Oct. 26, 2009

MEMPHIS, TENN. --- The Memphis Tigers will host the East Carolina Pirates in a Conference USA East Division matchup Tuesday evening at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be carried by ESPN2. The crew in the booth consists of Rece Davis, Mark May and Lou Holtz. Rob Stone will handle the sideline reporting.

Tuesday's game is FedEx Appreciation Night, and the Athletic Department thanks the employees of FedEx for their support. Fans who subscribe to the Memphis Tigers All-Access service will not be able to watch live video streaming of the game because of contract limitations for contests carried by ESPN, but there is a link to listen to the official radio broadcast of Dave Woloshin and Chris Powers. The link to All-Access is:

http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=mem&media=138000

Tuesday's game is the 18th meeting between Memphis and East Carolina on the gridiron. The Pirates lead the all-time series 11-6. The series began in 1990. East Carolina won its third straight in the series with a 30-10 victory over the Tigers at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, N.C., last year in a game that Memphis lost quarterbacks Arkelon Hall and Will Hudgens in the first quarter. Despite the last three setbacks, the series is tied at 4-4 in the last eight encounters.

The last Memphis win in the series was a 27-24 victory in the 2005 campaign. That game was played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

Another Tiger Tuesday ESPN Tilt
For the third time since 2005, Memphis is playing a Tuesday night game on the ESPN family of networks. The Tigers host East Carolina Oct. 27 on ESPN2. Two seasons ago, Memphis hosted Marshall in the Tigers' 2007 Conference USA opener at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Playing less than 48 hours after teammate Taylor Bradford's death, Memphis pulled together for an emotionally-charged 24-21 league victory over the Thundering Herd. That contest was aired on ESPN2.

In 2005, Memphis played UAB in a Tuesday night contest on ESPN2. The Blazers posted a 37-20 victory over the Tigers at the Liberty Bowl.

On This Date
Memphis has an all-time record of 9-3-1 when playing on Oct. 27. The last time the Tigers played an Oct. 27 game was the 2007 season, and Memphis defeated Tulane 28-27 in a back-and-forth affair in New Orleans. Memphis won six straight when playing on Oct. 27 from 1917-79. A 1984 setback (30-27) to the North Carolina Tar Heels ended the Tigers' Oct. 27 win streak.

Normal Game Date For Tigers-Pirates
For the 16th time in their series, the Tigers and Pirates play a late October/November contest on Oct. 27. Of the previous 15 late October/November meetings, 11 of those came after Oct. 20. Memphis and East Carolina have met each other in a season finale five times (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998). The only two years the Conference USA foes played on an early date was the 2006 and 1991 campaigns, with East Carolina winning both encounters. The Pirates posted a 35-20 win on Sept. 16, 2006, and defeated the Tigers 20-13 on Sept. 14, 1991.

High Scoring Affairs
In recent years when the Tigers and Pirates played, the scoreboards lit up. Since 2003 (six games), the winner of the Memphis-East Carolina encounter scored 30 or more points five times. But, the losing team's offense didn't disappoint either, scoring 24 or more points four times.

The combined total points scored in the last six games is 380, and the combined average per game in that stretch is 31.7 points. The two squads combined for 96 points (56-40 East Carolina win) in 2007. It was the most points combined in the 17-game series. It was also the most points combined in a Tiger game since Memphis' 2004 encounter against Louisville. The Tigers and Cardinals combined for 105 points (56-49 Louisville win) in that game.

Steele Is Top Tiger Scoring Threat
Curtis Steele has scored rushing touchdowns in eight of his last 11 games played and totals 11 TDs on the ground during the stretch. He leads the team in scoring (non-kicking) heading into the East Carolina game with 36 points. The Franklin, Tenn., native also totals 78 career points for the Tigers.

Did You Know?
In three straight games, Duke Calhoun tallied over 100 yards receiving, with 174 versus UT Martin, 141 vs Marshall and 162 vs UCF. He is the only Tiger receiver in school history to log three straight games of 100 yards --- and he has done it twice in his career. The other time was in 2007 versus ECU, USM and UAB.

Surgery Sidelines Two Tigers
Quarterback Tyler Bass had shoulder surgery on Oct. 20 to repair damage in his left, non-throwing shoulder. He will miss the remainder of the season. Defensive end Justin Thompson had knee surgery on Oct. 23 and will be sidelined as well. In addition, linebacker Greg Jackson will miss Tuesday's game after suffering a bruise to his leg and a shoulder sprain in the Southern Miss game.

Tiger Streak Third Nationally
Duke Calhoun recorded 83 yards on a season-high 11 receptions against Southern Miss and advanced his receiving streak to 44 games. He remains ranked third nationally in active receiving streaks. Calhoun has caught a pass in each of his 44 games in a Tiger uniform. He leads the receiving corps this season with 41 catches for 673 yards, while also holding the school record with 10 career 100-yard games. Below is a listing of the top 10 active streaks:

48 - Bryan Anderson (C. Michigan)
46 - Naaman Roosevelt (Buffalo)
44 - Duke Calhoun (Memphis)
38 - Dennis Pitta (BYU)
35 - Brandon LaFell (LSU)
35 - Antonio Brown (Central Michigan)
34 - Eric Decker (Minnesota)
34 - Toren Dixon (Rice)
32 - Scotty McNight (Colorado)
31 - Jeff Moturi (UTEP)

For the complete Memphis Football Release, please go to:

http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/mem/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/weekly-release.pdf