CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Oct. 18, 2025) – The ETSU football team held a double-digit lead at Chattanooga in the fourth quarter, but a late surge by the Mocs gave them a 42-38 victory over ETSU. Saturday's loss moves ETSU's record to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in SoCon play.
After not winning the toss for just the second time all season, the Buccaneer offense took the field first against the Mocs. ETSU's first drive of the day was steady and burned over six minutes off the clock.
Cade McNamara, who missed last week's game, started 5-for-5 for 26 yards passing. McNamara also scrambled for a nine-yard gain to pick up a key first down to keep the drive alive.
Devontae Houston, however, was ETSU's top offensive weapon to open the game with 32 yards on seven carries. Eventually, ETSU's drive stalled so it had to settle for a 20-yard field goal by
Ewan Johnson to make the score 3-0 Bucs. It is the first time that the Bucs have scored on their opening drive all season.
As methodical as the Bucs were on the first drive, Chattanooga hit the ETSU defense quickly in its first chance on offense. The shortest play by the Mocs was five yards, and then they broke off a pair of big gains for 30 and 23 yards, respectively. That 23-yarder was a rush by Ryan Ingram, and he found the end zone on that carry to give Chattanooga its first lead of the afternoon, 7-3.
Suddenly finding itself behind, ETSU again used the ground game to fuel its next possession. McNamara continued to find some open space and gain some valuable yards running the ball. The graduate quarterback sparked the drive with a pair of short completions to
Jason Albritton and
Ephraim Floyd before running for 15 yards and another Buccaneer first down. ETSU moved the ball to Chattanooga's 25-yard line but found itself facing a 4th-and-2. Instead of opting for a field goal, the Bucs went for it. McNamara faked a toss to Houston and found a seam in the defense to run it in for an ETSU touchdown. For McNamara, it was his second rushing touchdown of the season, and the 25-yard rush was the longest of his college career.
Chattanooga answered again on its next drive. A pair of important 15-yard penalties by the Buc defense set the Mocs up deep into ETSU territory. The Mocs took advantage of those miscues and hooked up on a 21-yard touchdown pass to regain the lead, 14-10.
After four consecutive scoring drives to start the contest, both defenses made some adjustments and held the other team off the scoreboard, going into halftime with the Mocs up by four.
Coming out of halftime, the Mocs used a pair of key third-down conversions to keep their drive alive. It looked like ETSU got off the field and forced a field goal attempt. However, Chattanooga executed a fake field goal, pitching the ball to its kicker, who ran for an eight-yard touchdown to grow the Mocs' lead to double digits, 21-10.
Suddenly trailing by multiple scores, the Bucs' offense did not panic. A pair of first downs led to a big 60-yard run by Albritton. For Albritton, it was the longest run of his career and his fifth rushing score of the season.
With the score now 21-17 Chattanooga, the Buc defense stepped up and forced Chattanooga's offense to go three-and-out for the first time in the contest. Now back on offense, the Bucs quickly started to build more momentum. A 20-yard strike from McNamara to
Ephraim Floyd, a pass interference call on Chattanooga, and a 20-yard rush by
Khalil Eichelberger got the Bucs deep into Moc territory. Unfortunately, a strip sack caused a fumble, and Chattanooga jumped on it to bring ETSU's possession to an abrupt end.
ETSU's defense forced another Chattanooga punt to get the ball back. Big gains from
Taharin Sudderth (17-yard reception) and Houston (21-yard rush) quickly got the Bucs into scoring range as the time in the third quarter came to an end.
As the fourth quarter began, the Bucs moved the ball to the one-yard line, setting up Albritton to find the end zone for the second time on the day. For Albritton, it was his first multi-touchdown game of his collegiate career.
Now holding a 24-21 lead, the Buccaneer defense promptly gave its offense the ball back after another quick Chattanooga possession. A 14-yard run by Houston and then a pair of big pass plays from McNamara to
Jeremiah Harrison (38 and 23 yards) extended ETSU's lead to double figures, 31-21. It is the second straight game that Harrison has caught a touchdown pass.
Yet another stellar effort by ETSU's defense gave the Bucs the ball back right around midfield. A five-yard run by Houston got the drive started before he ripped off a 49-yard run for a touchdown to make it 38-21 Bucs.
Chattanooga got one of those touchdowns back with a six-play, 85-yard drive to trim the deficit back to 10, 38-28 with 7:20 to go in regulation. Following an ETSU punt, the Mocs got the ball back. On that drive, the Mocs went 80 yards in a little over two minutes in six plays to make it a three-point game, 38-35, with just 2:29 to go.
With momentum on their side, the Mocs lined up for an onside kick, and it initially looked like the Mocs recovered the ball. However, after video review, the play was overturned, giving the Bucs the ball in Chattanooga's territory with a little over two minutes to go.
ETSU forced the Mocs to burn two of their three timeouts, but Chattanooga preserved one thanks to the two-minute timeout and stopping the Bucs on a fourth down-and-one. Taking over at their own 33-yard line, Chattanooga, the Mocs moved the ball 67 yards and threw a four-yard touchdown pass to take the lead, 42-38. ETSU had six seconds to work with and had several laterals to try for a miracle ending, but it didn't pay off as the Mocs finished off the win.
Saturday's Standouts
- ETSU ran for 321 yards on Saturday against the Mocs (7.3 yards per carry). It is the ninth time over the past two seasons that the Bucs have run for over 200 yards in a game. Houston led the charge with a career-high 171 yards and a touchdown. Albritton also had a career day on the ground with 83 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
- For Houston, the 171 yards are the most by an ETSU rusher since Trey Foster had 172 in 2023 against VMI. Houston now has six games as a Buc, during which he has surpassed 100 yards on the ground.
- The Buccaneers racked up 517 yards of total offense against the Mocs and 38 points. The 517 yards are the second-most by ETSU's offense this season, trailing only the 572-yard effort against Murray State in the season opener. Furthermore, the 38 points scored by the Bucs are the most by the team since the program was reinstated in 2015 and the most ETSU has scored in the series since a school-record 68-point effort in 2003.
- With a made field goal and five made extra points, Johnson moved into sole possession of ETSU's all-time scoring list with 185 points.
- With six more receptions on Saturday, Floyd is up to 43 catches on the season. With four more games to go, Floyd's 43 catches are the most for an ETSU pass catcher since Will Huzzie hauled in 58 in 2021.
- Harrison was one of ETSU's top targets in the passing game with a team-high 76 yards and a touchdown. It is the third time in the last four games that Harrison has had at least 70 yards receiving.
Next Up – The Bucs will aim to keep things rolling next Saturday when they return home to host Wofford. Kickoff between the Bucs and Terriers is set for 3:30 p.m. from Bank of Tennessee Field at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium.
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