ETSU aims to pick up key win over Keydets

LEXINGTON, Va. (April 2, 2021) – Looking to keep playoff hopes alive, the ETSU Football team is marching on to Lexington, Va. for a meeting with the 10^th-ranked VMI Keydets on Saturday in Lexington, Va. The battle between the two Southern Conference leaders will kick off at 1:35 p.m. at Foster Stadium as the Bucs aim to play spoilers to VMI’s Saturday.

SATURDAY SHOWDOWN
Date: Saturday, April 3
Location: Lexington, Va. | Foster Stadium
Teams: ETSU (3-1, 3-1) at #10 VMI (5-0, 5-0)
Weather: High: 59; Low: 37; Sunny
Game Notes: ETSU | VMI
Live Stats: VMIKeydets.com
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Audio: WXSM Radio
Radio Personnel: Jay “Voice of the Bucs” Sandos, Matt Wilhjelm (color analyst), Robert Harper (sideline)
Twitter: @ETSUFootball
Game Sponsor: Marsh Propane

What’s at Stake
Saturday’s clash between the top two teams in the SoCon has big implications on the line. Should the Bucs win, ETSU would need to win out to finish 5-1 with a head-to-head win against the Keydets. However, the Bucs would also need VMI to lose at winless The Citadel to finish 5-2, giving the Bucs the crown as SoCon Champions. Should VMI triumph over the Blue & Gold this weekend, the Keydets would claim the outright SoCon title in Lexington, earning the league’s automatic bid into the FCS playoffs.

Running Free
The Bucs struggled to get the pass game going against the Catamounts and resorted to the ever-reliable ground game. ETSU tallied a whopping 350 yards on the ground against Western Carolina, including a game-high 197 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Quay Holmes. The Bucs received a big boost from Jacob Saylors in the run game as the junior back tallied a career-high 136 yards on the ground.

The Consistent D
The Buccaneer defense has been a consistent force through the first four games, allowing 18.0 points per game. ETSU has yielded at most 21 points (The Citadel) and has surrendered just 17 points each of the other three outings. The Bucs rank 23rd in scoring defense and 18th in total defense, allowing just 281.5 yards of offense per game.

Keys to the Keydets
VMI is off to a dominating start with a 5-0 record, currently ranked 10th in the FCS Top 25. The Keydets have a chance to claim their eighth Southern Conference championship in program history and first since 1977. VMI achieved its status after a perfect undefeated road record (3-0), marking the first time since 1922 that the Keydets finished undefeated on the road.

VMI has been led most of the way by premier quarterback Reece Udinski. However, the senior quarterback suffered a critical injury in the Keydets win over Samford. The Keydets have now turned to redshirt-freshman quarterback, Seth Morgan. In his first start of the season, Morgan finished 25-of-34 in the air for 375 yards and four touchdowns in VMI’s come-from-behind 36-31 win over Wofford. Morgan also scampered for 76 yards, finishing the game with 451 all-purpose yards for the second-most single-game all-purpose yards in program history. VMI also features a standout wide receiver in Jakob Herres who was named National Player of the Week. Herres finished the game against Wofford with 15 catches for 207 yards and three touchdowns. Herres has amassed 48 receptions for 583 yards and six touchdowns.

Series History
ETSU is 15-10 all-time against the Keydets heading into the 26th all-time meeting. The Bucs dropped the previous meeting against the VMI in 2019 as the Keydets rolled into Greene Stadium and escaped with a 31-24 overtime win. ETSU has won 12 of the last 15 meetings between the two squads, including two of the last three. The Bucs are 6-7 all-time against the Keydets in Lexington, Va

Coverage
The Buccaneer Sports Network (BSN) will provide ETSU fans with complete pregame, in-game and postgame coverage on the Bucs’ flagship station WXSM-AM 640 and affiliate station 104.9 FM NASH ICON.

The BSN begins its pregame programing one hour and 30 minutes prior to kickoff with the 30-minute-long Tennessee Lottery Tailgate Show, followed by the Randy Sanders Pregame Show brought to you by Blue Cross & Blue Shield which will lead up to 30 minutes prior to kickoff. The Appalachian Orthopaedic Countdown to Kickoff will then lead into the final moments before kickoff.     

The broadcast team of “Voice of the Bucs” Jay Sandos, color analyst Matt Wilhjelm, sideline reporter Robert Harper, and studio hosts Mike Gallagher and Don Helman will provide ETSU fans all the information they need to complement their game-day activities.

At halftime, the crew will have the Zaxby’s Halftime Show, while fans can tune into the Ferguson Enterprise Post Game Show for a full wrap up, with game statistics, players and coach interviews, and other post-game information.  

Saturday’s game will also be broadcast on ESPN+ with the team of Wade Branner (play-by-play) and Chip Tarkenton (color) on the call.

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For more information on Buccaneer football, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the football page.