JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – On Saturday afternoon, the Wofford College football team was defeated 14-10 by East Tennessee State University at William B. Greene Stadium. The Bucs scored touchdowns on their first two drives and had a 14-10 lead at the half. The Terriers' defense held ETSU scoreless in the second half, but the most promising scoring drive for the Wofford offense ended with a fumble inside the ten-yard line.
 
Wofford is 2-6 and 1-3 in the Southern Conference, while ETSU is 4-5 overall and 2-3 in the league. J.T. Fayard was 22-of-29 passing for 145 yards, while Gerald Modest (80 yards) and Ihson Jackson-Anderson (70 yards) led the rushing attack. ETSU quarterbacks Jake McNamara (14-of-18) and Cade McNamara (12-of-13) combined for 200 passing yards. Devontae Houston scored two rushing touchdowns.
 
"We had opportunities to win, but we didn't play well enough to win," said coach Shawn Watson. "You know, we had a turnover, and we had penalties. I don't think we have played a game where we had that many penalties, so that was disappointing. We certainly had our opportunities. The defense did a nice job, and they were able to put the brakes on their run game. We've got to coach better and do better."
 
The Terriers had the ball first but went three-and-out and punted. On the opening drive for the Bucs, they had two passing first downs before Devontae Houston ran 28 yards for a touchdown with 10:54 on the clock. With the ball back, Wofford had two first downs and two penalties to move inside the red zone.  Colby Alexander had a 17-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7 with 7:59 left in the first quarter. The Bucs had five first downs and Houston added a second rushing touchdown to take a 14-7 lead with 3:32 remaining in the opening quarter. After Wofford went three-and-out and punted, ETSU had one first down and punted.
 
On the first play of the ensuing drive, Ihson Jackson-Anderson ran 43 yards for a first down. Gerald Modest added a 35-yard run for a first down to move inside the 5-yard line. Back-to-back penalties pushed the Terriers back and a Sam Spence field goal from 34 yards cut the lead to 14-10 with 8:34 on the clock in the second quarter. The Bucs had a first down and then converted a fourth-and-four for a first down. A sack by Wyatt Ward and two tackles for loss forced a punt. Wofford had one first down and punted, with ETSU getting the ball back with 1:42 left in the half. The Terrier defense forced a three-and-out and the offense was able to run one play before the half ended.
 
To open the second half, the Bucs had three first downs before having to punt. Wofford began their next drive from the two-yard line. A facemask penalty gave the Terriers a first down, and two more first downs moved the team to midfield before punting. The Bucs began at the six-yard line and went three-and-out, with Wofford taking over at the 50. Facing a fourth-and-three, a run by Gerald Modest picked up the first down. However, the drive stalled and the Terriers punted. The Bucs had three first downs to move across midfield before having to punt with 13:18 on the clock in the fourth quarter. Wofford's J.T. Fayard completed a 35-yard pass to Isaiah Scott and then Gerald Modest added a rushing first down. Ihson Jackson-Anderson had a gain of 22 yards, but a fumble was forced at the end of the play with the ball recovered by the Bucs. After a first down, they had a fourth-and-two with the run stopped by the Terriers.
 
Wofford took over at the 45-yard line with 5:42 left in the fourth quarter. After a first down, a holding penalty and a sack forced the Terriers to punt. The Bucs began at the two-yard line and on third down had a 25-yard completion for a first down on the first play after the two-minute timeout. ETSU was able to run out the clock to secure the win.
 
Wofford had 302 total yards on offense, with 145 passing yards and 157 rushing yards. ETSU had 323 total yards, with 200 of those passing yards. Wofford had 16 first downs to 19 for the Bucs. Wofford was 5-of-13 on third down and 1-of-1 on fourth down. ETSU was 5-of-14 on third down and 1-of-2 on fourth down. Wofford had a season-high 13 penalties for 130 yards, also a season high, while ETSU had eight penalties for 100 yards. ETSU had a 30:47 to 29:13 time of possession advantage.
 
Wofford vs. ETSU Post-Game Notes
This was the 33^rd meeting of the two teams. With the win, ETSU has a 17-16 lead in the series, as they have won three straight games.
 
The Wofford defense was led by Maximus Pulley with 12 tackles, while Jalen Rambert added 11 tackles. The team combined for nine tackles for loss.
 
Game captains were Quincy Hughes, Seth Foster, Brandon Maina, and Maximus Pulley.
 
Attendance at Greene Stadium was 9,836.   
 
Wofford will be back home on Saturday, November 1, when the Terriers host Samford at 1:30 p.m. as part of Family Weekend.