CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Oct. 17, 2025) – Fresh off a 45-10 win over VMI last Saturday, the ETSU football team will head back out on the road to take on Chattanooga in the annual Rail Rivalry game. Kickoff between the Buccaneers and Mocs is set for 1:30 p.m.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, October 18
Time: 1:32 p.m.
Location: Chattanooga, Tenn. | Finley Stadium
Teams: (RV) ETSU (3-4, 1-2 SoCon) at Chattanooga (2-4, 1-1 SoCon)
Weather: 81 degrees, partly cloudy
Live Video: ESPN+
TV Crew: Chris Goforth (pbp), Scott McMahon (analyst), Makenzie Johnson (sideline)
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 Wilhjelm (analyst), Robert Harper (sideline)
Live Stats: ETSUBucs.com (Sidearm Stats)
X:
@ETSUFootball
THINGS TO KNOW – Please click
HERE for all the "Things to Know" for Saturday's matchup with the Mocs, presented by Citizens Bank.
DOMINANT DEFENSIVE EFFORT - Up until very late into the fourth quarter, the Buccaneer defense had some single-game program records within its sights. ETSU held VMI to 82 offensive yards (1.4 yards per play) on Saturday and held the Keydets to 1-for-17 on third down. The offensive yardage and yards per play allowed on Saturday came close to the records set back in 1994 vs. Catawba (76 yards, 1.2 yards per play).
TURNING THE TIDE WITH TURNOVERS - The Bucs also caused two more turnovers against the Keydets, bringing their total to 14 on the season, which ranks as the third-most in FCS. The interception by
Ty Anderson was his first in an ETSU uniform, and the fumble recovery by
Teddy Wilson was also his first as a Buc.
FIRING OUT OF THE GATE - One thing that the Bucs have done well with this season is getting off to fast starts. Against teams from the FCS, the Bucs are outscoring the opposition 56-16 in the first quarter this season.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE NATION AT MOVING THE CHAINS - ETSU had 24 first downs (14 rushing, nine passing, one penalty) against the Keydets bringing it season total to 160. The 160 first downs are tied for the fourth-most in the FCS in 2025 behind only Monmouth (176), Western Carolina (175), Bethune-Cookman (165), Idaho State (165) and Tarleton State (165).
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA - Chattanooga will be coming off its bye week when it takes on the Bucs this Saturday. The Mocs are currently 2-4 overall and a 1-1 mark in SoCon action. Chattanooga has earned wins against Stetson (63-0) and VMI (21-14) with setbacks against Memphis (45-17), Tennessee Tech (45-17), Tarleton State (52-24) and The Citadel (28-10). Leading the charge is Justus Durant with 448 yards followed by Wofford transfer Ryan Ingram's 274 and Journey Wyche's 204. Durant's 448 rushing yards paces all SoCon rushers. Collectively, the Mocs are averaging 5.5 yards per carry this fall and 12 of their 19 touchdowns have been rushing. Chattanooga has forced the fewest number of turnovers (five) in the SoCon. The Mocs also have the second-fewest sacks in the league (five) ahead of only Samford's three at the midway point of the season.
SERIES REWIND AGAINST THE MOCS - ETSU is 19-27-1 all-time against Chattanooga. The Mocs have held the decisive edge in the series since the Buccaneer football program returned in 2015. Since that point, the Mocs are 7-1 against ETSU with the Bucs' lone victory coming in 2018 in Johnson City, 17-14. The games against ETSU and Chattanooga since 2015 have been competitive though as six of the eight matchups were decided by one score.
For more information on Buccaneer football, visit
ETSUBucs.com and click on the football tab.
