JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Nov. 6, 2026) – The No. 19 ETSU football team will close out its 2026 home schedule on Saturday when it welcomes Samford to Johnson City. Kickoff between Bucs and Bulldogs is set for 1 p.m. from Bank of Tennessee Field at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, November 7
Time: 1:02 p.m. ET
Location: Johnson City, Tenn.| William B. Greene Jr. Stadium
Teams: Samford (3-6, 3-3 SoCon) at No. 19/21 ETSU (6-3, 4-1 SoCon)
Weather: 55 degrees, sunny
Tickets: ETSUTickets.com
Live Video: ESPN+
TV Crew: Keith Brake (pbp), Mark Hutsell (analyst), Kennedy Story (sideline)
Live Audio: WXSM-AM 640
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 Bulldogs presented by Citizens Bank.
LAST TIME OUT - The Bucs suffered their first conference loss of the season on Saturday as they dropped a 24-17 decision to No. 11 Tennessee Tech. With the loss, the Bucs are now 6-3 overall and 4-1 in SoCon play.
TERRIFIC PERFORMANCE BY TJ - ETSU was led by running back
TJ Peyton against the Golden Eagles. The sophomore tailback finished with a career-high 123 rushing yards on 18 carries (6.8 yards per carry) and a touchdown. Peyton also caught two passes for 26 yards and returned one kickoff for 30 yards.
MORE COMPLETIONS FOR MASON - With 15 completions against Tennessee Tech, quarterback
Mason Mims is up to 170 completions this season. That total is the ninth-most in a season for an ETSU quarterback for a season and the most since Tyler Riddell completed 211 passes in 2021.
TOP 10 IN THIRD DOWNS - While their conversion percentage went down, the Bucs still moved the chains on eight third downs on Saturday. Overall, ETSU is converting 48 percent of its third downs this season, which ranks eighth in the FCS.
ABOUT SAMFORD - Samford is coming off arguably its biggest win of the season on Saturday as it outlasted Wofford by a score of 10-9. With that victory, the Bulldogs improved to 3-6 overall and 3-3 in SoCon action. The Bulldogs are under new leadership this season in John Grass. Grass was on Clemson's coaching staff for four seasons prior to taking the job in Birmingham. Prior to that stop, he spent eight seasons as the Head Coach at Jacksonville State. He was the Head Coach for the Gamecocks in the 2018 FCS playoff game between Jacksonville State and ETSU, which ended up in a win for JSU, 34-27.
SERIES REWIND VS. SAMFORD - Compared to the other teams in the SoCon, the all-time series between the Bucs and Bulldogs is new. Samford has won eight of the 13 matchups, but ETSU has won the last two, including 38-14 last season in Birmingham. The Bucs have never beaten Samford three consecutive times.
For more information on Buccaneer football, visit
ETSUBucs.com and click on the football tab.
