East Tennessee State University’s football team suffered a heartbreaking 38-35 loss to No. 2 North Dakota State on Sept. 14. Despite leading late into the game, ETSU couldn’t fend off a last minute comeback from North Dakota State.

Despite the loss, the Buccaneers balled out in this one. Bryson Irby (Douglasville, Ga.) was an unstoppable force. Irby rushed 147 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries, averaging 9.8 yards per carry. Additionally quarterback Jaylen King (Folkston, Ga.) was a force to be reckoned with on the ground, rushing for 79 yards on 13 carries. Cameron Lewis also saw plenty of action, catching five balls for 73 yards and a touchdown. 

Both teams scored on their first three possessions in a back-and-forth first half, but ETSU took charge with a 61-yard rushing touchdown by Bryson Irby to take a 21-17 halftime lead. 

After coming back from the half both teams were fired up. Irby scored his third touchdown of the game on a 10-yard run put the Buccaneers ahead 28-17.

Following that, Cam Miller scored a 1-yard touchdown run for the Bisons. Soon King led a drive to put Lewis in the endzone  to give the Bucs 35-points on the board. The Bison trailed by 12 with 2:20 left but converted a fourth-and-10 to keep their chances alive.

TK Marshall scored on the drive and made it 35-30. The Bisons would go on to recover an onside kick and on their drive quarterback Miller scored on an 11-yard run with 50 seconds left in the game to lift No. 2-ranked North Dakota State to a 38-35 win over East Tennessee State before a stadium record crowd of 11,040 at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium.

Photo of an ETSU fan during the game against NDSU. (Will Rowland/East Tennessean)

This is the type of loss the Bucs should be proud of, as they fought all the way until the very end. ETSU didn’t back down and demonstrated resilience on both sides of the ball. The Buccaneers’ ability to maintain a lead for much of the game against a powerhouse like North Dakota State speaks volumes about the potential of this team.

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