On Sept. 4, the ETSU football team shocked Vanderbilt with a final score of 23-3 in Nashville.
While Vanderbilt managed to get on the board first, the momentum shifted in the second quarter as quarterback Tyler Riddell (Tampa, Fla.) completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Malik Murray (Duluth, Ga.).
ETSU’s efforts on the field remained unanswered for the remainder of the game, with the final nail in the coffin being a turnover by Vanderbilt quarterback Ken Seals (Azle, Texas), which resulted in lineback Stephen Scott (Greensboro, N.C.) taking it 27 yards to the end zone for a touchdown, which put the Bucs up 20-3.
“Obviously it is always good to get a win,” said head coach Randy Sanders, in his Monday press conference. “If you want to win all 11 games this season, it starts with winning the first one. We played hard and for the most part we played smart.”
“That is one thing that we have made a lot of progress in over the last four years is playing smarter. The formula for winning football games hasn’t changed. We will do the basic fundamental things to win football games.”
To conclude the game the Buccaneers made a successful 34-yard field-goal with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter.
Quay Holmes accounted for 149 yards rushing (Powder Springs, Ga) and Riddell had 135 yards passing. This win pushed ETSU from unranked in the pre-season to No. 15 in this week’s Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll.
“In 2019, we were 3-8 going into the game so our spirits were a little low,” said Holmes of the Bucs’ 38-0 loss to Vandy two years ago. “This time, we are coming off a 4-2 season in the spring. Knowing that we had Vanderbilt in the first game, we wanted to show that our 4-2 season wasn’t a fluke. We just had intensity and we wanted to prove that we were here to stay and we wanted our momentum going.”
This was the first fall football game for the Buccaneers since 2019. Due to COVID-19, their last season was pushed into the spring as a precautionary measure.
ETSU’s next game will be at home in William B. Greene Jr. Stadium against Virginia-Wise Highland on Sept. 11, starting at 7:30 p.m. If you are a student interested in attending the game, visit https://www.etsubucs.com/football/studenttixinfo/.
