Memphis had to grind for every inch, but Charles Huff’s team found enough late to walk out of Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium with a 41-34 overtime win over East Carolina on Oct. 22.
The Tigers were stuck in a mess of a first half, one that produced only three points and very little offensive rhythm. But Memphis flipped the script after halftime, rallied back into the game, and eventually improved to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the American Conference. The victory keeps the Tigers in the conference title conversation and gives them a rebound after the loss at Tulane.
Afterward, Huff pointed to the way his group responded without changing its approach.
"The kids are resilient," Memphis coach Charles Huff said after the game. "It shows that the process works.
Because we didn't change anything. We went right back to work watching film, breaking down film, same practice model."
He said Memphis expected the first half to be a little ugly while it tried to get a clearer picture of East Carolina’s defense. Still, the Tigers’ early production was well below what they wanted, and drives repeatedly stalled out.
"We knew it was going to be a struggle in the first half," Huff said. "We just wanted to make sure we were efficient enough in the first half until we could tell what we were doing to figure out what's the best option to go to in the second half. And I thought the kids did a really good job."
At halftime, Huff said the mood in the room convinced him the Tigers still had plenty left.
"I hear (quarterback) Marcus (Stokes), 'We good, we good,' " Huff said. "Then I hear the defense, 'We got you, we got you.'
Then they put on Moneybagg Yo or something. And it was like pregame in there.
And I said, 'You know what? If they're good, all we've got to do is put them in the right place.'
"
Memphis did exactly that. The Tigers climbed all the way back, grabbed the lead in the fourth quarter, and then watched East Carolina answer with a late touchdown drive that forced overtime. In the extra period, Stokes scored the winning touchdown, and Ellis Ellis Jr. finished the job by intercepting Mitch Griffis on the Pirates’ possession to seal it.
Memphis returns to action on Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. against Army at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. The game will be on ESPNU.
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Memphis May Have Found The Response Fans Needed Most
Down 16-3 and coming off a loss to Tulane, Memphis needed a jolt more than a box-score win, and it got one in a 41-34 overtime escape against East Carolina. The Tigers dug in after a rough start, kept playing through the kind of game that can spiral on a team, and found enough offense to stay alive long enough to force the extra period.
Charles Huff called out the resilience and fight afterward, which matters for a group trying to steady itself and build some momentum. Stokes helped supply the spark with multiple touchdown passes, including two to Jemyri Davis, giving Memphis a much-needed reminder that even when things start badly, this team still has a way to respond. [Read more 🡒]
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The Tigers also needed Stokes at his best to keep momentum rolling after an overtime win against East Carolina pushed them to bowl eligibility. With Army coming to Memphis on October 31, the spotlight figures to stay bright, and so does the conversation around what the rest of this season might mean for Stokes individually. For Memphis, the broader picture is simple: a quarterback playing at an award-level pace can change the feel of an entire season. [Read more 🡒]