JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Sept. 13, 2024) – Fresh off its first victory of the 2024 season, the ETSU football team will return to action this Saturday when it hosts No. 2 North Dakota State. Kickoff between the Bucs and Bison is set for 5:30 p.m. from Bank of Tennessee Field from William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium. 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Sept. 14
Time: 5:32 p.m.
Location: Johnson City, Tenn. | Bank of Tennessee Field at William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium
Teams: No. 2 North Dakota State (1-1) at ETSU (1-1)
Weather:  80° | Cloudy | Winds: ESE 6 mph
Game Sponsor: Bank of Tennessee
Live Video: ESPN+
TV Crew: Keith Brake (pbp), Mark Hutsell (analyst) 
Live Audio: WXSM-AM 640 | HD radio can listen on 101.5 WQUT HD-2
Radio Crew: Jay "Voice of the Bucs" Sandos (pbp), Matt Wiljelm (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 North Dakota State, presented by Citizens Bank.
 
LAST TIME OUT - The Bucs logged their first win of the 2024 season on Saturday as they cruised past UVA Wise by a score of 61-0 at Greene Stadium. Saturday's win boosted ETSU's record to 1-1 on the season.
 
BUCS BREAK SIXTY POINTS - The 61 points scored by ETSU is the most for the program since it was reintroduced in 2015. Furthermore, it is the most by a Buccaneer team since November 15, 2003, when the Blue & Gold scored a school record 68 points against Chattanooga. Overall, it was the fourth time in history that the Bucs have scored 60 or more points in a game.
 
MORE ON THE MARGIN OF VICTORY - The 61-point margin of victory narrowly missed out on being a program record for the Bucs. The program's largest ever win came on October 10, 1992, when they blanked Charleston Southern by a score of 62-0.
 
SHUTOUT IN THE HOME OPENER - Saturday's win marks the second straight season that the Bucs have had a shutout in their home opener (2023 vs. Carson-Newman – 42-0). ETSU also remained unbeaten in home openers at Greene Stadium (8-0).
 
GREAT GAME FROM JAYLEN - Quarterback Jaylen King threw for a career-high four touchdowns in Saturday's win vs. Wise. Gino English added a touchdown pass of his own later in the game & ETSU finished with five for the game, which tied a program record for the most ever in a single contest (most since 2022 vs. Samford).
 
MUCH IMPROVED THROUGH THE AIR - The five touchdown passes from ETSU quarterbacks on Saturday was not only an impressive one game performance, but it also is just one shy of the team's touchdown pass total from the entire 2023 campaign (6).
 
FINE EFFORT BY THE DEFENSE - The Buccaneer defense not only held the Highland Cavaliers off the scoreboard, but they also forced them punt 12 times on the night. The 12 punts from UVA Wise are the most ever by a Buccaneer opponent in the program's history.
 
QUICK STRIKE OFFENSE - ETSU has scored eight offensive touchdowns so far in 2024. The Bucs have not wasted much time when they've ultimately put the ball in the endzone. Their longest touchdown scoring drive in terms of time was two minutes and 40 seconds with the shortest being 29 seconds. On average ETSU's touchdown scoring drives this season have averaged one minute and 27 seconds.
 
BUCCANEERS PROTECTING THE BALL - The Bucs have continued a great job protecting the ball through their first two games. ETSU has not turned the ball over once against Appalachian State and UVA Wise. The Bucs are one of just 14 teams in FCS football that have not turned the ball over so far in 2024.
 
RUN BUCS RUN - ETSU ran for an impressive 254 yards on Saturday and is averaging 218.5 yards on the ground through the season's first two weeks. The Bucs' rushing average leads the SoCon and ranks eighth in FCS as we move into week three.
 
NDSU VS. ETSU - Saturday's game vs. North Dakota State will mark the second ever matchup between the Bucs and Bison (2021 FCS Quarterfinals). The Bison won that game by a score of 27-3 in Fargo. It will also be NDSU's first ever trip to the state of Tennessee for a game.
 
BEST OPPONENT FOR ETSU IN JOHNSON CITY SINCE... - North Dakota State will be ranked No. 2 in the national polls entering their clash with the Bucs in Johnson City this weekend. The Bison will be the highest ranked team to ever visit Greene Stadium (Previous was No. 4 Kennesaw State in 2021 FCS Playoffs). Furthermore, it'll be the highest ranked team to come to Johnson City for a game since No. 1 Georgia Southern came to the mini dome on October 27, 2001. In that game, the Bucs upset the top-ranked Eagles by a score of 19-16.
 
ABOUT THE BISON - NDSU is 1-1 this season after securing its first win of the season on Saturday with a 52-3 victory over Tennessee State in Fargo. The Bison dropped their season opener on the road at Colorado, 31-26. The Bison have won 17 national championships in their history, including nine at the FCS level. NDSU has also won 37 conference championships. In the FCS playoffs, the Bison are 47-5 since becoming eligible in 2008. Their five losses in the playoffs, except for last season vs. Montana, came against the program that eventually won that national championship. The Bison are 5-0 all-time against schools from the Volunteer State, including 1-0 against ETSU in the lone meeting between the two programs in 2021. Saturday will mark just their third non-conference game in the eastern time zone since 2007. The others were against Central Michigan (Win – 44-14 on Sept. 22, 2007) and against No. 18 Delaware (Win – 47-22 on Sept. 14, 2019). North Dakota State has been one of the most impressive stretches in all of college football over the last decade. NDSU has not lost a regular season non-conference game to an FCS team since August 29, 2015, when No. 12 Montana outlasted the Bison, 38-35. By the time the Bucs and Bison kick off on Saturday, it'll be 3,305 days since that last defeat.

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