JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Sept. 25, 2026) – The ETSU football team will open Southern Conference (SoCon) play against its longtime rival Western Carolina on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff for the 56
th game in the annual Blue Ridge Border Battle is set for 3:30 p.m. from Bank of Tennessee Field at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, September 26
Time: 3:32 p.m. ET
Location: Johnson City, Tenn. | William B. Greene Jr. Stadium
Teams: Western Carolina (2-2, 0-0 SoCon) vs. ETSU (2-2, 0-0 SoCon)
Weather: 73 degrees, sunny
Live Video: ESPN+/Nexstar
TV Crew: Pete Yanity (pbp), Jeremy Greene (analyst), Dave Friedman (sideline)
Live Audio: WXSM-AM 640
Radio Crew: Jay "Voice of the Bucs" Sandos (pbp), Matt Wilhjelm (analyst), Robert Harper (sideline), Don Helman (stats)
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 Catamounts, presented by Citizens Bank.
LAST TIME OUT – ETSU picked up its second win of the season on Saturday by defeating West Georgia by a score of 35-27. That victory, which was the program's 400th all-time, boosts ETSU's record to 2-2 for the 2026 campaign.
MASON MAKING THE MOST OUT OF HIS OPPORTUNITY - Quarterback
Mason Mims continues his stellar start to the season. Mims went 15-for-24 for 198 yards and a pair of passing touchdowns against the Wolves. Mims, who has thrown for two or more touchdowns in three of ETSU's four games so far this season, paces all Division I (both FBS & FCS) freshman quarterbacks with 991 passing yards and paces those signal callers in completion percentage (71.8%).
SENIOR SAFETY NAMED SOCON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – A major turning point in Saturday's win over West Georgia was an interception returned for a touchdown by
Mike Jenkins. It was not only the first interception by a Buccaneer defender in 2026, but it was also the first interception returned for a touchdown since September 28, 2024, against The Citadel (
Jimmy Bowdry). Jenkins also totaled a season-high eight tackles against UWG. For his play in last Saturday's win, Jenkins was named the SoCon Defensive Player. Jenkins is the first Buccaneer defender to receive this honor since 2024 when Zach West earned this accolade.
CONVERTING THEIR THIRD DOWNS - ETSU successfully moved the chains on eight of 15 third downs during their victory over West Georgia on Saturday (53.3%). For the season, the Bucs have converted 29 of 54 attempts on third down (53.7%), which ranks sixth in the FCS. The five teams ahead of the Bucs on this list boast a combined record of 13-3 this season.
SCOUTING THE CATAMOUNTS - Like the Bucs, Western Carolina will enter this Saturday's game in Johnson City sporting a 2-2 record. WCU is coming off a 58-14 victory over Presbyterian on Saturday. WCU's other win came against Eastern Kentucky (45-21) but have suffered losses to Campbell (28-19) and Cincinnati (62-10) this season.
SERIES REWIND AGAINST WCU – Facing off against Western Carolina on Saturday, the Bucs will look to gain the edge in the all-time series against the Catamounts that is deadlocked at 27-27-1. ETSU has won the last two matchups, including last season 52-35 in Cullowhee. If the Bucs defeat the Catamounts on Saturday, it'll be the first three-game winning streak for ETSU over WCU since 1994-96.
For more information on Buccaneer football, visit
ETSUBucs.com and click on the football tab.
