East Carolina football has been a fixture on Thursday nights this season. The Pirates will play their fourth – and final – Thursday game this evening (Oct. 16), hosting conference rival Tulsa in their annual Night of the Boneyard game. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, with TV coverage on ESPN.
Despite the distance between the schools, ECU and Tulsa have developed a bit of a rivalry on the field, dating back to their days in Conference USA in the early 2000s.
East Carolina beat Tulsa in 2008 in the Conference USA championship game and won a wild 2010 meeting 51-49 when quarterback Dominique Davis connected with Justin Jones on a 33-yard pass as time expired. That was the first game of the Ruffin McNeill era.
All told, each team has won nine games in the series, with ECU breaking a four-game losing streak with last year’s 38-31 triumph at Tulsa
Tulsa vs. ECU How to Watch
🏈 Matchup: Tulsa (2-4, 0-3 American) at East Carolina (3-3, 1-1)
🏟️ Where: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium | Greenville, NC
⏰ Kickoff: Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025 | 7:30 p.m. ET
📺 TV: ESPN
📅 Last Meeting: East Carolina 38, Tulsa 31 (2024)
📊 Latest Line: East Carolina -17.5 | Over/under 53.5 (Draft Kings)
🏴☠️ #NightOfTheBoneyard @ECUEquipment pic.twitter.com/9XUWh9ks42 — ECU Football (@ECUPiratesFB) October 15, 2025
5 Things To Know | Tulsa at ECU
1. ECU has the top scoring defense in the American Conference. The Pirates surrender just 15.5 points per game and are second in the league in total defense (329.8 yards per game) and red zone defense (6 TDs and 6 FGs allowed over 18 opportunities).
Tulsa meanwhile is next-to-last in the American in scoring (18.7 ppg) and 11th in total yards (368.3). The Pirates have one shutout, 38-0 against Coastal Carolina, and held Campbell to just a field goal. It could be a tough night for the Golden Hurricane finding points.
2. East Carolina QB Katin Houser ranks third in the conference and 13th nationally in passing yards (1,689 yards). Houser has thrown eight touchdown passes and has found the end zone three times using his legs, giving the Pirates something of a dual-threat combo. Anthony Smith and Yannick Smith have combined for 59 catches for 776 yards and three TDs.
ECU may need to establish a consistent running attack, though, to compliment the aerial game as Tulsa ranks near the top of the league in passing defense.
3. If there is a knock on ECU, it’s that the Pirates have struggled to play a complete game at times. East Carolina suffered from slow starts in both of their losses, falling behind 17-0 at NC State and 12-0 last week at Tulane. While they rallied in both and had chances to win in the closing minutes, the holes ultimately proved too deep to dig out of.
4. Tulsa is coached by Tre Lamb, who has enjoyed a rapid ascent in the coaching ranks to the FBS level. The 36-year-old former Tennessee Tech quarterback got his first head coaching gig at Gardner-Webb in 2020, leading the Runnin’ Bulldogs to a pair of conference titles and FCS playoff berths.
Lamb spent one season at East Tennessee State in 2024 before being hired by Tulsa heading into this season. He’s 29-29 all-time as a head coach with his signature win so far at Tulsa coming at Oklahoma State in September.
5. Earlier this week, Lamb announced that Baylor Hayes would take over starting quarterback duties from Kirk Francis. The redshirt freshman has completed 77 of 126 passes for 787 yards, 4 TDs and 3 INTs thus far. “After evaluating six games, Baylor’s turning it over less, moving the ball better, and gives us an element with his legs,” Lamb said during press availability earlier this week. “He’s going to be the guy.”
What to Expect + Prediction
ECU and Tulsa have played some wild games through the years, and last year’s meeting in Oklahoma proved a shootout as well. East Carolina has the stallions on both sides of the ball to earn a comfortable win, but the final margin will depend on consistent play over four quarters.
Our pick: East Carolina 38, Tulsa 16 on a “Paint it Black” night in Greenville.
