LEXINGTON, Va. (Oct. 23, 2026) – Coming off its bye week, the No. 18 ETSU football team returns to action Saturday on the road against VMI. Kickoff between the Buccaneers and Keydets is set for 1:30 p.m. from Lexington, Virginia.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, October 24
Time: 1:32 p.m. ET
Location: Lexington, Va.| Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium
Teams: No. 18/20 ETSU (5-2, 3-0 SoCon) at VMI (0-7, 0-3 SoCon)
Weather: 61 degrees, sunny
Live Video: ESPN+
TV Crew: Wade Branner (PxP), Chip Tarkenton (analyst), Phil Marcello (sideline)
Live Audio: WXSM-AM 640
Radio Crew: Jay "Voice of the Bucs" Sandos (pbp), Robert Harper (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 Keydets, presented by Citizens Bank.
MOVING ON UP THE RANKINGS
Thanks to their four-game winning streak, the Bucs have been listed in the national polls for the past couple of weeks. This week, ETSU sits at No. 18 in the Stats Perform Top 25 Poll and No. 20 in the AFCA Coaches' Poll. This marks the highest the Bucs have been in either of the primary national polls since mid-September 2022, when they were No. 18/19. ETSU football's highest national poll ranking was No. 7 in 1997.
BUZZ AROUND THE BUCCANEER QB
ETSU quarterback
Mason Mims was named to the Jerry Rice Award Midseason Watch List on Tuesday. This award is given annually to the FCS Freshman Player of the Year. Mims is the first Buccaneer to make this list since Quay Holmes in 2018. Mims, who was one of 30 players named to this list, has made an immediate impact for the Bucs this season. He is completing 70 percent of his passes (133-for-190) for 1,551 yards and 10 touchdowns. His passing yardage total ranks fourth among Division I (FBS & FCS) freshmen quarterbacks this season. His completion percentage ranks fifth in the FCS and leads the Southern Conference (SoCon).
MONEY ON THE MONEY DOWN
The Bucs are converting third downs at 50 percent (49-for-98), which ranks fourth in the FCS. Only Youngstown State (57.0), Illinois State (55.3), and Monmouth (51.5) have converted more often than ETSU this season.
MILITARY MIGHT
With two military schools in the SoCon, the Bucs have won six straight games against The Citadel and VMI. Their last loss came on November 4, 2023, to the Keydets. If the Bucs knock off the Keydets on Saturday, it'll match their longest winning streak against the two SoCon military schools since 1999-2002.
SCOUTING THE KEYDETS
VMI will still be looking for its first win of the season this Saturday. The Keydets are 0-7 overall and 0-3 in the SoCon. First-year Head Coach Ashley Ingram leads the Keydets. Ingram came to Lexington after two seasons at Carson-Newman. At Carson-Newman, Ingram guided the Eagles to two winning seasons and a 16-6 overall record. Like ETSU's last opponent, The Citadel, VMI rarely hurts itself with penalties. VMI averages the fewest penalty yards per game (28.14) in the FCS, and it is tied for the third-fewest penalties per game at 4.14, trailing only Citadel (3.29) and Cal Poly (3.63).
SERIES REWIND AGAINST VMI
Saturday will be the 32nd all-time meeting between the Bucs and Keydets. ETSU leads the series 20-11, including a 7-3 mark since Buccaneer football returned in 2015. The Bucs won last year's matchup 45-10 in Johnson City. They will also look for their fifth straight win in Lexington against the Keydets on Saturday.
For more information on Buccaneer football, visit
ETSUBucs.com and click on the football tab.
