JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 31, 2026) – The No. 17 ETSU football team saw its five-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday afternoon to No. 11 Tennessee Tech by a score of 24-17 at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium. With the loss, the Buccaneers move to 6-3 overall and 4-1 in Southern Conference play.
A week after rushing for a season-high 272 yards at VMI, the Bucs’ ground game stayed productive on Saturday, totaling 207 yards on 41 carries (5.0 yards per carry). TJ Peyton led the effort with a career-high 123 yards on 18 carries (6.8 yards per carry). Peyton, who also caught two passes for 26 yards and returned a kickoff for 30 yards, was not the only Buccaneer running back to reach the end zone on Saturday, as Jason Albritton did too. Albritton scored one touchdown, ripped off a season-long 42-yard run, and closed the day with 76 yards on 12 carries.
Defensively, the Bucs had a trio of players make at least five tackles. Senior Brenden LeBlanc led the charge with six stops, with Charles Woodard and Jivon Oggs close behind with five tackles each. Josiha Mason also paced ETSU’s pass rush with three quarterback hurries.
Saturday’s game began with ETSU winning the coin toss and choosing to defer to the second half. The Golden Eagles received the opening kickoff and used the opportunity to get on the scoreboard first. Tennessee Tech used an 11-play, 63-yard drive that culminated in a six-yard touchdown run by MJ Flowers to give it the first lead of the afternoon.
After two short drives that didn’t amount to much, the Bucs tied it at seven before the first quarter ended. Peyton had two impact plays on that scoring drive, including a 16-yard run to get the Bucs near midfield and a 45-yard touchdown run to tie it up.
As the second quarter got underway, the Bucs converted a key third down with a pass from Mason Mims to Khristian Means and were further aided by a pair of costly Tennessee Tech penalties that gave the Bucs first downs. Eventually, the Golden Eagle defense could not keep ETSU out of the end zone as Albritton punched the ball across the goal line to make it 14-7 for the Buccaneers.
Momentum continued to swing toward ETSU as a muffed kickoff return forced Tennessee Tech to start its next drive at its own two-yard line. The Bucs’ strong defense, along with a short punt, set ETSU up in Golden Eagle territory to start its next possession. Just like ETSU’s defense did, Tennessee Tech’s defense stepped up and forced the Bucs into a field goal attempt. Ewan Johnson did split the uprights from 38 yards out to make it 17-7 ETSU.
Now facing a double-digit deficit, the Golden Eagles got a jolt on a 59-yard kickoff return that brought the ball to ETSU’s 41-yard line. Qua Ashley, who made the kickoff return, wasn’t done there as two big runs for 39 yards ultimately ended in the end zone, bringing Tennessee Tech back within three points, 17-14, at the half.
Neither team added to its respective point totals in the third quarter. However, ETSU had the two best opportunities to do so. A missed 53-yard field goal ended its first possession of the second half and then three consecutive sacks by Tennessee Tech pushed the Bucs back from the Golden Eagles’ 25-yard line to out of field goal range.
A 33-yard field goal by Tennessee Tech shortly into the fourth quarter tied the score at 17-17. TTU forced an ETSU punt and then went on a 12-play, 90-yard drive that burned over seven minutes off the game clock. Tennessee Tech quarterback Jax Leatherwood was stopped on one sneak attempt from the one-yard line but then got across the second time to give his squad the lead back, 24-17.
The Bucs’ offense began its final drive of the game with 4:08 to go in the fourth. Two passes from Mims to Suderian Harrison that covered 29 yards moved the Bucs into Tennessee Tech territory. ETSU moved inside the red zone and got the ball to its opponent’s 10-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. A couple of kneel-downs by Tennessee Tech sealed the 24-17 win for the Golden Eagles.
ETSU will look to get back into the win column when it hosts Samford next Saturday in its final regular season home game. Saturday’s matchup, which will also be the team’s senior day, is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff in Johnson City.
For more information on Buccaneer football, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the football tab.
