Memphis dropped to 8-3 on the season Saturday afternoon with a 31-27 loss against East Carolina. The Tigers led with 2:29 left in the game, but the Pirates responded with a six-play, 75-yard drive to secure the victory.

It’s the first time Ryan Silverfield’s team has lost back-to-back games since the 2022 season, when they lost four games in a row, including a road loss in Greenville against ECU. The Tigers have the week off before they host Navy in their regular-season finale on Thanksgiving.

Here are some takeaways from Memphis’ loss against the Pirates:

CFP & conference championship dreams are officially over

After losing to Tulane, ESPN gave Memphis a three percent chance to make the college football playoffs. While it was unlikely, the Tigers still had a mathematical path to the playoffs, but they needed a significant amount of help from around the conference and to win out.

With a third loss on the season, Memphis will have to wait another year to contend for the group of five spot in the college football playoffs. More importantly, the Tigers will miss another American Conference title game. 

The Tigers haven’t made the conference championship game since 2019, and it’s a biggest missing piece on Silverfield’s resume.

The Tigers are bowl eligible for a twelfth straight season, though Silverfield has said that making a bowl game isn’t enough.

“This is now our twelfth straight year of going to a bowl game, and it’s not that important to me,” Silverfield said after beating Tulsa to become 6-0.

Brendon Lewis is battling, but his ankle is clearly bothering him.

Brendon Lewis played well against the Pirates, but it was noticeable throughout the entire game that his ankle was limiting him. Lewis finished with 209 yards, a touchdown and a last-second interception, while adding 61 yards with his legs, but he continuously limped between plays and exited the game multiple times.

The starting quarterback has left four of the last five games with an injury, but he continues to show a lot of toughness and fight. Both Silverfield and offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey have said that the decision at quarterback comes down to what’s best for Lewis and the team, and right now, it’s apparent that even a limited Lewis is the best option for the Tigers.

With one regular-season game left, the Tigers are out of the conference championship and college football playoff conversations, and it’ll be interesting to see if the coaching staff makes a change ahead of Navy and a bowl game.

Memphis’ defense has struggled against the pass

Memphis’ defense has looked like a “bend, but don’t break” group, and most of the success has come from forcing turnovers at key times. Opposing teams are averaging 239.3 yards through the air, but the Tigers have recorded 13 interceptions.

Since the UAB game, opposing quarterbacks are averaging 256.8 passing yards per game, and they’ve combined for three interceptions. If you take out Rice, which runs an option offense, the remaining four opponents averaged 296 passing yards per game and only two interceptions.

Memphis’ front seven haven’t gotten enough pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and receivers are finding too much open space in the secondary.