Memphis football coaches and players have talked this year about playing complementary football.

What exactly does that mean? It's been fleeting at times, when the offense and defense don't seem to play well at the same time.

Memphis didn't play great on Friday night against Rice, but the Tigers got enough from their offense, defense and special teams to earn a bounce-back 27-20 win at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. A week after all three phases let them down against UTSA, Memphis beat Rice thanks to improved performances across the board.

The offense struggled early, when quarterback Seth Henigan threw an interception that set the Owls up in the red zone. The defense stood tall, holding Rice to a field goal. The offense couldn't get anything going on the next drive, but the defense forced another field goal.

"We strapped 'em in the red zone," linebacker Chandler Martin said. "That's what we're supposed to do."

And so it was only 6-0 by the time the offense kicked into gear. Henigan hit tight end Brenden Doyle for a 9-yard touchdown, and the Tigers didn't trail again after that.

Memphis also got a bounce-back performance from running back Mario Anderson, who rushed for only 53 yards last week but had 144 and a touchdown on 25 carries on Friday.

"After the first couple drives where we weren't very successful, we leaned on the run for sure," Henigan said. "And that kind of helped our offense to put some drives together. Just good communication up from and some good effort from our offensive line tonight."

The Tigers (8-2, 4-2 AAC) are still a longshot to reach the AAC title game, but they at least preserved their chances with Friday's win. They have two regular season games remaining — home vs. UAB, where they'll be a significant favorite, and at Tulane, where they'll be an underdog.

If Memphis is going to beat Tulane, it'll need to be because of a complete performance — one with plenty of complementary football. Friday's performance isn't the standard, but it's a blueprint for how the Tigers can win games at this point in the season.

Martin led the defense with 11 tackles and recovered a fumble after Rice had driven inside the five yard line. Henigan finished 14-of-31 for 159 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while Brandon Thomas returned from a two-game injury absence and rushed six times for 26 yards and a highlight-reel touchdown.

The most encouraging sign might have been in the kicking game, which has been a problem for Memphis all season. Tristian Vandenberg made a pair of 42-yard field goals, and he's likely to continue as Memphis' kicker moving forward.

"We know what's at stake here," Anderson said. "We've got a lot of ball left to play. And we've got to take advantage of every single opportunity that we have out there on the field."

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How Memphis used complementary football to get bounce-back win over Rice