loss but erasing a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to upend a ranked South Florida squad. Now Memphis is firmly back in the title race after its third ranked win under sixth-year head coach Ryan Silverfield.
Memphis was fortunate to return its starting quarterback Brendon Lewis who exited the UAB game in the third quarter with a lower body injury. Lewis’ mobility was somewhat limited, but he looked as crisp as ever as passer, dialing up 302 passing yards and two touchdowns — all while leading a late game-winning drive. The sixth-year senior has shown the ability to attack in a multitude of ways, whether it’s as a 300-yard passer or a 100-yard rusher.
Hauling in his game-winning touchdown strike was Cortez Braham Jr., who caught passes from Lewis back at Nevada. Braham is the ultimate highlight-reel receiver for Memphis, burning coverage on deep shots and securing 50-50 balls in the end zone and toward the sideline to bolster the offense. He is third in the conference with 566 receiving yards and tied for first with seven touchdowns. Jamari Hawkins also shines in the receiving game as a valid No. 2 with 431 yards — including 85 vs. South Florida.
Perhaps the most stunning part of the South Florida game was the rare ineffective performance from Memphis’ typically-dominant run game. Memphis is 17th in the country with 210 rushing yards per game, led by a stellar tailback duo in Greg Desrosiers Jr. and Sutton Smith. Both explosive backs average over 6.0 yards per carry and combine for 937 yards. Speed is a defining feature of the tandem and one major advantage the Tigers pose offensively — even further enhanced by the threat of a mobile quarterback.
Memphis’ defense started the year quite strong, but the last two weeks were a diversion from the first half of 2025. The Tigers surrendered 564 yards to South Florida and 470 to UAB, getting carved up by both teams in a balanced fashion. In the first six games, Arkansas was the only team to even cross 400 on Memphis, so improvement must be shown on that end to remain in the rankings.
The positive for Memphis’ defense is it still hasn’t lost a single turnover battle, and a first quarter Everett Roussaw Jr. interception paid dividends last week, leading to seven early Memphis points before the offense truly ignited. The Tigers are a +7 on the year (tied for 13th in FBS), and Kamari Wilson and DeMarco Ward (two interceptions and one forced fumble apiece) are among the top defenders contributing to that statistic.
Applying backfield pressure always helps with creating turnovers, and nobody does that better on Memphis than inside linebacker Sam Brumfield. Brumfield’s 11 tackles for loss lead the American while his 4.5 sacks are the most on the team. Another havoc player on this defense is strong safety Chris Bracy, an omnipresent force with an American-high seven pass breakups as well as seven tackles for loss — causing Memphis to rank 13th nationally in the latter category.
Rice Owls outlook
Rice needed a bye week more than anybody, and it showed. The Owls played seven-straight weeks to start the season, stumbling to a 61-13 defeat at UTSA in Week 7. After taking a breather which allowed the quarterback room and safety room to heal up, Rice retook the field last Saturday in Houston and earned its best win to date under first-year head coach Scott Abell.
UConn was on fire with four-straight wins, including a few dominations, but Rice went punch-for-punch with a stellar Huskies’ offense and emerged 37-34 in double overtime. The Owls’ win as a 10.5-point underdogs can be attributed to the heroics of Quinton Jackson. The running back enjoyed his best game to date and one of the best running back performances by anybody this season, recording 168 rushing yards, 80 receiving yards, and registering four total touchdowns, including the walk-off in double overtime.
Rice implemented a shotgun spread option offense under Abell this year, and Jackson is the engine which makes it work. The Owls average 226 rushing yards per game to rank 13th nationally, and only Air Force and Army ground the ball more times per outing. Jackson is equipped with tremendous speed, which he also showcases as a viable kick returner. He has three 100-yard rushing games on the season, and interestingly enough, he only had one reception for -6 receiving yards before last week’s outburst — which unlocks a new element for Rice’s offense.
Making the decisions for the option attack is quarterback Chase Jenkins, who returned from a Week 7 injury at UTSA to guide the recent Owls’ victory. Jenkins doesn’t pass much, as his 22 attempts vs. UConn marked a season-high, but when he does he is often efficient — connecting on over 70 percent of throws in five of eight starts. Jenkins attained a career-high 191 yards against UConn and rushed for 57 on the side, displaying impressive mobility fresh off a lower-body injury.
Daelen Alexander and D’Andre Hardeman Jr. are the other running backs which see frequent in-game reps in this offense. Another notable ball carrier is slot receiver Aaron Turner. Formerly UConn’s top receiver in 2022, Turner is now a jet sweep specialist who dabbles in the pass-catching game, snatching a season-best seven receptions last Saturday against his former team.
While Rice presents a brand new offense unlike the one that tested Memphis in 2024, the defense offers a more similar scheme to the prior year. Going to double-overtime certainly didn’t help its season averages, but Rice’s defense has only surrendered 30 offensive points in regulation once all season — the blowout loss to UTSA. Otherwise, the unit is holding up extraordinarily well, usually excelling as an aerial defense. Rice is limiting opponents to a 58.1 completion rate, flying around the back-end with frequent pass breakups. The team leader in the category Khary Crump remains out, but safeties Marcus Williams and Jack Kane can pick up the load.
Rice also features formidable talent in the linebacking corps, led by a veteran duo of Andrew Awe and Ty Morris. The inside linebacker Awe is the team leader with 59 tackles, supplementing that total with 4.5 tackles for loss. The outside linebacker Morris has 52 tackles and storms around the edge for frequent backfield stops, generating 7.0 tackles for loss. However, there is one feature Rice’s defense is severely lacking and that’s turnover production. Rice only has six takeaways through eight games and didn’t even record one in the win last week.
Prediction
Memphis is routinely subject to slow starts. In wins, the Tigers trailed South Florida 21-7, Florida Atlantic 16-10, Arkansas 28-10, and Georgia State 16-14 all in the first half. Memphis doesn’t usually come out of the gate firing on all cylinders, and not many teams do against this Rice defense — just ask current No. 22 Houston, which took over 29 minutes of action to land a point at Rice Stadium back in Week 2.
Thus, expect this game to feature a slow offensive start, with Rice finding some early success through its option attack. Memphis will eventually recapture the lead with its sheer firepower on offense, given its running back duo and the playmaking of Cortez Braham Jr., but it won’t be an aesthetically-pleasing win for Tigers fans. Memphis survives in a one-score game and remains a contender in a crowded American race.
Prediction: Memphis 24, Rice 17
