JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Nov. 15, 2024) – Fresh off a 24-21 win over rival Western Carolina, the No. 21 ETSU football team will close out its home schedule on Saturday when it welcomes Furman to Johnson City. Kickoff between the Bucs and Paladins is set for Noon.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, November 16
Time: 12:02 p.m.
Location: Johnson City, Tenn. | Bank of Tennessee Field at William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium
Teams: Furman (2-7, 1-4 SoCon) at No. 21 ETSU (6-4, 4-2 SoCon)
Weather:  55° | Partly Sunny | Winds: 3 mph
Game Sponsor: Ford
Live Video: ESPN+
TV Crew: Pete Yanity (pbp), Jay Sonnhalter (analyst), Dave Friedman (sideline reporter)
Live Audio: WXSM-AM 640 | HD radio can listen on 101.5 WQUT HD-2
Radio Crew: Jay "Voice of the Bucs" Sandos (pbp), Mike Smith (analyst), Robert Harper (sideline), Don Helman (stats)
Live Stats: ETSUBucs.com (StatBroadcast)
X: @ETSUFootball
 
THINGS TO KNOW – Please click HERE for all the "Things to Know" for Saturday's matchup with the Paladins, presented by Citizens Bank.
 
LAST TIME OUT - Playing in front of a Greene Stadium record 12,109 fans, the Bucs defeated No. 22 Western Carolina by a score of 24-21 on Saturday. With Saturday's win, the Bucs improve to 6-4 overall and 4-2 in SoCon action.
 
BIG WIN FOR THE BUCS ON SATURDAY - Saturday's win over the Catamounts was significant in multiple ways as it was ETSU's first victory over a nationally-ranked team since it defeated No. 4 Kennesaw State in the 2021 FCS Playoffs. Additionally, the six wins not only match the program's win total over the past two seasons combined but it also was first year Head Coach Tre Lamb's sixth of the season. Lamb's six wins match Star Wood's 1932 campaign. Only Randy Sanders (8 wins in 2018) and Paul Hamilton (7 wins in 1997) have won more games in their respective first seasons.
 
DOMINANT DAY FROM BUC DUO ON DEFENSE - The Buccaneer defense turned in yet another stellar outing on Saturday. Facing the SoCon's best offense in terms of total offense per game, the Bucs made their share of plays to help fuel the win for the Bucs. Ray Coney set a new career-high with 17 tackles on the day with 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. ETSU totaled a season-high eight sacks in the victory with 3.5 of those coming from senior captain Zach West. West is up to 8.5 sacks on the season, which is the most by an ETSU player in a season since the return of the program in 2015 and the second-most ever by a Buccaneer defender. With two games to go in the regular season, West is just 1.5 sacks shy of matching the single season program record of 10 by James Russell set in both 1994 and 1996.
 
TOP GAME TAKING THE BALL AWAY - After forcing just four turnovers through the first five games of SoCon play, the Buc defense totaled three in Saturday's win over Western Carolina. ETSU forced three fumbles (two recoveries) and an interception. West added a fumble recovery and forced another to add to his stellar Saturday. Cam Sims tallied the interception for the Bucs, which was his first in a Buccaneer uniform to go with six tackles and three pass breakups. Sims' three PBU's on Saturday bring his season total to 17, which are tied for the most in the FCS with Jalen Jones from William & Mary.
 
CAUSING CHAOS IN THE BACKFIELD - The eight sacks by the Bucs on Saturday were the most by the program since the spring season in 2021 when they also totaled eight in a game vs. Samford. Saturday's outing also brings ETSU's sack total to 34.0 on the season more than doubling the team's total from a season ago (15.0). The Bucs' 34 sacks rank third in the FCS behind only Mercer (36.0) and Gardner-Webb (35.0). In the history of the SoCon, the Bucs' 34 sacks are tied for the seventh-most.
 
MILESTONE FOR MCRAINEY - With seven total tackles in Saturday's win, ETSU's senior linebacker William McRainey has surpassed 400 tackles in his collegiate career. McRainey now has 403 tackles in his four-plus seasons that include his 70 tackles this season as a Buc. McRainey's 407 tackles rank third among active FCS players behind Fordham's James Conway (425 tackles) and South Dakota State's Adam Bock (413 tackles).
 
PROGRESSING TOWARDS SCHOOL RECORD PASSING RECORD - ETSU had 154 yards passing in Saturday's win bringing their total to 2,203. If the Bucs can throw for 342 yards or more the rest of the season, it'll mark the most yards ETSU has thrown for since the return of the program in 2015 (2,544 yards in 2021). ETSU is also within striking distance of the all-time school record for passing in a season set by the 1996 team (2,830 yards – need 628 more yards).
 
BUCS IN THE NATIONAL POLLS - After dropping out of the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll following their loss at Mercer, the Bucs returned to the poll this week after defeating Western Carolina. ETSU is No. 21 this week marking its highest ranking of the season and its highest since early 2022. ETSU has either been ranked or receiving votes in the national FCS polls for 10 consecutive weeks.
 
TOUGH ON THIRD DOWN - Entering this week's action, the Bucs rank fifth in the FCS in third down conversion defense (29.2%). Only Mercer (21.4%), Dayton (25.4%), Nicholls (27.7%) and Stephen F. Austin (28.8%) have been more tough on third down than the Bucs. Furthermore, when opponents attempt to convert on fourth down, the Buc defense is still performing well (29.4% conversion - 1st in SoCon, 7th in FCS).
 
