Bucs improve to 3-0 for ninth time in program history

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Sept. 18, 2021) – The ETSU football team used the ground and pound mentality to cruise to a 38-6 win over Delaware State on Saturday night at William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium. The Bucs, ranked No. 16 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, delivered punishing blows on the defensive end to cap off a lop-sided victory. With the win, the Bucs improved to 3-0 on the season.

The Bucs totaled 449 yards of offense, including 309 in the ground game. Quay Holmes (Powder Springs, Ga.) and Jacob Saylors (Jasper, Tenn.) each eclipsed over 100 yards on the ground, combining for 266 yards and four touchdowns. The Blue & Gold offense proved too much for the Hornets, scoring on the first four drives of the game to race out to the early lead and never looked back. Tyler Riddell (Tampa, Fla.) concluded the game with 140 passing yards and one touchdown pass.

The Buccaneer defense totaled seven sacks and recorded 62 tackles and 8.0 tackles for loss. ETSU surrendered a late second-quarter touchdown and did not look back, pitching a second-half shutout en route to allowing six points on the evening. The Blue & Gold yielded just 175 yards to the Delaware State offensive unit.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
First Quarter

• ETSU 3, Delaware State 0: The Bucs jumped on the board on their first drive as Tyler Keltner connected for his fifth field goal of the season, a 22-yard chip shot.
• ETSU 10, Delaware State 0: Jacob Saylors found the endzone for the first Buccaneer touchdown of the game with a 20-yard rush, capitalizing on the recovered fumble by Austin Lewis.

Second Quarter

• ETSU 17, Delaware State 0: For the third consecutive drive, the Bucs were able to put points on the board. This time it was Isaiah Wilson who made a diving catch in the corner for his first collegiate touchdown, a 14-yard pass from Tyler Riddell.
• ETSU 24, Delaware State 0: The Bucs put together their fourth consecutive scoring drive as Quay Holmes capped off a lengthy drive of 8:25 with a two-yard touchdown punch to stretch ETSU’s lead to 24-0.
• ETSU 24, Delaware State 6: The Hornets scored a late touchdown before the end of the first half with a 18-yard pass from Jared Lewis to Trey Gross. The ensuing PAT was blocked by Max Evans to hold Delaware State to just six points.

Third Quarter

• ETSU 31, Delaware State 6: Jacob Saylors recorded his second rushing touchdown of the game, this time from 36 yards…Saylors had two carries for 66 yards on the scoring drive.

Fourth Quarter

• ETSU 38, Delaware State 6: Quay Holmes eclipsed the 3,000 career-rushing mark and scampered for his second touchdown of the game in the same drive, finding the endzone after a 64-yard touchdown run. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• With the win, ETSU improved to 3-0 for the ninth time in program history and the first time since 1999.
• Quay Holmes rushed for 157 yards on 21 carries, becoming the second player in ETSU history to eclipse 3,000 career rushing yards – currently sitting with 3,079 career yards.
• Holmes passed former Buccaneer Brian Edwards for the second-most rushing yards in program history.
• Jacob Saylors rushed for 109 yards on 11 carries with two touchdowns, averaging a whopping 9.9 yards per carry.
• Holmes and Jacob Saylors each rushed for over 100 yards for the third time in their careers, the first since doing so against Western Carolina in the spring season when the two combined for 333 yards on the ground.
• The dynamic duo each recorded two rushing touchdowns in the game, the first time that the Bucs have had two backs with at least two rushing touchdowns since Holmes and Saylors in the lopsided 45-0 win over Gardner-Webb on Oct. 6, 2018.
• Jalen Porter (Gallatin, Tenn.) finished the game with a team-high seven tackles and recorded four sacks, tied for the second-most in a single game with Justin Reinier and Lamar Beam – the duo each recorded four sacks against Elon.
• Jared Folks (Harrisburg, Pa.) made his season debut and finished the game with six tackles and one sack.
• Tyler Riddell concluded the game with 140 yards passing, finding Isaiah Wilson (Norcross, Ga.) for a 14-yard strike for his lone touchdown.
• Wilson finished the game with a career-high 54-yard outing, including a career-long reception of 32 yards.
• Will Huzzie (Duluth, Ga.) finished the contest with two receptions for 48 yards.
• The Bucs witnessed the debut of Austin Lewis (Jonesborough, Tenn.) who finished the game with one fumble recovery.
• The Buccaneer defense surrendered just six points, marking the second game this season that the Bucs have yielded one touchdown or less – the first time since 2018 that ETSU has held two opponents to seven-points-or-less in a single season.
• Tyler Keltner (Tallahassee, Fla.) capped off the game with a 22-yard field goal and was perfect in PATs with a 5-for-5 mark.

NEXT GAME UP
ETSU will open its Southern Conference slate on the road on Saturday, Sept. 25 when the Bucs travel to Samford to take on the Bulldogs. Kickoff in Birmingham, Ala. will begin at 3 p.m. (ET).

ETSU fans wanting to receive Buccaneer news, score updates, in-game promotions and much more sent to their mobile device can do so by signing up for “Buc Updates.” Click here to sign up today!

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