MACON, Ga. (Nov. 2, 2024) – The No. 23 ETSU football team threw for a single game school record 459 yards on the road at No. 12 Mercer on Saturday afternoon but four costly turnovers, a blocked punt returned for the touchdown, and 10 penalties proved too much to overcome as the Bucs fell to the Bears, 37-31. Saturday’s loss moved ETSU’s overall record to 5-4 and 3-2 in SoCon play.
Saturday’s Standouts – As mentioned earlier, the Bucs threw for a single game school record 459 yards. Jaylen King started the game and finished with 192 yards, but Gino English came in the game midway through the third quarter and finished with 267 yards and two touchdowns on a 14-for-19 day through the air.
ETSU’s pass catchers had a banner day with three receivers going over 100 yards. AJ Johnson set new career-highs with 10 catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Ephraim Floyd also hauled in six passes for 112 yards and Hakeem Meggett also went over the century mark receiving with 108 yards on four receptions and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Bucs held Mercer to 292 yards on the day offensively, which was their third-lowest of the season. ETSU totaled four sacks, which is its second-most of the season. Zach West tallied two of the four for his second multi-sack game of the season. Nick Hunter added 1.5 sacks and William McRainey added 0.5 sacks. McRainey also had a team-high with 12 tackles bringing him just four shy of 400 for his collegiate career. Ray Coney also had a career-high 10 tackles in the contest.
Other Notables on the Bucs
· Johnson’s 162 yards were the most by a Buccaneer pass catcher since the program returned in 2015. Johnson and his six receiving touchdowns are tied for the most since the return of the Buccaneer program with Will Huzzie who had six in 2022.
· On the kicking side, Johnson made his first 40-plus yard field goal to get the Bucs within one score late in the game. The 44-yard make matched a career-long by ETSU’s sophomore kicker as he also made a 44-yard kick in last season’s matchup with Mercer.
· Even with the punt block, Nate Brackett had a good day punting for the Bucs. Brackett averaged 45.8 yards a kick with four of the six being downed inside the 20-yard line. Additionally, two of Brackett’s six tries were over 50 yards.
· ETSU’s kick return team also had its best outing of the season with a season-high 149 yards. Khamran Laborn had six of the seven returns for 131 yards with his longest being 33 yards.
· With the record-setting passing day by the Bucs, they averaged 18.4 yards per completion. Overall, ETSU averaged 6.4 per play.
Next Up – The Bucs will return home next Saturday when they host longtime rival Western Carolina in the annual Blue Ridge Border Battle. Kickoff between the Bucs and Catamounts is set for Noon from Bank of Tennessee Field at William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium.
For more information on Buccaneer football, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the football tab.
