Memphis is not only the most consistent winner in the American Conference, but the Tigers have been one of the more consistent winners in college football as a whole.
The College Football Playoff launched in 2014, and only nine teams have been bowl eligible every year in this modern era — Georgia, Oklahoma, Boise State, Alabama, Clemson, Toledo, Ohio State, Iowa, and Memphis.
Memphis was ready to extend its bowl eligibility streak last Friday night at Tulane, but six turnovers, multiple fourth downs failures, and a series of offensive catatastrophes got in the way, throwing the first wrench in the Tigers' American Conference championship odds.
Back home and hosting East Carolina on a short week, it appeared those offensive woes would only persist. The Tigers had just three points at halftime. But a second half offensive surge and overtime resilience guided Memphis to a 41-34 victory over the Pirates, extending that bowl eligibility streak to 13 consecutive seasons.
The Tigers' first half featured six punts and a field goal, and the issues extended beyond failure to move the ball on a stingy ECU defense. There were end zone drops, unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, and even a muffed punt right before halftime, which opened a lane for the Pirates to claim a 16-3 advantage at the break.
A new Memphis offense was unearthed at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in the second half, one that flushed the woes of the past six quarters and posted 31 points in 30 minutes of game clock. The Tigers only needed four plays to slice the deficit to 16-10, as Jermane Hayes burned the Pirate defense and secured a 59-yard touchdown reception from Marcus Stokes.
That set off a seesawing between the offenses. East Carolina reverted to its original starting quarterback Mitch Griffis and that jumpstarted a unit that was dormant for much of the season. Griffis responded with a touchdown drive in the early third quarter, and with a successful two-point conversion, ECU captured a 24-10 advantage over Memphis with 10:20 remaining in the third quarter.
The Tigers were eager to compete in an offensive shootout. Several drives later, they knotted the score at 27-27 after two touchdown strikes from Stokes to Jemyri Davis. After forcing a quick punt, Memphis regained possession in a tie game, with the opportunity to capture its first lead. Through a heavy dose of the run game, that was accomplished. On third down near the goal line, Stokes called his own number on a rollout and plowed his way into the end zone to give the Tigers a 34-27 advantage with 3:31 left.
However, Memphis' 24-3 run didn't signify the game was over. East Carolina answered with a productive drive, heavily featuring Griffis, running back TJ Engleman Jr. (92 rushing yards, one touchdown), and wide receiver Landon Sides (130 receiving yards, one touchdown). Upon reaching 3rd-and-9 from the 20-yard line, Griffis delivered a perfect ball to Tyler Johnson, which would have likely been the tying touchdown. However, it was dropped, bringing up a critical 4th-and-9 to decide the ballgame. Once again, Griffis rose to the occasion, finding a diving Sides in the end zone for the tying 20-yard touchdown.
In overtime, Memphis only needed two plays to score, finishing its rapid drive on a QB keeper by Stokes, who flipped his way into the end zone for a 41-34 lead. ECU also came within striking distance, but the Pirates couldn't finish the job. Griffis lobbed a fade to Sides in the end zone, but the ball was instead corralled by Memphis cornerback Ellis Ellis Jr. — although ECU was adamant a pass interference should have been called on the play.
Ellis' interception concluded yet another Thursday night American Conference thriller — the third overtime finish in four weeks for the league's Thursday primetime game. The Pirates fell victim to an overtime loss for the second consecutive week, and both games concluded on an ECU interception in the extra period.
Stokes was the star of the show for Memphis, totaling 320 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, zero interceptions, and two rushing touchdowns in the Tigers' third 14+ point comeback in the past two seasons.
Memphis (6-2, 3-1 American) snapped its four-game losing streak to East Carolina (3-4, 1-2 American) and defeated the Pirates for the first time since 2018. Falling victim to another overtime loss, ECU still has not lost a matchup in regulation since Sept. 12. Meanwhile, the Tigers will qualify for the postseason for a 13th-straight year, while also collecting the necessary momentum needed to storm back into the American title race.
