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Following a three-hour lightning delay, home fans finally got a taste of ETSU football as the Bucs took on Carson Newman for the first time in 50 years.

Loyal fans were rewarded for their patience as the Bucs blanked the Eagles 42-0, holding the CN offense to 204 yards and only eight first downs on the day. The win handed ETSU their first shutout since 2018.

“I thought we handled the adversity well,” ETSU head coach George Quarles said. “We just weren’t sure we were going to get this one in. We had set a time, if we are not out in warmups at this time we were going to cancel it or maybe try to move it to tomorrow, but fortunately we got it in and it was a win we needed. These guys needed something to feel good about.”

Ray Coney, Stephen Scott and Chris Hope all had big days for the Bucs defense, each racking up seven tackles from linebacker and safety respectively. Khalil Anderson pitched in as well, intercepting an Eagle pass in the fourth quarter to help put the game on ice.

Eastern Michigan transfer Baron May stepped up with starter Tyler Riddell sidelined by injury, rushing for a touchdown and throwing for two more.

“It was good. Last week I didn’t play nearly as well as I wanted to, but it was good last week to get my feet wet,” May said. “I felt like the nerves ended up going away and it was really good to be out there again and actually be able to establish a rhythm.”

His go-to guy was Will Huzzie, who caught five passes for 52 yards including an acrobatic one-handed grab in the back of the end zone for six.

“I have just got to thank God,” Huzzie said. “My first few years I didn’t know if I was going to be a key factor on this team because I was on the bench. I actually got my shot at Chattanooga and never looked back ever since. It is all God really.”

Bryson Irby with 52 yards on the ground himself, with his six-yard touchdown carry marking the first of the season for the Bucs after they were shut out by Jacksonville State a week ago.

The special teams unit had themselves a day as well. Senior wideout Einaj Carter returned four punts for 80 yards in the first half, and punter Nate Brackett averaged 50.8 yards per punt, including three that pinned the Eagles inside the 20.

The return crew also came up with a blocked punt for a score in the second quarter, with Teddy Wilson getting home for the block and Coney falling on it in the end zone.

“I thought special teams gave us the lead in the first half, rather it was Einaj with a good return and obviously the blocked punt was huge,” ETSU head coach George Quarles said. “We have been pretty good at blocking punts here the last year-and-a-half or so. I think we blocked three or four last year so it is good to get another one this year.”

Amidst the Eagles’ offensive woes, the defense turned in a solid performance, particularly the D-Line. Jake Cottle and Christian Hicks each turned in eight tackles and a sack.

Quarterback Zane Whitson threw a modest 4-15 for 34 yards, but somehow managed to avoid being sacked the entire game. Many of his incompletions were either drops or throwaways, as the rain impacted the receivers.

The Eagles travel to Gaffney, South Carolina next to take on Limestone in their first conference matchup of the season.

The Bucs travel to Clarksville to face Austin Peay in their final tune-up before conference play begins, where they’ll hope to have Riddell back behind center.

“Hopefully we get him back next week. He couldn’t have played tonight, he was feeling better, but no way he could have thrown,” Quarles said. “We will see. After next week we get an open date before we start conference [play at Samford].”