Thursday's Week 8 college football slate features three games across three conferences, including East Carolina at Memphis. The Tigers enter as 10-point home favorites despite a 5-2 record that falls short of their goal to contend for a Group of Six College Football Playoff berth. The Pirates sit at 3-3 with losses to Appalachian State and UAB following a season-opening defeat at Alabama.
East Carolina's offense has regressed significantly after losing quarterback Katin Houser and receiver Anthony Smith to the transfer portal and NFL, respectively. Houser posted a 19-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio with 8.1 yards per attempt last season, while replacements Emory Williams and Mitch Griffis have combined for an 11-to-4 ratio and just 6.3 yards per attempt while taking 12 sacks in six games.
The Pirates' defense remains a strength, ranking 23rd nationally at 4.65 yards per play allowed and tying for 14th with three sacks per game. However, the unit has generated only eight takeaways this season after forcing 24 a year ago, leaving the team at minus-2 in turnover margin.
Memphis is coming off a 24-17 loss to Tulane in which quarterback Marcus Stokes committed five turnovers as the Green Wave recorded six takeaways, including a pick-six. Despite the giveaways, the Tigers amassed 488 yards of offense while their defense held Tulane to 325 yards and 24 points. Memphis has improved defensively during conference play, allowing 4.94 yards per play over its last three games after yielding over 6.5 in its first four contests.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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