CULLOWHEE, N.C. (Nov. 14, 2025) – Following back-to-back victories over Wofford (14-10) and Samford (38-14), the ETSU football team will look to continue its winning ways on Saturday when it visits No. 25 Western Carolina in the annual Blue Ridge Border Battle. Kickoff between the Bucs and Catamounts is set for Noon from Cullowhee.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, November 15
Time: 12:02 p.m. ET
Location: Cullowhee, N.C. | E.J. Whitmire Stadium
Teams: ETSU (5-5, 3-3 SoCon) at No. 25 Western Carolina (6-4, 5-1 SoCon)
Weather: 59 degrees, cloudy
Live Video: ESPN+
TV Crew: Pete Yanity (pbp), Jay Sonnhalter (analyst), Dave Friedman (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), Mark Hutsell (analyst)
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 Catamounts, presented by Citizens Bank.
HOUSTON CLOSING IN ON 1K RUSHING YARDS - Devontae Houston, who enters Saturday's game as the SoCon's leading rusher, is closing in on 1,000 rushing yards this season. Currently, Houston sits at 839 yards. With 97 more yards, Houston would enter the top 10 single season rushing yard list in ETSU history. Should Houston reach 1,000 yards (Needs 161 rushing yards), he'd become just the seventh Buccaneer running back to reach this milestone in a season and the first since Jacob Saylors ran for 1,307 yards in 2022. Houston has also found the end zone 11 total times in 2025 (10 rushing, one receiving). Among SoCon players, only Mercer's CJ Miller (14) and Western Carolina's James Tyre (12) have found the end zone more than Houston has in 2025.
THERE'S ANOTHER COMPLETION - One record that ETSU will almost certainly break over the final two weeks of the season is the single season completions record. ETSU's passers have completed 202 passes this season. ETSU's single season record for completions was set back in 1996 (237). Even with 15 more completions, this ETSU team has completed the most passes since football returned in 2015.
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD – After a 38-point outburst at Samford, ETSU is averaging 31.0 points per game this season. If the Bucs can keep up this pace for the rest of the season, it'll mark the third time in program history that the Bucs have averaged better than 30 points per game with the other two being the 2021 (32.7 PPG) and 1997 (30.9 PPG) teams.
FRESHMAN FINDING HIS NICHE IN JOHNSON CITY - ETSU wide receiver
Jeremiah Harrison has been developing into one of the top offensive weapons in the SoCon. Harrison, who had 95 yards on four receptions against Samford, has eclipsed at least 50 yards receiving in six of the 10 games this season. Harrison has 31 receptions for 501 yards and three touchdowns this season. Harrison's 501 yards rank sixth among FCS freshman receivers in 2025.
ABOUT WESTERN CAROLINA - Western Carolina saw its six-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday in a heartbreaking 49-47 loss to No. 10 Mercer. WCU's record dipped to 6-4 overall and 5-1 in league action. WCU boasts one of the most productive offenses in the FCS. The Catamounts have the top passing offense in the country averaging 349.6 yards per game through the air. Additionally, Western Carolina's signal callers rank fourth nationally in completion percentage (70.6%) and fifth in team passing efficiency (170.23). Western Carolina is second in the country with 259 first downs in 2025 and ranks second in the FCS in terms of total offense averaging 487.2 yards per game. WCU also is 11th in the nation in scoring offense averaging 38.0 points per game. Headlining the Catamount offense is the Preseason SoCon Offensive Player of the Year Taron Dickens. In just seven games played, Dickens has thrown for 2,752 yards and 33 touchdowns. His passing touchdown total leads all FCS quarterbacks, while his yardage total is third.
SERIES REWIND AGAINST THE CATAMOUNTS - Saturday will be the 55th all-time meeting between ETSU and Western Carolina with the first occurring in 1932. WCU holds the slight edge with a 27-26-1 all-time record against the Bucs. ETSU has played Western Carolina more times than any other opponent (54). Since the Buccaneers reintroduced football in 2015, ETSU holds the slight edge, 5-4. Saturday's game will also be the eighth meeting in the Blue Ridge Border Battle. The Bucs won last year's meeting in Johnson City by a score of 24-21. ETSU is 11-14 all-time in Cullowhee.
For more information on Buccaneer football, visit
ETSUBucs.com and click on the football tab.
