On Saturday, Sept. 5, ETSU Football met the Tusculum Pioneers for the first time in 76 years, resulting in the Buccaneers’ first win of the season.
The Buccaneers faced a team coached by their former coach, Billy Taylor, winning the game with a dominating 48-14. This win evens their record to 1-1 after a season opener loss to Campbell.
The offense put on a show for the Buccaneers, scoring 20 points in the first half of the game alone, the first touchdown coming 47 seconds into the game for the Buccaneers.
ETSU Quarterback Mason Mims went 13-for-21, 242 yards and three touchdowns while leading the Bucs offense. Mims’s top targets on the day were Buccaneers Surderian Harrison and Tyler Griffin. The pair combined for 121 yards for the Bucs and six catches, Harrison scoring one of the Bucs’ touchdowns.
The Buccaneers had a strong run game during the match, averaging 6.6 yards a carry and scoring multiple touchdowns on the ground.
Buccaneers head coach, Will Healy, said that there is a lesson to come from this victory, “We have the ability to be explosive in all three phases of the game but we are not near consistent enough.”
Healy went on to refer to the tough competition ahead of them, such as Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and The Citadel. The teams that are on the remaining schedule will require better execution from Buccaneers.
The Bucs followed up the Tusculum game with a 35-3 road loss against North Carolina Sept. 12.
The Buccaneers kickoff their next home game against West Georgia at noon. on Saturday, Sept. 19 at William B. Greene Stadium.
