Will Rowland/East Tennessean

This past Saturday, Darius Rucker and the Bucs entered William B. Greene Jr. Stadium in Johnson City for a SoCon showdown against the Western Carolina Catamounts.

Coming off of another nail-biting loss to conference top dog Mercer Bears last week, the Bucs were hungry to add another win to reinvent their season down the final stretch of the year.

The first quarter proved to a slugfest, each team finding what works and how to respond to early adversity. ETSU would outscore the Catamounts 10-7 before things slowing down even further as the score would remain the same at the conclusion of the half.

As the third quarter got underway, the stories would quickly spread, as the Catamounts would outscore the Bucs 14-7. Even as things began to look bleak for the roaring Buccaneer hopefuls in the stands, head coach Tre Lamb and company had a plan to bring home the win. As the fourth quarter went back and forth to see whose defense would crack open first.

 

Will Rowland/East Tennessean

As the fog of war continued, it would be junior running back, Devontae Houston (Roanoke, Ala.) with a 14-yard touchdown run to make the score 24-21 less than six minutes left to play. 

Houston would finish the day with 64 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. 

As the Catamounts would have one final push, the Buccaneer defense would force a punt that would see our home offense gleefully run out the clock, securing the win.

This win sends a strong signal to the locker room, alumni, and fans. Buccaneer football is here to stay, making even more a statement in comparison to last year’s lackluster season.

Next week, the Bucs, sitting at 6-4 on the season will host yet another SoCon Conference opponent in the Furman Paladins at noon. This will mark the last home game of the season. ETSU will finish off the regular season on the road at VMI on Nov. 23.

For more information on Buccaneer football, visit ETSUBucs.com.

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