The historic 2021 season for the Bucs came to an end on Saturday in Fargo, North Dakota, in ETSU’s 27-3 loss to the North Dakota State Bison.
A season full of excitement and wild finishes that reached the FCS Playoff quarterfinals is something to be happy about.
The 11-win season set the single-season win record for ETSU.
Entering the season, ETSU was picked fourth in the SoCon coaches’ poll and ranked No. 22 nationally. The team would finish the regular season by capturing the SoCon title in thrilling fashion against a surging Mercer team, being selected as the 7th seed in the FCS Playoffs and earning a first-round bye.
Many things should be recognized this season, from the several broken attendance records to the historic season of Quay Holmes (Powder Springs, Ga.).
If there was one way to describe this team, it is clear: they never gave up.
In seven of 13 games this year the Bucs found themselves trailing in the fourth, only one of those games ended in a loss. There was something magic about this team in the fourth quarter of play. When most teams would chalk up a loss, this group of guys refused on a weekly basis.
Back-to-back games at home saw the Bucs defy the odds by beating Mercer and Kennesaw State after trailing late in the fourth quarter, ESPN’s predictive odds at one point gave ETSU a 0.4% chance to win vs Kennesaw State as the clock ticked down.
The moral of this season for the Bucs, while cliché, was to never give up, and fans joined them in that practice. Greene Stadium remained occupied during those moments to encourage the Bucs, and it was those fans that witnessed many great comebacks this season.
This season cannot be discussed without placing a spotlight on ETSU’s new all-time leading rusher, single-season rushing record holder, and SoCon Offensive Player of the Year, RB Quay Holmes. Holmes, the redshirt junior, has had a season for the books. Earning 1,571 yards on the ground adding 17 touchdowns. He was also very effective in the air too, adding 322 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Jacob Saylors (Jasper, Tenn.), who falls one spot below Holmes in the depth chart, has had a season worth recognition as well, amassing 1,019 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, making the duo the first in program history to earn 1000+ yards apiece. Saylors also earned 720 yards on kickoff returns.
The two running backs combined for nearly 4,000 total yards on the season.
WR Will Huzzie (Duluth, Ga.), saw his fair share of action this season with 798 receiving yards and five touchdowns, averaging more than 60 yards-per-game.
QB Tyler Riddell (Tampa, Fla.) saw ups and downs this season, but the young quarterback has significantly improved week after week, with 19 touchdowns, 2,464 yards, and only 5 interceptions. The future looks bright for the freshman that completed 62.4% of his passes.
Defensively, the Bucs were consistent each week, Led by LB Donovan Manuel (Ellenwood, Ga.) and his 124 tackles on the year, including three sacks, and forced a total of two fumbles this season.
8th year senior, crowd and team favorite, Jared Folks (Harrisburg, Pa.), wrapped up his historic collegiate career. Folks, the first NCAA Eligible 8th year player, ended the season with 94 tackles.
Defensive back Tyree Robinson (Gainsville, Ga,) led the team with five interceptions and collected 58 tackles on the season.
Kicker Tyler Keltner (Tallahassee, Fla.) had a standout season. He remained a perfect 51/51 for point-after attempts and 18/23 on field goal attempts. Keltner was the team’s second-leading scorer with 105 points scored this season.
Finishing with a record of 11-2, things are looking up for ETSU football. The Bucs outscored their opponents 425-295 this season and with so much talent returning, it is hard to not be excited about the 2022-23 season.
