GREENVILLE, S.C. (Oct. 28, 2023) – ETSU put a scare into the third-ranked team in the country on Saturday. 
 
The Bucs' defense and special teams came up with big plays, and ETSU had Furman on the ropes; however, the Paladins held on for 16-8 win on Saturday at Paladin Stadium. 
 
The Bucs held Furman to a season low in points and 15 points below its season average. The Paladins were limited to 300 yards of total offense (215 passing/85 rushing); however, the Blue & Gold never generated any scoring drives offensively. ETSU was held to 230 yards (119 rushing/111passing) and without a score. 
 
For the fourth time this season, linebacker Teddy Wilson blocked a punt and produced a score for the second of the year. Early in the fourth quarter, Wilson came off the edge and blocked the punt, allowing Ton'Quez Ballto scoop up the ball and score from eight yards out. Following the successful two-point conversion, the Bucs made it an eight-point game with just under 12 minutes left in the contest. 
 
The Bucs had two final drives to try and even the score; however, the second-to-last one stalled at their own 40-yard line and the last drive ended with a sack on 4th-and-5 from the Paladin 38. 
 
Trey Foster rushed for a career-high 80 yards on 12 carries, while Xavier Gaillardetz and Tommy Winton III each hauled in three passes from William Riddle. Gaillardetz hauled in the pass on the two-point conversion play. Defensively, Stephen Scott paced the Bucs with nine tackles, while Sheldon Arnold II and Chris Hope each had eight hits. To go with his blocked punt, Wilson – one of the team captains on Saturday – totaled five tackles and had two of ETSU's seven tackles for loss. Max Evans registered the Bucs' only sack on the afternoon and tallied three tackles. The Blue & Gold held Dominic Roberto – one of the premier running backs in the SoCon – to 65 rushing yards on 22 carries. 
 
With the setback, ETSU dropped to 2-6 overall and 1-4 in conference play, while Furman moved to 7-1 and 5-0. 
 
The Bucs did a stellar job keeping Furman out of the end zone for the majority of the day as the Paladins had to settle for three field goals and capitalized on a Buccaneer interception to produce a short field for a touchdown drive late in the third quarter. 
 
With the Paladins leading 9-0, the Bucs faced 3rd-and-5 from their own 30-yard line when Riddle threw one of his three picks on the day to Micah Robinson at the ETSU 42-yard line. From there, Furman needed just five plays to generate a touchdown when Tyler Huff found Joshua Harris for a 22-yard score on 3rd-and-6 with 46 seconds left in the quarter. 
 
Like they did all afternoon, the Bucs battled and finally broke through when ETSU's special teams stepped up with its fifth blocked punt of the season, resulting in Ball's first touchdown in the Blue & Gold. 
 
With 13:53 remaining in the contest, ETSU trailed 16-8, and was ready to knock off one of the top teams in the nation. 
 
Unfortunately, the Bucs couldn't generate the scoring drive they needed to pull even with the Paladins. 
 
The Bucs left points on the field on Saturday as Riddle threw an interception right before halftime with ETSU inside the red zone. In the Bucs' first drive of the second half, ETSU moved to the Furman 26-yard line, but Ewan Johnson's 43-yard field was blocked, which wasted an 11-play, 64-yard drive that lasted nearly seven minutes. 
 
Following the missed field goal, Furman drove 41-yards, but ETSU kept the Paladins out of the end zone as the host had to settle for a 32-yard field goal, making it 9-0 with 3:22 left in the third quarter. 
 
Outside the blocked punt for the scoop and score, ETSU couldn't move the chains late. In the second half, the Bucs were 2-of-7 on third down and failed to convert on their lone fourth down opportunity at the end of the game. Furman – who was held to 49 rushing yards in the second half – also went 2-of-7 on third down in the final 30 minutes. 
 
For the game, ETSU was 3-of-15 on third down, while Furman – who came in converting on half of its third down chances – finished 5-of-16. The Bucs' three turnovers resulted in 10 points, while the Blue & Gold were unable to generate a takeaway. 
 
Riddle finished 11-of-24 for 111 yards and the three interceptions, while Huff went 21-for-35 for 215 yards and the one passing touchdown. 
 
The Bucs will look to bounce back when they return home for the first in three weeks next Saturday. ETSU hosts VMI on Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. at Bank of Tennessee Field at William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium. 
 
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