On Oct. 3, the ETSU football team went up against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for a low-scoring, action-filled game. In a press conference on Sept. 28, Coach Will Healy called this “another big rivalry game. I say that more from our perspective because obviously we have not won any of the last six games. Our last win against these guys was 2018.” The Bucs ended this streak with a 14-3 victory.
The game started off with a rough for ETSU, with their first drive ending in a punt within 2 minutes of the game starting. The Mocs came back strong and scored a field goal on their drive, giving them a small lead of 3-0. Jason Albritton was able to push through UTC’s defenses, and Ewan Johnson scored the extra point, giving ETSU a lead of 7-3.
The second quarter started slowly, with both defenses being equally tough to get through. The turning point was on the Moc’s second-to-last drive of the half, when they received a penalty for a false start, forcing them to take a timeout once they lost their momentum. The first half ends with neither team adding more to their score.
The third quarter starts similarly to the second, with neither team being able to score against the other. UTC once again had game-changing calls including a false start and a delay of game in the same drive, costing them 10 yards overall and any motion they had to score. The third quarter ends with the score still at 7-3, where the Mocs’ score remained with one touchdown.
With only the fourth quarter left and nothing left to lose, both teams went all in on trying to win their rivalry game. On their first drive, TJ Peyton scored a touchdown for the Buccaneers, and with a good kick by Ewan Johnson, the score is now 14-3 in favor of ETSU. Both teams, in their strive to win the game, were given penalties that pushed them further from the end zone. The biggest penalty was against UTC for unsportsmanlike conduct, which lost them 15 yards and ultimately forced them to punt. By the time the clock hit zero, neither team was able to score again, the game ending at 14-3. ETSU reigned champion at the Rail Rivarly, defeating UTC for the first time in 8 years.
The Buccaneers will be back for another SoCon game against The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. on Oct. 10. Be sure to support the team as they continue through their schedule, and hopefully keep their win streak going.
For more information on the ETSU football team, go to ETSUBucs.com and click on the football tab.
