Memphis travels to Greenville, North Carolina to take on East Carolina following its second loss of the season against Tulane. The Tigers are 4-1 on the road, and this is their first road game since beating Rice on Halloween. 

With only two games left on the schedule, Memphis looks to get back in the win column, but they’re up against an ECU team that is playing with a lot of confidence. 

The Pirates have won three games in a row, and they’ve done a nice job defending their home turf, going 4-1 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. ECU has leaned on its defense most of the season, and it leads the conference in scoring defense, yards allowed and rushing yards allowed.

Offensively, the Pirates are averaging 44.7 points per game during this three-game winning streak, but two of the three opponents are at the bottom of the American Conference standings.

Here’s how to watch Memphis’ game against ECU:

TV: ESPNU

Stream: WatchESPN

Time: 3:00 CT

Line: ECU -2.5

What to expect from the Tigers:

The biggest question entering this game is whether Brenden Lewis will play or if one of the backups will start in his place. Lewis has left with an injury in three of the last four games, and Ryan Silverfield didn’t have an update on his availability earlier this week.

“It’s going to be kind of like it’s been all season,” Silverfield said. “Just kind of see where he’s at.”

Silverfield made this comment before the Tigers practiced this week and added that they would see where he’s at after practicing. The sixth-year head coach praised Lewis for the way he’s battled injuries but noted the decision would come down to what’s best for Lewis and the team.

If Lewis isn’t able to play, either redshirt freshman Arrington Maiden or true freshman Antwann Hill Jr. will make his first start at the collegiate level, and they’ll be tested by one of the better defenses in the conference. 

The Pirates have a knack for forcing turnovers, ranking No. 41 in the country with 13 takeaways, and that could be a cause for concern if a young quarterback is starting. The Tigers’ offense has done a nice job protecting the ball, and they’ve only turned the ball over nine times this season.

It’ll be interesting to see if Memphis is able to get its run game going against ECU. The Pirates only allow 106 yards on the ground, but they haven’t faced many teams that have the ground attack that the Tigers have.

While they’ve found success stopping the run, they’ve given up more than 250 yards through the air in 3 of their last four games. This might be another game where they rely on the playmakers like Cortez Graham Jr. and Jamari Hawkins to generate big yards through the air.

Defensively, the Tigers must stop a Pirates offense that has become extremely balanced on the ground and through the air. ECU averages 186 yards on the ground, including a 358-yard rushing performance against Temple, and they average 281.7 yards through the air, including a 300-yard showing against Tulsa.