The football team hosted Southern Conference rival The Citadel on Saturday as the Bucs celebrated homecoming. The Bucs put on a strong showing but came up one yard short of a comeback with the Bulldogs taking the win 31-27.
The Bucs opened up the game in their first possession with a bang. In just five plays the Bucs got on the board when redshirt sophomore quarterback Trey Mitchell (Knoxville, Tennessee) recorded his longest pass of the season with a 59-yard throw to redshirt freshman wide receiver Will Huzzie (Duluth, Georgia).
The Citadel quickly answered on the next drive, outrunning the Bucs using an option offense. After traveling 78 yards, the Bulldogs made it to the goal line, and in three attempts, quarterback Brandon Rainey ran it in for a one-yard score to tie the game.
Momentum kept on the Bucs’ side in the next drive, when Mitchell found Huzzie again and resulted in a 32-yard reception which gave ETSU good field position for another score. However, the Bulldogs forced the Bucs to settle for three points, when freshman kicker Tyler Keltner (Tallahassee, Florida) nailed a 35-yarder.
After the Bucs’ defense stopped The Citadel on two occasions, they went on the ground attack with redshirt sophomore running back Quay Holmes (Powder Springs, Georgia) and backup quarterback senior Chance Thrasher (Suwannee, Georgia). Once again, the Bulldogs stopped the Bucs at the goal from scoring six, and thus the team settled for three with a 21-yard kick from Keltner.
The Citadel closed the half overcoming a holding penalty and a fumble to come away with a 21-yard field goal by Jacob Godek.
“We have to step up and seize the opportunity,” said head coach Randy Sanders, in regards to keeping control of the game.
The Bucs entered the endzone again on their first drive of the second half. After driving down the field and a successful forth down conversion, the Bucs punched it in when Mitchell connected with redshirt receiver Anthony Spagnoletti (Bealeton, Virginia) to give the team a ten-point lead.
The Citadel answered the score from the Bucs in the previous drive, taking the ball 62-yards, after a 49-rush by Dante Smith, which set up a go ahead five-yard run by Nkem Njoku.
The Bucs managed good possession going into the final quarter, especially on the ground, giving it to Holmes and Sophomore Jacob Saylors (Jasper, Tennessee). The Bucs capped off their 13-play drive with a two-yard pass by Mitchell to fullback redshirt freshman Jawan Martin (Decatur, Tennessee) to put them up by ten again.
The Bulldogs answered again twice, first with a 10-play drive and ending with another one-yard rush by Rainey and another score when Rainey connected with Raleigh Webb for a 73-yard pass to give The Citadel the lead by four.
The Bucs drove down the field in hopes of a comeback, but they failed to punch it in after four attempts and just one-yard shy of the endzone.
The Bucs continue their season Sat., Nov. 9, against Western Carolina.
