The Memphis Tigers (4-4, 1-3 American Athletic Conference) will travel to Greenville, North Carolina, to face the East Carolina Pirates (2-5, 0-4 AAC), hoping to regain their momentum after suffering two losses in a row. They traveled to Columbia, Missouri, on Oct. 20 for their last game where they faced Missouri, which resulted in an embarrassing 65-33 defeat.
ECU also had a bye week last week and is hoping to put on a better performance than they did the week prior against No. 10 Central Florida, a game they lost 37-10. The game will begin at 11 a.m. and will be broadcast on ESPNU.
Memphis Tigers
The Tigers’ offense struggled early in the game, but when it finally began to pick up speed, it was too late. Quarterback Brady White threw two interceptions in the first half, including a pick-six, and threw for a season-low 40.5 completion percentage.
Wide receiver Damonte Coxie was the lone Memphis pass catcher who had a noteworthy game. He caught eight passes for 111 yards and one touchdown. No other wideout had more than four receptions or 50 receiving yards.
Memphis’ run game was dealt a big blow when running back Darrell Henderson left the game during the first quarter after suffering an undisclosed injury. Running back Patrick Taylor Jr. got the load of the team’s carries and put on a valiant showing. He finished the game with 26 carries, 115 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and he was the first 110-yard rusher Mizzou allowed all season.
Wide receiver Tony Pollard also had a serviceable performance with 75 rushing yards on only eight carries, in addition to getting a receiving touchdown in the second quarter.
The defense had an even tougher outing, as they proved nearly incapable of stopping Missouri’s offense. In what has almost become normal practice, Memphis was unable to create much of a pass rush, which allowed potential first-round pick quarterback Drew Lock to throw for 350 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
Wide receiver Jalen Knox and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam both received more than 100 yards against a depleted Memphis secondary and were responsible for all four of Lock’s touchdowns.
The Tigers also could not stop Mizzou’s run game and allowed 273 rushing yards. These numbers were aided by running back Larry Rountree III, who had 118 rushing yards on only eight carries, and Memphis allowed six rushers with a run of at least 12 yards.
ECU Pirates
The Pirates’ last game was against the UCF Knights, who were without their starting quarterback McKenzie Milton. Offensively, ECU had a solid day, especially through the air, as quarterback Holton Ahlers threw for a season-high 406 yards and one touchdown. His top targets were wide receivers Trevon Brown and Deondre Farrier who combined for 15 receptions, 254 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Ahlers also played a big role in the team’s run game, leading the team with 27 carries and 69 rushing yards. The next leading rusher was running back Anthony Scott, who only had six carries for 21 rushing yards.
However, as many yards as the Pirates were able to accumulate, they had a difficult time finding the end zone, partly because they committed five turnovers. Ahlers had an interception and lost two fumbles, and receivers Brown and Farrier both had fumbles as well. One of Ahlers fumbles was returned for a 94-yard defensive touchdown.
Defensively, ECU was a mixed bag. Although they were able to limit the usually high-powered UCF passing offense to just 111 passing yards and one touchdown, they allowed 316 rushing yards.
Ahead of the game against Memphis, ECU head coach Scottie Montgomery explained what would need to happen defensively for them to win this game.
“We need to stop giving up the big plays on third-down,” Montgomery said. “It’s heartbreaking because our guys are playing well in some situations, but it doesn’t show up because of the big plays there.”
Opinion: Game prediction
Things have been pretty rough for the Tigers over their last two games, so it was perfect that their bye week fell on week nine. The team is now rested and refocused and has a strong chance of winning for the rest of the season.
For this to happen, on offense they have to try to get their wide receivers and tight ends more involved. They have too much talent in that group to not utilize them, especially when the players are in such a “win-now” mode.
Defensively, though they have a lot of areas to improve, they must start with generating pressure. It’s difficult for even the best defensive backs to cover wide receivers for exuberant amounts of time because their teammates cannot force a quarterback into a mistake.
I think Memphis is going to have a bounce-back game against ECU and begin their rise back up in AAC West Standings. I expect running back Tony Pollard to have a big game on the ground and through the air and cornerback TJ Carter to remind everyone why he was one of the most talked about defensive backs in the nation this offseason.
Score prediction: Memphis 42, ECU 21
