Frank Peasant tallied three of Memphis' five rushing scores, the defense held Rice to 212 yards, and the No. 25 Tigers kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive Friday with a 38-14 Halloween night rout of the Owls in Houston.

Peasant, who entered with three total touchdowns on the year, found paydirt three times in the first half as two-TD favorite Memphis (8-1, 4-1 American) led by 24 at halftime and was never challenged by the Owls (4-5, 1-4).

The second-place Tigers still have matchups against Tulane next Friday, at East Carolina and versus conference-leading Navy on Nov. 27 in their chase for the CFP, which releases its first rankings on Tuesday night.

Quarterback Brendon Lewis went 18 of 22 for 225 yards. He carried the ball 12 times for a game-high 87 yards and a score but l

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