ECU Falls At Memphis In Overtime, 41-34 - East Carolina University Athletics

Thursday, October 22

Memphis, Tenn.

7:30 P.M.

East Carolina University

3-4 , 1-2

Memphis

6-2 , 3-1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Final F
East Carolina	10	6	8	10	0	34
Memphis	0	3	17	14	7	41

Game Program

October 23, 2026 | Football

Box Score Game Book (PDF)ECU Postgame Notes (PDF)

Memphis, Tenn. – East Carolina suffered a devastating dose of déjà vu in consecutive Thursday night American Conference road games.

For the second straight week, the Pirates saw a two-touchdown lead vanish, battled their way into overtime and then tasted a bitter pill of defeat on a game-ending interception. This time, Memphis prevailed when Ellis Ellis Jr. cradled a Mitch Griffis pass in the back corner of the end zone to preserve a 41-34 victory. A week ago, UAB rallied in the final minute of regulation, scored on the first possession of overtime then sealed a 30-17 win with a pick-six.

"I'll say this about our group of young men," ECU head coach Blake Harrell said. "I thought they came out and fought today. After last week, I was concerned about that, if they would have a hangover and affect this week."

Memphis, instead, appeared to be the one nursing a hangover as it muddled through the first half of Thursday's pivotal game at a renovated Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. After committing six turnovers in a loss at Tulane, one of the conference's top offenses managed just 113 yards and three points in the first half against a stout ECU defense, punting six times and failing on all seven of its third downs. But the explosive Tigers (6-2, 3-1), led by quarterback Marcus Stokes, caught fire in the second half and overtime to score 38 points and erase a 24-10 deficit.

The thrilling finish added yet another chapter to a series that has now produced three overtimes in the last four meetings. ECU (3-4, 1-2) came in with a three-game win streak over the Tigers and wins in 10 of the last 12 meetings.

"Obviously a frustrating night the way it ends," Harrell said. "I thought our kids fought their tails off. Hats off to Memphis. They did some good things to get the win, but it doesn't come down to one play. It comes down to a bunch of plays throughout the course of the game. … Defensively we just couldn't get a stop there in the second half."

That was hardly the case in the opening half. The Pirates dominated the first quarter, limiting Memphis to one first down and 29 total yards as they built a 10-0 lead. ECU took a 16-3 lead to the half, punctuated by a career-long 49-yard field goal by Noah Perez, the third of his four field goals on the night. He also hit from 22, 30 and 40 yards.

"Really big night for him," Harrell said. "Without him we don't have a chance to win the game or play for overtime at the end."

ECU also is not in that position without wide receiver Landon Sides and Griffis, who replaced starter Emory Williams after the Pirates' fifth series. Sides, a North Texas transfer sidelined by an injury earlier this season, turned in a career night in both receptions (7) and receiving yards (130), capped off by a sliding touchdown catch to tie the game at 34-34 with 1:30 to go.

Williams made his fourth start and left with ECU up 10-0 but with the offense sputtering. He completed 5 of 13 passes for 61 yards. Griffis, who started the first three games, enabled the Pirates to attack downfield, completing 14 of 26 passes for 199 yards but was picked off twice.

Harrell did not commit on would lead the offense going forward.

"That position there, we've got to be better at," Harrell said. "That position has been hurting us. We've got to be better. We did some good things tonight, and we've got to build on that, but at the same time we've got to be better at that position."

After his first pass was picked off, Griffis injected a spark with five passes of 20 or more yards to help ECU keep pace with the suddenly energized Tigers. After Memphis closed to 16-10 on the first drive of the third quarter, he directed a 75-yard drive and tossed a 2-point pass to Sides for a 24-10 lead. But Stokes, who threw for 320 yards, and the Tigers found their groove.

A 20-yard pass to Jemyri Davis not only converted the Tigers' first third down on the night but cut the lead to 24-17. The teams traded field goals before a fumble by Kyler Pearson on a punt set Memphis up for the tying touchdown, a 4-yard pass from Stokes to Davis.

Stokes, who passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more, scored on a 2-yard run for a 34-34 lead with 3:31 to go. ECU answered for the tying score behind the running of TJ Engleman Jr., who came in with four straight games of at least 99 yards and finished 92 yards on 18 carries. ECU tied it on fourth-and-9 from the 20 with Griffis connecting with a sliding Sides.

"They got the call and I look up at the coverage and see they are playing over the top and a guy's outside, so I think 'Oh man, this is great,'" Sides said. "Our guy is going to go in, pull the safety down and there is going to be a wide-open lane in the middle and sure enough I went right there, looked at Mitch and he put the ball where it needed to be."

ECU's defense denied Memphis in the final 1:30 of regulation, but the Tigers needed just two plays to score in overtime with Stokes cartwheeling in from the 2. ECU quickly moved to the 4 in four plays before Ellis tangled with Sides on a fade pattern and came up with the interception.

"I'd love to have that back," Harrell said. "Don't ever put it in the official's hands to make a call one way or the other. We're at the 4-yard-line, first-and-goal at the four, you know that one's frustrating."

But not the end, said linebacker Crews Law, a former Memphis player who had a team-high 12 tackles.

"We've got five more guaranteed," Law said. "We've got to go win 'em all. I think that we have the team to be able to do that. I think that some guys really showed out tonight that gives a lot of hope. I thought the offense was firing. I thought they played really well. I thought the defense had really good moments. It's time to put it all together. We've got good coaches, we've got good players, we've got the team. It's time to put a complete game together."