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Memphis football loses to East Carolina in four overtimes after blowing 17-point lead

evan barnes, memphis commercial appeal
·4 min read

It couldn’t happen again to Memphis football, right? The Tigers couldn’t lose another double-digit lead, could they?

They did.

Memphis briefly redeemed itself with a scoring drive to force overtime but it delayed the inevitable as East Carolina won 47-45 in four overtimes at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina, on Saturday night.

A 17-point lead evaporated by the third quarter. Memphis forced overtime with a 75-yard, fourth quarter drive. Both teams traded blows scoring in the first three overtimes. But after ECU struck first in the fourth overtime, Seth Henigan's pass sailed high above Caden Prieskorn and started an celebration by the Pirates.

For the second consecutive season, Memphis (4-3, 1-2 AAC) watched ECU (4-3, 3-2) enjoy an overtime win. Here's what we learned.

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Turnover troubles

Henigan entered Saturday’s game with just one interception this season but threw two against ECU, including Julius Woods' 52-yard pick returned for a touchdown in the third quarter. Henigan’s first interception in the second quarter was returned deep into ECU territory and the Pirates cashed in on the next play with a 16-yard touchdown catch.

ECU pressured Henigan throughout the game and sacked him four times. Henigan had his third career multi-interception game but responded with a 75-yard drive to close the fourth quarter and found Joseph Scates open near the back of the end zone for a touchdown to force overtime.

Henigan almost led the Tigers to a victory when he scored on a short run in double overtime but the Tigers' two-point attempt on an Asa Martin rush fell short. He finished with 407 passing yards to tie Riley Ferguson's program record with four career 400-yard games.

Oct 15, 2022; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; Memphis Tigers quarterback Seth Henigan (5) throws the ball against the East Carolina Pirates during the first half at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2022; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; Memphis Tigers quarterback Seth Henigan (5) throws the ball against the East Carolina Pirates during the first half at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Another double digit meltdown

For the second consecutive game and fourth time in two seasons, Memphis led by more than 10 points and couldn’t hold on.

Memphis jumped out to a 17-0 lead. ECU gifted the Tigers a scoring drive by the strange decision to punt on fourth-and-19 in its own territory. The Tigers snuffed it out and cashed in with Eddie Lewis scoring on a touchdown catch. But it was all for naught as ECU climbed back then overtook the Tigers in the fourth quarter before the Tigers forced overtime.

It felt all too familiar. CJ Johnson ended Memphis' hopes by catching ECU's two-point conversion in the fourth overtime and the Tigers' first four-overtime game since 2007 ended in another heartbreak.

Notable absences

Senior All-AAC safety Quindell Johnson and starting running back Brandon Thomas didn’t play Saturday. Johnson was injured against Houston last week and Thomas was out with an injury per coach Ryan Silverfield.

Martin started at tailback and scored twice, including the Tigers' touchdown in the first overtime. But Johnson's absence was felt as the Tigers gave up 304 yards and the Pirates passed at will. It was fitting that ECU's final play was a pass as Holton Ahlers connected with CJ Johnson

Martin's spark was needed but the Tigers' run game (77 yards) was overshadowed by ECU's Keaton Mitchell gaining 149 yards and scoring three touchdowns, including the Pirates' scores in the first two overtimes.

Oct 15, 2022; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; East Carolina Pirates quarterback Holton Ahlers (12) runs out of the pocket against the Memphis Tigers during the first half at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2022; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; East Carolina Pirates quarterback Holton Ahlers (12) runs out of the pocket against the Memphis Tigers during the first half at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Too much Chris Howard

Chris Howard added three more field goals and the senior Florida transfer remains perfect this season (14-for-14). There’s an argument he’s been as impactful as any transfer Memphis has gotten under Silverfield.

However, that’s a problem. Yes, the Tigers fixed their kicking issues but for the second consecutive game, they couldn’t finish enough drives with touchdowns. The Tigers settled for threes instead of scoring sevens.

Howard has been great but the Tigers haven’t balanced his success with enough touchdowns. They ended the game with only one second half touchdown

Prieskorn, Scates produce

Scates had a costly fumble against Houston but redeemed himself with five catches for 112 yards. The Iowa State transfer had a pair of catches of at least 40 yards, reminding why his speed was highly touted before the season.

Caden Prieskorn added six catches for 104 yards as the Tigers had their first game with an 100-yard receiver all season. But it didn't matter much after another painful defeat.

With two conference losses, Memphis' road to the AAC championship just got harder. It won't get easier next Saturday (2:30 p.m., ESPN2 or ESPNU) at Tulane.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football loses to ECU in four-overtime thriller