This season’s motto for the ETSU Buccaneer football team is: Together We Can.
And togetherness is what head coach Paul Hamilton has set into motion as the Buccaneer football program starts its last season this Thursday at Eastern Michigan University.
Hamilton said that this is the best pre-season the Bucs have had since he has been at ETSU. “The players are enthused , and I feel good about our preparation,” he said.
The team’s “strength is in its defense, especially the backfield,” Hamilton said.
He also pointed out the defense’s continuing stability and the benefit of having linebackers like former Tennessee High School standout Travis Williams to lead the charge.
“Our place-kicking has been weak in the past, but in the pre-season we definitely improved,” said Hamilton.
The Bucs will have to feel out a red-shirt freshman quarterback.
They will have three non-conference games to test him before conference play begins at Elon Sept. 20.
The schedule is tough, as the Bucs face challenges from Division I-A powerhouses like Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, Furman and a strong Eastern Michigan team.
“Eastern Michigan is a big physical team,” Hamilton said. “They are returning 18 starters and now have 85 scholarship players.”
This year, the Bucs don’t even have 85 players on the team. “Last year we had 95 players, and now we have 65,” Hamilton said. “Also, we lost one starter to Clemson and some other backup players, too.”
But the Bucs are ready for the last season despite the odds looking high. “We are committed to one another and pulling for each other like family,” Hamilton said.
“We are treating this season no differently than any other. The difference is that each day is the last time we will do something.”
When asked about his post-ETSU plans, Hamilton said that he would like to stay in football. “I’ve either been a player or coached all of my life,” he said.
Hamilton is charging ahead toward the season positively, taking life one game at a time.
“I’m proud of the team and we have faced difficult challenges before,” he said.

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