Memphis dropped its second straight game Saturday afternoon in a 31-27 loss against East Carolina. The Tigers fall to 8-3 on the season, and it’s the first time Ryan Silverfield's team lost back-to-back games since the 2022 season, when they lost four straight games, including a road loss against the Pirates.

The biggest question entering the game was the availability of starting quarterback Brendon Lewis. Memphis listed him as questionable on the pregame availability report, but he started and played a majority of the game.

Lewis had a noticeable limp throughout the game, and he exited the game multiple times due to an ankle injury. Despite taking several big hits, the starting quarterback battled all afternoon and tried to will his team to a victory.

Lewis threw for 209 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the closing seconds of the game. He also added 61 yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground.

Lewis’ 61 yards were part of the 240 rushing yards the Tigers recorded Saturday afternoon. Sutton Smith led the team on the ground with 109 yards, including an 84-yard touchdown to give Memphis a touchdown lead in the second quarter. 

It’s the first time Smith has surpassed 100 yards since his 147-yard performance against Arkansas.

While Lewis battled through his injury, it was clear the injury was bothering him in the second half, and the ECU defense put together stop after stop towards the end of the game. The Pirates came up with stops on five of Memphis’ seven drives in the second half and outscored the Tigers 21-10 in the second half.

Silverfield’s team scored its first points in over 20 minutes of game time when Gianni Spetic kicked a 30-yard field goal with 2:29 left in the game, but the Pirates responded quickly with a 6-play, 1:21 long touchdown drive to regain the lead.

Memphis received the ball with 1:08 left in the game, but the offense struggled with clock management and wasted unnecessary time by not getting out of bounds on completed passes. Ultimately, Lewis dropped back and unloaded a pass as time expired, which resulted in an interception.

While the Tigers dealt with injury concerns, ECU dealt with its own, and the Pirates had to play the entire second half without Yannick Smith, who ranks second in receiving yards, after he suffered a leg injury late in the first half. With one half of the Smith duo out, Blake Harrell saw other receivers step up to make plays.

Junior Brock Spalding led the team with 88 yards on five receptions, and senior Payton Magnum reeled in his first touchdown of the season on the game-winning touchdown drive.

The Tigers’ defense struggled against the ECU passing attack, especially in the second half, and senior Katin Houser finished with 332 yards and a touchdown, including 182 yards and the touchdown in the second half.

Sophomore running back London Montgomery also added 103 yards and two rushing touchdowns on the ground.

Memphis now sits in sixth place in the American Conference rankings, and they’ll play one more regular-season game on Thanksgiving against Navy.