SERIES HISTORY
SERIES HISTORY: ECU LEADS, 15-9 RECORD IN GREENVILLE: ECU LEADS, 8-3
LAST MEETING: ECU WON, 30-29 (OT, 11/13/21) FIRST MEETING: ECU WON, 24-17 (11/3/90)
SETTING THE SCENE
• The University of Memphis will head to Greenville, N.C. to face the East Carolina Pirates at DowdyFicklen Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
• Memphis had the team’s four-game winning streak snapped last Friday, 33-32, to Houston at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis. The Cougars clawed back from 19 points down in the fourth quarter to get the win.
• The Tigers have forced at least one turnover in 11-straight games, piling up 25 takeaways over that span. The team has a +11 turnover margin over that stretch.
• Memphis posted a record of 6-6 last season, earning the program’s eighth-straight bowl appearance.
• The Tigers were named the EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl Champions after Hawai’i was unable to participate.
• The eight-consecutive bowls streak is tied for the eighth-best in the nation and is the best among all non-Power 5 programs.
SCOUTING EAST CAROLINA
• East Carolina enters Saturday’s contest with Memphis with an overall record of 3-3 on the season and a mark of 1-2 in AAC play. ECU has notched wins over Old Dominion, Campbell and South Florida on the year, with losses coming to No. 13 NC State, Navy in double overtime and last week at Tulane.
• Prior to the season, East Carolina was picked to finish sixth in the AAC in a poll conducted of the media, just one spot behind the Tigers in fifth.
• In 2021, the Pirates finished with an overall record of 7-5 and a mark of 5-2 in league play. East Carolina earned a berth to face Boston College in the Military Bowl, but the game was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Boston College program.
INSIDE THE SERIES
• The meeting between Memphis and East Carolina on Saturday will mark the 25th all-time game between the two programs dating back to 1990.
• The Pirates hold a record of 15-9 against the Tigers in the all-time series and have an 8-3 mark in the contests played in Greenville.
• Memphis has won two of the last three contests against East Carolina, but fell to the Pirates at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium last season, 30-29, in overtime.
• Quarterback Seth Henigan led the Tigers offensively, completing 15-of-26 passes for 233 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Henigan also rushed for a team-best 61 yards on 12 carries against the Pirates.
• Defensive back Jacobi Francis had a pair of interceptions in the game to go with seven tackles and a career-best 2.5 tackles for loss.
SMU MUSTANGS
THE GAME
After two weeks away from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, East Carolina returns home to play host to Memphis (Oc.t 15) and UCF (Oct. 22) in front of Pirate Nation … The Pirates enter the homestand with a 3-3 mark and a 1-2 record in American Athletic Conference action … The Pirate nation has shown up in support as ECU ranks first in The American in average attendance (42,707) and 51st nationally … ECU will look to post consecutive wins over Memphis for the first time since 2011 and 2012 seasons and improve on an 8-3 mark all-time in Greenville.
EAST CAROLINA RECORDS, STREAKS & TRENDS
Has allowed only eight 4th-quarter offensive TDs in the last 12 games dating back to ‘21 …
Has outscored its opponents 88-65 in the second half in OT this season (+33 in points) …
Has forced at least one turnover in 23 of the last 26 games (and in 34 of the last 38) …
Stands 16th nationally in time of possession averaging 33:02 per contest in 2022 …
Snapped more offensive plays than their six opponents (427-388/+39) …
Is averaging 38,718 fans per game since the start of 2021 season …
FAST FACTS
Record – 3-3 (.500); AAC Record/Standing – 1-2 (.333)/7th; Last 5 Games – 3-2; Last 10 Games – 7-3; Last 15 Games – 10-5; Streaks – East Carolina will play the 40th game of the Mike Houston Era when the Pirates face off against Memphis. ECU’s contest against the Tigers will be the Pirates’ 911th since the start of football in 1932 (457-442-11/.508).
SCHEMES
Memphis utilizes a multiple offensive attack while also employing a multiple defensive alignment.
East Carolina will feature a multiple pro-style look on offense and are a multiple unit on defense.
LAST MEETING
East Carolina 30, Memphis 29 (OT)
Holton Ahlers keyed an effective clock-killing offensive effort that generated 502 yards and owned a +25:34 edge in possession time while also spearheading a fourth-quarter comeback that ultimately produced a 30-29 AAC overtime road win over Memphis … The victory earned the Pirates bowl eligibility status for the first time since the 2014 season and marked their third-straight league triumph … ECU used Rahjai Harris’ one-yard scoring plunge with 1:29 remaining to erase a 20-16 deficit but the Tigers rallied to even the contest and force overtime on a David Kemp 24-yard fi eld goal as time expired … Keaton Mitchell rambled in from 24 yards out on the second snap of OT and Owen Daffer added the PAT for a 30-23 lead … Memphis also got a TD run on its second play – a 20-yarder from Rodrigues Clark – but elected to go for two and Seth Henigan’s ill-fated toss was batted down under a pressured rush … In all, Ahlers racked up 359 total yards – throwing for 313 and adding 46 on the ground … ECU converted a single-game program-record 18 of its 26 third-down snaps and tallied 10 or more plays on six (of 10) offensive possessions … After tying the game 7-7, the Pirates reached the Tigers’ 6, 10 and 3-yard lines on their next three drives but had to settle for field goals.
