ETSU will take on Western Carolina Saturday at 6 p.m. in Cullowhee, N.C., for the lead in the Southern Conference.
Both clubs are 1-0 in the league after opening with wins over the SoCon’s two military academies.
ETSU coach Paul Hamilton is 2-3 against the Catamounts and said the Bucs will face a real challenge as they take on the Catamounts Saturday.
“Looking at Western Carolina, I am so impressed with that team’s offense, defense and kicking game. I think they’re one of the better teams in I-AA.” Hamilton said. “We have a great challenge ahead of us to go to Cullowhee and play.”
Coming off a 35-21 win over VMI last week, Hamilton said the Bucs have improved, but still have work to do.
The Bucs rushed for 275 yards as a team against VMI. Over their first three games ETSU only managed 265 yards rushing combined.
“I was pleased our offense made some progress. We have light years to go to be a good offensive team. I was glad to see our quarterback improve.
“Their kids seem to be playing with a lot of confidence. They have a lot of playmakers on offense.” Hamilton said. “Our team made some improvement but we’ll have to play our best game of the year (in order to win).”
Hamilton seems to have settled on a quarterback. The Bucs will be led by Jatavis Sanders this weekend.
Sanders made his first career start last week, completing 30 of 43 passes for 213 yards. He also ran 21 yards for the clinching score after the Keydets had gotten in scoring range.
“Jatavis brings maturity to our team. He played at North Carolina State and he gives us some stability. He’s completed 30 of 43 passes over the last two games. He’s really starting to run the team. He’s really made strides. There’s no question about who our quarterback is now.”
Tailback Gaven Varner led the Bucs in rushing last week with 128 yards and three touchdowns.
“It was good to see Gaven breaking tackles and running the ball upfield. If he hadn’t gotten hurt, he would have had a big game. Right now, he’s day to day. He makes a big difference in our team.
However, Varner is questionable for Saturday’s game after he pulled a hamstring against VMI.
The Bucs backup tailbacks, Marcus Barnes and Mondo Miller, are also recovering from injuries, but may not be ready by this weekend.
“The most important thing is that the players understand the level of competition, that we have to play well week in and week out.” Hamilton said. “Winning (against VMI) is a positive, we did some good things, but the kids realized after we watched tape yesterday, that we have to do things better.
Western holds a 22-20-1 advantage in the series that started in 1932 in Cullowhee, the Catamounts lead the series 12-9. Western Carolina has won the last two meetings and three of the last four.
WCU has won eight of the last 10 meetings in E.J. Whitmire Stadium. Western posted a 20-6 win last season in Johnson City.
Kent Briggs, in his first season at Western Carolina, has a career record of 3-1. Briggs was a Catamount assistant coach from 1980-88 and was most recently the defensive coordinator at Connecticut.
Briggs agrees the contest is an important match for the teams.
“Any Southern Conference game is a big game if you want to know the truth. I think they are legit.” Briggs said. “This game will be a good measuring point to see where we’re at.”
Briggs was impressed by ETSU’s performance last weekend, especially the Buc defense.
“Their defense is strong, very fundamentally sound, well coached. Their secondary is the best we’ve gone against,” Briggs said. “They’re fundamentally sound and do a good job of defending the pass. It will be a big challenge to move the ball against them. I’ve been very impressed with their defense on film.”
Briggs agreed that Sanders will make a good leader for the Bucs.
“I was impressed with Jatavis Sanders when he was at N. C. State because he was there when I was,” Briggs said. “We thought Sanders had the ability to be a starting quarterback. He has a really strong arm. He brings a lot to their offense.”
Notes: Western is second in the SoCon in total offense with 423 yards per game, while the Bucs are third in the league in total defense, allowing 339.8 yards a game. The Catamounts are the most penalized team in the league and the Bucs are second.
WCU leads the SoCon in turnover margin at +7 and both clubs are tied for the league interception lead with six.
ETSU’s Montreal Harkley is tied for the league lead with three.
Although this is the first meeting between Hamilton and Briggs as head coaches, it is not the first time the two have been on opposing sidelines.
The two first met as opposing quarterbacks at Kidd Brewer Stadium in 1979. Briggs was a senior at WCU and Hamilton was a sophomore at Appalachian State. Hamilton and the Mountaineers posted a 35-27 victory over the Catamounts.

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