East Carolina (3-3, 1-1 American) at Memphis (5-2, 2-1 American). Thursday, Oct. 22, 6:30 p.m. CT (7:30 p.m. ET), Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Memphis, ESPN2.
Your hosts are Otis Delaney-Crum, a Memphis blues guitarist who sings bass in his gospel choir, and Bart Quidley, a Pitt County tailgater in a purple tricorn hat.
Otis: A good drive has a groove, friends. A great one has a backbeat. Go Tigers Go.
Bart: Ahoy! Memphis, your tiger had better be brushed. I'm grading costumes on national TV.
Players to watch
Memphis quarterback Marcus Stokes has thrown for 1,841 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 66.9% of his passes. Running back Jaylin Carter has 780 yards and eight touchdowns, and wide receiver Hunter Tipton has 380 yards and five scores. On defense, Elijah Kinsler leads with 4.5 sacks and Mike Montgomery leads with 47 tackles. The Tigers gain 512.6 yards per game, sixth in FBS.
East Carolina keeps feeding running back TJ Engleman Jr., who has 490 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Emory Williams has 655 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Wide receiver Ray Ray Joseph Jr. leads with 29 catches for 272 yards. Defensive back DJ Johnson Jr. leads the Pirates with 42 tackles, and Jasiyah Robinson leads with 2.5 sacks. ECU's pass defense allows 187.5 yards per game, 34th in FBS.
Otis: Carter is the bass guitar of this offense. You don't always notice him, but take him away and the song falls apart.
What happened last week
Memphis lost 31-17 at Tulane on Oct. 16. The Green Wave forced six turnovers. Memphis led 10-3 after Stonka Burnside's 76-yard touchdown catch, and he finished with seven catches for 151 yards. Carter ran for 135 yards, and Stokes threw for 306 yards. But six turnovers will sink any boat.
Otis: That one hurt like a broken string in the middle of a solo, friends. You tune up and you play the next song.
East Carolina lost 30-17 in overtime at UAB on Oct. 15 after leading 14-0. UAB drove 93 yards in the final minute and tied it at 17 with 35 seconds left on a two-point conversion, then won in overtime on a touchdown pass and an 80-yard interception return. Engleman ran 26 times for 104 yards.
Bart: Both ships hit rough water. Only one gets back to port Thursday.
Injuries and availability
No official conference availability report has been published for this game. No injury news has surfaced for either team, so check back closer to kickoff.
What the coaches are up to
Charles Huff is in his first season at Memphis. He coached Southern Miss in 2025 and Marshall from 2021 to 2024, after working as an assistant at Alabama, Mississippi State and Penn State. His Tigers are unbeaten at home, 3-0, and both losses have come on the road.
Blake Harrell has led ECU since the 2024 season. His offense needs a lift on third down, where it converts 31.3% of tries, 125th in FBS.
Player storylines
Burnside's breakout at Tulane gives Memphis another deep threat. For ECU, Joseph capped a 14-play, 75-yard opening drive at UAB with a touchdown catch. The Memphis defense ranks sixth in red-zone defense, and that's the place where ECU's red-zone scoring rate, 125th, has struggled.
What's happening on campus
ESPN's "SportsCenter on Campus" will set up on Tiger Lane on Thursday and air live from 4 to 4:30 p.m. CT, hosted by Matt Barrie and Chase Daniel. Memphis is marking the third straight year of its partnership with the DeAngelo Williams Foundation for Breast Cancer Awareness and Health Care Appreciation. Parking lots open at noon, and the Pouncer's Pals Kids Zone opens on Tiger Lane at 3:30 p.m. Homecoming is still to come, against Army on Oct. 31.
Otis: SportsCenter in my backyard. I'll be humming a riff on Tiger Lane.
Bart: I'll be in the background in my tricorn. Hoist the colors.
Anything else fun and true
The Pirates lead the all-time series 18-8. ECU's season opened with a 48-10 loss at Alabama before three straight wins.
Otis: Eighteen to eight. That's a long verse, Bart. We're writing a new one.
Bart: Arrr-guably the best fans anywhere will be singing ours.
The Cover Window
My call: Memphis Tigers 33, East Carolina Pirates 21.