Football opens SoCon play against No. 23 Mercer

ETSU is looking for its first win against the Bears since 2021

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Sept. 26, 2025) – The ETSU football team will turn its attention to Southern Conference play on Saturday as it welcomes No. 23 Mercer to Johnson City. Kickoff between the Buccaneers and Bears is set for 5:30 p.m. from Bank of Tennessee Field at William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, September 27
Time: 5:32 p.m.
Location: Johnson City, Tenn. | Bank of Tennessee Field at William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium
Teams: No. 23 Mercer (2-1, 2-0 SoCon) at (RV) ETSU (2-2, 0-0 SoCon)
Weather: 73 degrees, overcast
Live Video: ESPN+
TV Crew: Keith Brake (pbp), Mark Hutsell (analyst), Kennedy Story (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 (Statbroadcast)
X: @ETSUFootball

THINGS TO KNOW – Please click HERE for all the "Things to Know" for Saturday's matchup with the Bears, presented by Citizens Bank.

ELECTRIC DAY FOR EPHRAIM – Ephraim Floyd had one of the best games an ETSU wide receiver has ever had against the Phoenix. Floyd finished the night with 12 catches for 145 yards. 74 of his 145 yards came after the catch. The Vero Beach, Florida native's reception and receiving yard totals both established new career-highs. Furthermore, the 12 receptions are tied for the third-most by a Buccaneer pass catcher in program history, and it was the most since 2000 when Cecil Moore hauled in 12 passes against Chattanooga. Only Jeff Johnson's 16-catch outing against VMI in 1994 and Hal Morrison's 13 receptions against Maryville in 1953 sit ahead of Floyd's night on Saturday.

SINGLE GAME RECORD FOR ETSU'S SIGNAL CALLER - The player tossing Floyd the ball was Cade McNamara. The graduate quarterback finished the evening going 30-for-45 for 267 yards. The 45 attempts are tied for the fourth-most in a game by an ETSU signal caller, while his 30 completions match the program's single-game record from Greg Ryan in 1993 against Georgia Southern.

ADDING TO THE INT TOTAL – Defensively, Mike Jenkins tallied his first career interception. Jenkins is the fifth different Buc to pick off a pass in 2025. ETSU is currently tied for the third-most interceptions in the FCS with six, trailing only Tarleton State (10) and Marist (7). Furthermore, this ETSU squad has already passed its interception total from last season (5).

TOUCHDOWN STREAK CONTINUES FOR ALBRITTON – On the ground, Jason Albritton led the charge for ETSU with 56 yards on 11 carries (5.1 avg.). Albritton also ran for his third touchdown in as many games during the victory. It is the third straight year that an ETSU running back has had a streak of three consecutive games with a rushing touchdown (Bryson Irby vs. NDSU, Elon, Citadel in 2024 & Trey Foster vs. VMI, Western Carolina, and Citadel in 2023). If Albritton scores another rushing touchdown against the Bears, he'll be the first ETSU running back to rush for a touchdown in four straight games since Jacob Saylors and Quay Holmes both accomplished the feat in 2021.

MILESTONE WIN AT GREENE STADIUM – Saturday's win was ETSU's 30th at Greene Stadium and boosted their overall record to 30-16 at its on-campus venue.

ABOUT MERCER – Mercer will visit Johnson City on Saturday, sporting a 2-1 record so far in 2025. After falling to Presbyterian by a score of 15-10 on August 30, the Bears have logged back-to-back wins over SoCon foes in Wofford (22-21) and The Citadel (38-0). With those two wins over Wofford and Citadel, the Bears are now 13-1 over their last 14 league games. Entering week five of the regular season, the Bears are fifth in the FCS in scoring defense, allowing only 9.7 points per game so far in 2025. Among the teams that have played three or more games this season, only North Dakota State (5.7 PPG) and UTRGV (8.5 PPG) rank ahead of the Bears in that category. Mercer's defense is also the only unit from the SoCon that is allowing under 300 yards per contest.

SERIES REWIND AGAINST THE BEARS - Saturday will be the 11th all-time meeting between the Bucs and Bears. Mercer has won six of the previous 10 matchups, including the last three meetings. ETSU, which last defeated the Bears on November 20, 2021, in Johnson City (38-35), fell to the Bears last season by a score of 37-31 in Macon. ETSU is 3-1 all-time against Mercer in Johnson City, with the lone setback coming in the 2023 season, a 24-6 loss. In that matchup last season, the Bucs threw for a single-game school record 459 yards, but four turnovers, a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown, and 10 penalties proved too much for the Bucs to overcome.

For more information on Buccaneer football, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the football tab.

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Players Mentioned

#17 Trey Foster: RB; 5' 11"; Redshirt Junior

#7 Bryson Irby: RB; 6' 0"; Senior

#12 Ephraim Floyd: WR; 5' 10"; Senior

#7 Mike Jenkins: DB; 6' 2"; Junior

#11 Cade McNamara: QB; 6' 1"; Graduate Student

#21 Jason Albritton: RB; 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

#17 Trey Foster
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Junior
: RB

#7 Bryson Irby
: 6' 0"; Senior
: RB

#12 Ephraim Floyd
: 5' 10"; Senior
: WR

#7 Mike Jenkins
: 6' 2"; Junior
: DB

#11 Cade McNamara
: 6' 1"; Graduate Student
: QB

#21 Jason Albritton
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior
: RB