ETSU remains undefeated following 27-21 win

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 2, 2021) – The streak is over!

ETSU Football laid the streak to rest with a 27-21 victory over Wofford on Saturday in Johnson City, Tenn. A new William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium record crowd of 10,153 witnessed the Bucs end an 8,365-day streak as ETSU toppled Wofford for the first time since Nov. 7, 1998. With the win, the Bucs improved to 5-0 on the season, including a perfect 2-0 mark in Southern Conference action.

The Buccaneers kept their perfect record intact behind yet another offensive explosion in their second consecutive back-and-forth affair. ETSU finished the game with 468 yards of offense, compared to 246 yards from the Terriers. The Terriers had one final chance to break the hearts of the ETSU faithful down 27-21 with 1:28 remaining in the game. However, Wofford could not connect on back-to-back pass attempts on third and fourth down, turning the ball over to ETSU and the victory formation with 19 seconds remaining.

Today’s game featured four lead changes, but it was a 77-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Riddell (Tampa, Fla.) to Quay Holmes (Powder Springs, Ga.) that capped off the scoring in the Bucs’ six-point triumph. Riddell, fresh off a career high at Samford, tossed the pigskin for 268 yards and one touchdown after completing 21-of-30 pass attempts. Holmes led the team in rushing with 81 yards on 20 carries and one score. Jacob Saylors (Jasper, Tenn.) added 64 yards and one touchdown himself. Saylors also got the job done in the kick return game with 86 yards on three attempts.

The ETSU defense held true against the Terriers, allowing just 246 yards on 45 plays. Wofford had three plays account for 116 yards, with ETSU shutting them down for the majority of the game. Jared Folks (Harrisburg, Pa.) led the team in tackles for the second consecutive game with seven.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
First Quarter

• ETSU 7, Wofford 0: Following a great kickoff return from Jacob Saylors, the Bucs marched 52 yards on seven plays with Quay Holmes polishing off the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run up the gut.   
• ETSU 10, Wofford 0: For the second consecutive drive, the Bucs were able to put points on the board. This time it was Tyler Keltner contributing with a 36-yard field goal to extend the lead to double digits.

Second Quarter

• ETSU 10, Wofford 7: The Terriers cracked the scoreboard following an ETSU turnovers, taking three plays to go 30 yards for their first touchdown of the game.
• Wofford 14, ETSU 10: After just a 20-yard punt for the Bucs, the Terriers needed just one play to take their first lead of the game with a 43-yard strike between Peyton Derrick and Alex Holt.
• ETSU 17, Wofford 14: The Bucs reclaimed the lead with just 24 seconds remaining in the half after Jacob Saylors found the endzone with a 7-yard touchdown run, his fifth rushing touchdown of the season.

Third Quarter

• Wofford 21, ETSU 17: The Terriers jumped back on top after the first play of their drive with a 47-yard touchdown run from Jamari Broussard.
• Wofford 21, ETSU 20: ETSU cut into the Wofford advantage with another field goal from Keltner, this time connecting from 39 yards out.  

Fourth Quarter

• ETSU 27, Wofford 21: The back-and-forth affair teetered back in the direction of the Bucs when Tyler Riddell connected on a career-long 77-yard touchdown pass to Quay Holmes, concluding a 98-yard, 7-play scoring drive for the six-point advantage.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• The greatest fans in the Southern Conference broke a new barrier today for the Bucs with 10,153 in attendance – the largest crowd in Greene Stadium history!
• This is the first game in Greene Stadium history to eclipse 10,000 fans.
• The Bucs improved to 5-0 for just the third time in program history – doing so in 1969 and 1936.
• Wofford had been the final SoCon team that had eluded ETSU since the restart of the program until tonight’s 27-21 Buccaneer win.
• With the one-possession victory, ETSU has now competed in 13 consecutive one-possession games in league play, dating back to…Wofford in 2019 with a 35-17 loss at Greene Stadium.
• ETSU dominated the first stanza, outgaining Wofford 143-4 with 21 plays – forcing two three-and-outs for the Terriers.
• The Buccaneers did the same in the fourth quarter, outgaining the Terriers 173-53 in the final 15 minutes of action.
• Jacob Saylors officially moved into 10^th all-time in career rushing yards with 1,832 – passing Gaven Varner (1,798).
• The Buccaneer defense stepped up when they needed to, holding Wofford to 0-for-8 on third downs and 0-for-1 on fourth downs.
• ETSU owned the time of possession, finishing the game with 38:25 of possession time, compared to just 21:35 from Wofford.
• For the second-consecutive game, Will Huzzie (Duluth, Ga.) finished with a career-high eight receptions, this time for 83 yards.
• Holmes concluded the game with a career-high four receptions and a career-best 104 receiving yards – thanks in large part to the career-long 77-yard connection from Riddell.
• Riddell finished the outing with 268 passing yards and one touchdown, including his career-long connection with Holmes (77 yards).
• Tyler Keltner (Tallahassee, Fla.) concluded the outing with a 2-for-3 mark in field goals, connecting from 36 yards and 39 yards.

NEXT GAME UP
The Buccaneers will be back in Greene Stadium in their next outing as they play host to The Citadel on Saturday, Oct. 9. Kickoff against the Bulldogs will commence at 4:30 p.m.

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