The Bucs went on the road on Saturday to take on Southern Conference rival Furman. The Bucs fought hard but fell to the Paladins 17-10. The Bucs’ record stands at 2-3 with two losses in the SoCon conference.
Furman got on the board first, with their second possession, taking the ball 80 yards and capping it off with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Darren Grainger to Ryan DeLuca.
The Paladins kept the momentum on their side in the opening minutes of the second quarter, taking an advantage of a penalty to keep their drive going when they were in a third and long situation. The Bucs were able to hold the Paladins to only three points when kicker Grayson Atkins hit a 28-yarder to put Furman up by 10.
The momentum quickly turned around for the Bucs when redshirt senior defensive back Artevius Smith (Birmingham, Alabama) forced a fumble, and redshirt senior defensive lineman Jason Maduafokwa (Seymour, Tennessee) recovered the football.
The Bucs turned four plays into points. First, a 26-yard run by redshirt sophomore Quay Holmes (Power Springs, Georgia) pushed the Bucs into scoring position then redshirt freshman Cameron Lewis (McDonough, Georgia) punched it in and put ETSU on the board before closing out the first half with the score 10-7.
The Bucs maintained the momentum going into the second half. The Bucs drove down the field for 46 yards after redshirt sophomore quarterback Trey Mitchell (Knoxville, Tennessee) connected with two big pass plays, one to redshirt junior receiver Keith Coffee (Miami, Florida) and another to sophomore tight end Nate Adkins (Knoxville, Tennessee). Furman halted the Bucs’ momentum and gave up the lead when freshman kicker Tyler Keltner (Tallahassee, Florida) kicked a 34-yard field goal to tie the game at 10.
The Paladins made a big play on their possession with a 40-yard throw from Grainger to DeLuca to set up another score for Furman, finishing the drive with a one-yard run by Devin Wynn.
The Bucs had opportunities to answer Furman’s score, but the Paladins stalled their momentum. The Paladins forced Mitchell to throw an interception and Furman chewed the clock until the end of the game.
Despite the tough loss, head coach Randy Sanders has hope for the young team.
“I think the team is going to improve as the season goes on,” says Sanders.
The Bucs return home next week as they continue conference play against rival Wofford on Saturday, Oct. 5.
