KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 6, 2025) – Nationally ranked Tennessee jumped out to a 24-0 lead on the ETSU football team after one quarter on Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium. The early deficit proved too large for the Bucs to overcome as they ultimately fell to the Volunteers by a score of 72-17. Saturday's setback moves ETSU's record to 1-1 on the season.
 
The first quarter was all Tennessee. The Vols scored on four of their first five possessions of the day and outgained ETSU 205-7 in the first 15 minutes of action. ETSU, which also committed five penalties in the opening frame, was down 24-0 after one quarter of action.
 
The Vols continued to put pressure on the Bucs in the second quarter. ETSU's offense moved the ball better than it did in the first half. Ryan Barrett recovered a bad snap by Tennessee before the two-minute timeout gave the Bucs their best field position of the afternoon at the Volunteers' five-yard line. A shovel pass from Cade McNamara to Taharin Sudderth put the Bucs in the end zone for the first time with 1:55 to go before halftime.

First career touchdown for Taharin Sudderth!

??: SEC Network +#GoBucs | #BUCkleUp pic.twitter.com/EFAgqNbouk

— ETSU Football (@ETSUFootball) September 6, 2025

 
Following that score by the Bucs, Tennessee put together another touchdown drive before the first half ended to extend its lead to 48-7 after two quarters of action.
 
After deferring the coin toss, the Bucs began the second half on offense. ETSU put together its longest drive in terms of plays and yardage coming out of the half. A pair of long pass plays to Ephraim Floyd and Charlie Browder for 22 and 21 yards, respectively, fueled a 51-yard drive coming out of the locker room for the Bucs. Those two big chunk plays set the Bucs up for a field goal attempt. Knoxville native Ewan Johnson drove a 41-yard kick through the uprights to make the score 48-10 with 11:52 remaining in the third quarter.
 
Tennessee would score two more touchdowns and a field goal to extend its lead even further. The Bucs got into the end zone with 8:46 left in the game when Jason Albritton broke off a 20-yard run to score. The 20-yard rush was Albritton's longest of his career and his second career touchdown.
 
The Albritton touchdown was the last score by the Bucs, but Tennessee scored one more time in the end zone to finish off a 72-17 win over ETSU.
 
Other Notables on the Bucs

• The second-quarter touchdown by Sudderth was the first of his collegiate career. Sudderth, who transferred to Middle Tennessee State in the offseason, played in his 33rd career game on Saturday.
• Nate Brackett set a new career-high with 10 punts. Brackett, a native of nearby Rockwood, Tennessee, averaged 46.1 yards per attempt and had three punts travel 50 or more yards.
• ETSU's primary passing duo of McNamara and Jacolby Criswell combined to go 18-for-30 for 161 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Jackson Byrd entered the game late and completed his only pass attempt for six yards.
• After running for nearly 400 yards in its season-opening win over Murray State, the Bucs rushed for 49 yards on Saturday. Albritton and Khalil Eichelberger both rushed for 30 yards to lead these efforts. 
• 10 different Buccaneers recorded a reception at Tennessee. Cole Keller paced the receiving group with 47 yards, while Floyd led the charge with five catches for 43 yards. Karim Page was also a common target in the passing game with four receptions for 32 yards.
• ETSU had 10 different players catch at least one pass, and 10 other players recorded five more tackles on defense. Veteran linebackers Dre Delinois and Teddy Wilson led the unit in tackles with eight each. Qua Birdsong and Barrett both had seven, while Jimmy Bowdry and William Wells weren't far behind with six apiece.  

Next Up – The Bucs will remain on the road for their next game. ETSU will visit West Georgia next Saturday (Sept. 13) with the kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
For more information on Buccaneer football, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the football tab.