The Cougars were thin at tight end going into last week's win over Cincinnati, then the situation got worse when Bryan Sampson left with an undisclosed injury.
Peck, who is 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds, "gives us the ability to run the ball more effectively," Mendenhall said. "He runs and catches the ball decently. He already knows the defense inside and out, so we can use him in that role whenever we need to. But we are looking predominantly for him to help us get better offensively. Pretty neat that he is able to do that and wants to do it.