JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Sept. 5, 2026) – The ETSU football team earned its first win of the 2026 season on Saturday with a 48-14 victory over Tusculum. With Saturday's win, the Buccaneers evened their record at 1-1 on the season.
ETSU had a balanced offensive attack in Saturday's win over the Pioneers, finishing the night with 259 passing yards and 225 rushing yards. Quarterback Mason Mims finished the game 13-for-21 for 242 yards and three touchdowns. Suderian Harrison (three catches, 71 yards, one touchdown) and Tyler Griffin (three catches, 50 yards) were Mims' top targets. Brandon Winton and Charlie Browder also hauled in touchdowns from Mims in the win.
On the ground, the Buccaneers averaged 6.6 yards per carry against Tusculum.
TJ Peyton had a career day rushing for 121 yards on 11 carries (11.1 yards per carry) with two touchdowns.
D'Marius Rucker and
Jason Albritton also found the end zone for the Bucs on the ground.
Jaiden Daniels also created a spark with seven carries for 56 yards (8.0 yards per carry).
Defensively,
Dre Delinois paced the Bucs in tackles for the second consecutive week with 11.
Jarvis Johnson wasn't far behind with eight tackles and a sack. As a defense, the Bucs had five more tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries, and two pass breakups.
ETSU started with some fireworks early on Saturday. A three-play, 59-yard drive was capped by a 55-yard strike from Mims to Harrison to open the scoring. A few punts and turnovers on downs on multiple drives accounted for the next few possessions. Tusculum tied the score on a one-yard touchdown run that was set up by a big 45-yard pass from Tedros Gleaton to Zion Job.
Before the first quarter came to a close, the Bucs received another jolt of momentum on a 41-yard touchdown run by Peyton to make the score 13-7. As play moved on to the second quarter, Peyton punched it across the goal line for another touchdown to make the score 20-7 ETSU after two quarters of action.
As the second half began, ETSU was efficient on its offensive drives, even with time of possession heavily tilted toward Tusculum. In the second half, the Bucs scored a touchdown on all four drives to expand their lead. The Pioneers scored their second touchdown of the game on a 57-yard touchdown run by Lavante Adams.
ETSU's touchdowns in the second half came on a 45-yard pass from Mims to Winton and a 31-yard strike from Mims to Browder. The Buccaneers' running backs also got into the end zone in the second half from Albritton (one-yard touchdown) and Rucker (10-yard touchdown).
The Bucs, now 1-1, will hit the road for the first time this season on Saturday when they visit North Carolina. Kickoff between ETSU and the Tar Heels is set for Noon from Chapel Hill, N.C.
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ETSUBucs.com and click on the football tab.
