How to watch Memphis’ home game against East Carolina

Memphis returns to action Thursday night when it hosts East Carolina. Both teams are coming off losses, and the Tigers will look to bounce back following last week’s 31-17 loss to Tulane.

The Pirates enter the game after losing to UAB last Thursday night in a game they controlled most of the night. ECU was forced to punt with 1:37, and the Blazers drove down the field scored and converted a two-point conversion to send the game to overtime.

In OT, UAB scored on its first drive drive and intercepted quarterback Emory Williams for a pick-six to win the game by 13 points.

The Pirates enter the game 3-3, but they’re 3-1 in their last four games, and they enter the game on a three-game winning streak against the Tigers.

Texas Tech transfer Mitch Griffis entered the season as ECU’s starting quarterback, but he was replaced by Miami transfer Emory Williams. Williams has thrown for 655 yards, 7 touchdowns and two interceptions. 

The Pirates also added Miami transfer Ray Ray Joseph Jr., and he leads the Pirates in receiving with 272 yards and three touchdowns on 29 receptions. 

Blake Harrell’s team averages 155.5 rushing yards per game, and running back TJ Engleman Jr. leads the team with 490 yards and three touchdowns on 71 carries.

The defense is led by former Memphis defensive coordinator Jordon Hankins, and they rank No. 3 in yards per game allowed and No. 2 in rushing defense.

Here’s a look at how to watch the Tigers’ game against East Carolina:

TV: ESPN2

Stream: WatchESPN

Radio: 98.9 The Roar of Memphis

Time: 6:30 p.m. CT

Line: Memphis -10.5

Total: 54.5

What to watch in Memphis’ game tonight against the Pirates:

Memphis will look to bounce back after a game filled with turnovers and missed opportunities, and it will be interesting to see how the offense looks after a performance like that. Charles Huff shared with the media on Tuesday that quarterback Marcus Stokes took responsibility for the loss and held a players-only meeting with the offense over the weekend. 

Stokes said that the reason for the meeting was to make sure the leaks didn’t turn into the dam breaking over the back half of the season and to make sure everyone was on the same page. Tonight will be a good litmus test to see how the group can respond.

The ECU defense has posted some good numbers, but there’s a case to be made that it has come against inferior opponents. Old Dominion, Rice and UAB all rank inside the bottom 25 in total offense among FBS teams, and NC Central ranks No. 92 among FCS teams in total offense.

It could be an opportunity for Memphis’ offense to bounce back after struggling to convert against the Green Wave.

Defensively, the Tigers will look to slow down the run and force some takeaways. The defense has allowed opposing teams to pick up chunk plays on the ground over the last few weeks, and they must limit that against the Pirates.

This will be the first of back-to-back home games for Memphis, and a win will make it 13 bowl games in a row for the program.