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Greenville: ECU falls at Memphis 41-34 in overtime

Memphis won 41-34 in overtime Thursday night at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. ECU is 3-4 (1-2 American). Memphis is 6-2 (3-1). The Pirates host Temple on Oct. 31.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

An East Carolina football game at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium

File photo: Airman 1st Class Rae Perry, USAF (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • Memphis beat East Carolina 41-34 in overtime on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.Confirmed by ECU Athletics box score, recap and schedule; Memphis Athletics recap; footballdb.com score listing
  • The line score was ECU 10-6-8-10-0 and Memphis 0-3-17-14-7. Attendance was 27,788.Confirmed by ECU Athletics box score
  • ECU led 16-3 at halftime. Noah Perez made field goals of 22, 30 and 49 yards in the first half, the 49-yarder as the half ended. Ashton Gray scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter.Confirmed by ECU Athletics box score
  • ECU led 27-20 early in the fourth quarter after a Perez 40-yard field goal at 12:26. Memphis tied it 27-27, then went ahead 34-27 on a Marcus Stokes 2-yard run with 3:31 left. ECU tied it 34-34 on Mitch Griffis' 20-yard touchdown pass to Landon Sides with 1:30 left. Memphis won in overtime on a Stokes 5-yard run.Confirmed by ECU Athletics box score
  • Memphis quarterback Marcus Stokes threw for 320 yards. ECU quarterback Mitch Griffis threw for 199 yards. T.J. Engleman Jr. ran for 92 yards. Landon Sides had 130 receiving yards.Confirmed by ECU Athletics box score
  • After the game, Memphis is 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the American Conference. ECU is 3-4 and 1-2.Confirmed by ECU Athletics box score, recap and schedule; Memphis Athletics recap
  • ECU next hosts Temple on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 3 p.m. at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville.Confirmed by ECU Athletics 2026 football schedule

What happened

Memphis beat East Carolina 41-34 in overtime Thursday night at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis.

ECU is 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the American Conference. Memphis is 6-2 and 3-1. The official ECU box score, recap and schedule, and Memphis's recap, all list the same final. Attendance was 27,788.

How it finished

ECU led 16-3 at the break. Noah Perez made kicks of 22, 30 and 49 yards before halftime, the last as the clock hit zero. Ashton Gray scored from a yard out in the first quarter.

The quarter scores were ECU 10, 6, 8, 10 and 0, and Memphis 0, 3, 17, 14 and 7.

A Perez 40-yarder at 12:26 of the fourth made it 27-20. Memphis tied the score at 27-27, then went in front 34-27 on a Marcus Stokes 2-yard run with 3:31 left. Mitch Griffis hit Landon Sides for a 20-yard touchdown with 1:30 to go, tying it at 34-34. Stokes won it in overtime on a 5-yard run.

The numbers

Stokes passed for 320 yards. Griffis passed for 199. T.J. Engleman Jr. ran for 92. Sides caught 130 yards worth of passes. Those figures are on ECU's box score.

What's next

ECU hosts Temple on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 3 p.m. at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, the schedule says.

Why it matters

ECU is the Triangle region's other Group of Five program. The overtime loss drops the Pirates to 3-4 and 1-2 in the American before a home game against Temple on Oct. 31.

Sources

  1. Football vs Memphis on 10/22/2026, box score

    Official sourcePublished by East Carolina Athletics · Checked Oct 23, 2026, 10:16 AM

  2. ECU Falls At Memphis In Overtime, 41-34 (game recap)

    Official sourcePublished by East Carolina Athletics · Checked Oct 23, 2026, 10:16 AM

  3. 2026 Football Schedule (Memphis L, 34-41 OT; vs Temple, Oct. 31, 3 p.m.; 3-4, 1-2)

    Official sourcePublished by East Carolina Athletics · Checked Oct 23, 2026, 10:16 AM

  4. Tigers Take Down East Carolina 41-34 in Overtime (game recap)

    Official sourcePublished by Memphis Athletics · Checked Oct 23, 2026, 10:16 AM

  5. East Carolina Pirates 2026 scores (at Memphis L, 41-34 OT, Oct. 22)

    Published by The Football Database · Checked Oct 23, 2026, 10:16 AM

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