East Carolina is next up on the 2026 Rice football schedule, so we’re going behind enemy lines with Pirates’ insider Stephen Igoe
Stephen Igoe of Hoist The Colors (247 Sports) was kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions about the upcoming matchup between Rice Football and East Carolina. The answers below should shed some light on the Owls’ upcoming opponent.
Scheduling Note: Kickoff has been moved to 12:00 PM CT in response to expected weather in the area.
Q. What’s the plan at quarterback for ECU on Saturday and how have the Pirates’ two passers fared to this point?
A: It’s been a mixed bag, to say the least, at quarterback thus far. That’s probably putting it nicely. That said, the Pirates hope the North Carolina Central game was a potential turning point. ECU took two older transfers in the portal in Mitch Griffis (Texas Tech) and Emory Williams (Miami). Most figured Williams to be the favorite, but Griffis – who came from a very similar offense with the Red Raiders – earned the job with more consistent preseason practice. That said, whether it be the schedule, or the offensive injuries around him (ECU has missed multiple starting receivers for the first month), the passing game was just bad. ECU turned to Williams in the Central game and he largely thrived, especially in the first half.
That said, it’s NC Central. He still has much to prove. He does provide a much better pocket presence. The 6-5, 225-pounder is known more for surveying the field and distributing the football. The 6-foot Griffis is more of a playmaker who extends plays and can come up with things off-script.
ECU will start Williams this week and the hope is he’s the guy going forward. But if the offense sputters again, I could see them going back to Griffis at some point.
Q. ECU’s defense was dominant last year. Through four games, how close has that side of the ball come to those lofty expectations?
A: I don’t know if it’s been quite as good this year, but the defense has still been very good. Some of the overall numbers maybe don’t tell the full story, as the unit has been on the field a lot due to the offense’s struggles. The Pirates also had to go up against one of the best offenses in America at Alabama to start the season. And honestly, they passed the eye test that game. ECU was in the right spots most of the day, just simply couldn’t tackle well enough.
Since then, ECU has improved steadily each week. The unit ranks 41st nationally in defensive efficiency, per ESPN FPI, which factors in opponents and strength of schedule. The Pirates also come in at No. 31 in Pro Football Focus overall defensive grade through four games. Both of those metrics pace The American by a pretty wide margin.
Blake Harrell is a defensive wizard in many ways. As long as he’s the head coach, I expect ECU to be good on defense.
Q. What’s been the biggest surprise, good or bad, from the team so far this season?
A: The surprise has honestly been just how bad the offense has been. As solid as the defense has been, the offense ranks near the bottom of the country in virtually every category. In some ways, a slow start was expected. You’re bringing in a first-time play-caller in Jordan Davis from North Texas, and he had 10 new starters to break in heading into the preseason. That number then became 11 a week before the season when returning slot receiver Brock Spalding suffered a serious back injury (and he’s still out).
But, still, most people expected Davis to at least bring some more firepower to the table than this. Although Eric Morris was calling the plays in Denton, Davis was a part of the most prolific offense in the FBS last season. And ECU invested pretty heavily on that side of the ball in the portal.
All in all, I still think there are some serious weapons on offense. Ashton Gray, Jeremiah Melvin, TJ Engleman, Ray Ray Joseph and Landon Sides are all playmakers who can make a difference. And the OL has decent talent. But it just hasn’t really meshed to this point. ECU is hoping Williams started to unlock some things prior to the open date.
Q. Who is an under-the-radar guy Rice fans should keep an eye out for on Saturday?
A: I’ll give you one on each side of the ball. Offensively, I’ll go with Sides. He missed the first three games due to injury, but returned versus NC Central and played 10 snaps, as they look to work him back in from a hamstring injury. He’s now since had the open date, and further reps, to get back into the mix. Rice fans may know him already from his North Texas days, but he doesn’t jump off the stat sheet at ECU because he’s played just a couple series this season. I could see him being targeted a decent amount on Saturday as the offense tries to keep establishing an identity.
Defensively, the Pirates just got back a key player from the fifth-year rulings in JD Lampley. He’s a four-year starter up front and was a game-wrecker at times against NC Central. He has plenty of experience playing the option and I expect him to create some problems up front for Rice this Saturday.
Q. What’s one thing East Carolina has to do to win this game?
A: Play complementary football. That’s often a big focus going against option teams, because they typically do that to you themselves. And if you fail to match that, the game can get away from you. The Pirates have been good on defense this year, and special teams has been solid. But the offense now has to match that. The unit doesn’t have to be perfect, but it can’t afford to turn the football over, or go three-and-out, in what’s expected to be a limited possession game. So if the Pirates can establish some sort of flow offensively, they could have a lot of success as a team. If this turns into a game Rice wants to play, all bets are off.