LEXINGTON, Va. (Nov. 23, 2024) – The ETSU football team used three field goals, a rushing touchdown by Bryson Irby and the defense did not allow a touchdown to outlast VMI in its regular season finale on Saturday afternoon, 16-9. With the victory, the Bucs close out the campaign with a record of 7-5 overall and 5-3 in SoCon play.
Stat Standouts – Freshman quarterback Baylor Hayes made his first collegiate start on Saturday. Hayes, who was the first true freshman quarterback to start for the Bucs since November 20, 1993, completed 15 of 25 passes for 119 yards and completed at least one pass to seven different receivers. Hayes also ran for 15 yards in the win.
Speaking of running the ball, the Bucs ran for 195 yards against the Keydets. The Bucs ran for over 100 yards in 11 of 12 games this season. Devontae Houston led the charge with 104 yards on 18 carries, while Irby closed out his career as a Buc with 53 yards and the team’s lone touchdown.
Defensively, Ray Coney led the charge with eight tackles with two pass breakups. Coney finishes his sophomore campaign with 96 tackles, which is the most for a Buc defender in 2024. William McRainey was not far behind with seven tackles. Ty Anderson (six tackles), Tywan Royal (five tackles) and Willie Harris (five tackles) rounded out ETSU’s top tacklers on the day.
· The win was ETSU’s seventh of the season. The 2024 Bucs are the 11th team in school history to reach seven wins and the first since the 2021 team and it surpasses the win total for the program over the last two seasons combined (six wins). Additionally, ETSU’s Head Coach Tre Lamb tied for the second-most wins in a season by a first-year head coach matching Paul Hamilton’s seven wins in 1997. Only Randy Sanders’ 2018 season where he led the Bucs to eight victories ranks higher.
· Irby played his final game in an ETSU uniform on Saturday. Irby crossed 1,500 career rushing yards in Saturday’s win over VMI and he finishes his ETSU career with 1,527 yards.
· Saturday was the fourth road win for ETSU this season, which is the most for the Bucs since 2021 when they won four as well. In comparison the Bucs won just two games away from Johnson City in the last two seasons combined.
