On Thursday, the Bucs stopped what Concord head coach Greg Quick called a “surf n’ turf offense and mountain magic defense.”
Instead, the mountain magic belonged to ETSU red shirt freshman Carl Meadows and junior kicker Jon Godfrey.
Meadows, in only his second college start and first game on ETSU’s turf, threw for 300 yards.
Godfrey kicked like a professional as he made field goals from 51 and 48 yards out.
The Bucs beat Concord 44-0, bringing their record up to 1-1 for the season so far.
“I thought we started out playing good football. We hit a lull in the second quarter like we did against Eastern Michigan last week,” said Hamilton.
In the first quarter, the Bucs scored two touchdowns; one off of a Gaven Varner 10-yard run, and another when Meadows connected with senior wide receiver Andrew Nuckolls on a 44-yard pass.
“Carl looked like a seasoned veteran tonight,” Nuckolls said. “He’s playing great to be as young as he is.”
In the second quarter, Concord free safety Joseph Carroll intercepted a Meadows pass but was stopped on downs by the ETSU defense on the 18-yard line.
The second quarter ended on a positive note when kicker Godfrey connected for a 48-yard field goal.
When asked about his sudden improvement, Godfrey said, “I’ve gained the confidence of my team and teammates.”
Last season, Godfrey struggled with a quadricep problem, and his kicking game was lackluster.
“I lifted weights in the off season and kept my quad stable,” said Godfrey.
The second half of the game was all ETSU, as the Bucs scored on four straight drives.
Meadows opened up the Bucs in the third quarter for his longest pass of 54 yards to sophomore wide receiver Brian Matthews.
The second half was the time for personal records in Memorial Center, as Godfrey connected for his longest field goal of the night at 51 yards away.
After the Bucs 44-0 rout, Nuckolls said that the fan support helped the team play better.
“Teachers and students have been asking what time the game was and giving us their support,” said Nuckolls.
The Firsts and Lasts
Here are some of the last season home opener statistics:
The attendance was 5,481.
Gaven Varner scored the first touchdown on the Bucs’ turf.
The last opening kick at ETSU was stopped at the 23-yard line.
The first tackle was made by Bucs senior Matt Palmer.

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