RUN THE BALL AND STOPPING THE RUN - As the regular season comes to an end, the Bucs rank among the best teams in the country in both rushing offense (23rd - 193.5 yards per game) and rushing defense (11th - 105.2 yards per game). The rushing defense has been historically stellar for ETSU. The current rushing defense of 105.2 yards per game sits slightly behind school record of 104.4 yards a game set in 1984. Furthermore, the 2.9 yards per rush is also the Bucs' best mark against the run since 1984 (2.7).
 
BIG PLAYS THROUGH THE AIR - A key part in ETSU's passing attack has been its ability to get chunk plays. In last week's game vs. Western Carolina, seven of Gino English's 11 completions were for 10 or more yards, including a 48-yard strike to AJ Johnson. Entering play in Week 12, the Bucs rank sixth in FCS in passing yards per completion (14.40). Chattanooga (15.23), Davidson (14.83), South Dakota (14.61), Arkansas Pine Bluff (14.60), South Carolina State (14.56) sit ahead of the Bucs in that category.
 
PLAYMAKERS ON THE OUTSIDE - On the receiving end of those big pass plays have been variety of Buccaneers. 15 Bucs have logged at least one catch and six have caught 10 or more passes. Leading the charge has been AJ Johnson with 34 receptions for 556 yards and six touchdowns. With one more touchdown catch, Johnson will have the most by any ETSU pass catcher since the program returned in 2015 and the most since Cecil Moore caught seven TDs in 2002. Furthermore, Hakeem Meggett has been one of the best big-play threats in the SoCon averaging 21.1 yards per catch, which leads the conference.
 
PUSH FOR THE POSTSEASON - With just two games remaining in the regular season, the Bucs are in the conversation for an FCS playoff appearance. Should the Bucs win their final two games, ETSU will reach the eight-win mark for just the fifth time in the history of the program and the first since 2021. It would also set the Bucs up for their fourth ever trip to the FCS playoffs joining the 1996, 2018, and 2021 teams.
 
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE - With the Bucs matching their win total from the past two seasons combined in 2024, ETSU fans have come out in a major way to support the Blue & Gold. Last week the Bucs had the largest crowd in the history of Greene Stadium (12,109 fans). Additionally, the Bucs have had three of the largest crowds in the history of their current home this season (11,040 vs. NDSU, 10,534 vs. Chattanooga). Overall, the Bucs are averaging 10,170 fans per game and join The Citadel as the only two SoCon schools to average over 10,000 fans per home game.
 
SOCON WEEKLY AWARDS - Linebacker Zach West (Defensive Player of the Week) and kicker Ewan Johnson (Special Teams Player of the Week) both took home weekly awards from the SoCon on Monday. Overall, the Bucs have taken home six weekly awards this season, which is the most for the program since 2021 when they had nine.
 
ABOUT FURMAN - A year after winning the SoCon Regular Season Championship, Furman makes the trip to Johnson City this Saturday with an overall record of 2-7 and 1-4 in SoCon play. On Saturday, the Paladins dropped a 19-13 decision to Wofford. Furman's two wins this season have come against Stetson (48-7) and The Citadel (17-16). Despite four straight losses to SoCon teams, Furman boasts a 15-5 record in league games over the last two-plus seasons (.750 winning percentage). Furthermore, after winning 10 games in each of the last two seasons, the Paladins join South Dakota State and North Dakota State that have won double-digit games in both 2022 and 2023. Furman has one of the top offensive players in the SoCon in Colton Hinton. The sophomore wide receiver leads all players in the conference averaging 131.89 yards of total offense a game. That mark ranks 10th in the FCS. Hinton is Furman's leading pass catcher with 25 more catches than the next closest Paladin. Overall, Hinton has hauled in 44 passes for 478 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, the Furman also has the league's leading tackler in Evan DiMaggio. DiMaggio has 89 tackles this season and has five games this season where he has registered 11 or more. His top outings came against Chattanooga and Western Carolina where he totaled 14 in each contest.
 
SERIES REWIND VS. FURMAN - Saturday will mark the 39th all-time meeting between the Bucs and Paladins. Historically, Furman has held the edge winning 29 of the 38 previous matchups. Six of ETSU's nine wins in the series have been one-score games, including the two most recent victories (29-27 in 2018, 17-13 in 2021). In last year's matchup in Greenville, the Bucs gave Furman all it could handle. The Paladins, who were ranked No. 3 in the nation at the time of the game, escaped with a 16-8 win over the Bucs. ETSU 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) in that game. Current Buc Teddy Wilson blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown for ETSU's only points in the matchup.
 
BIG-TIME PERFORMANCES AGAINST FURMAN IN ETSU HISTORY - With the series between the Bucs and Paladins dating back to 1957, there have been plenty of games between these two SoCon rivals. A couple of standout performances in ETSU football history occurred when these two program have matched up. In 2000, quarterback Todd Wells racked up 401 yards of total offense to help the Bucs defeat #6 Furman, 23-21. More recently, Austin Herink threw for 434 yards against the Paladins in 2017, which still stands as the most yards ever thrown in a single game by one ETSU signal caller.
 
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