ETSU earns first win of season with 48-14 victory over Tusculum
· Yahoo Sports
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — ETSU football picked up its first win of the 2026 season Saturday, defeating Tusculum 48-14.
The matchup renewed a series that had been dormant for more than 75 years and also marked the return of former ETSU coaches Billy Taylor and Teddy Gaines, who came back to Johnson City on the Tusculum sideline.
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The Buccaneers (1-1) finished with 484 yards of total offense. Quarterback Mason Mims racked up 242 passing yards and three touchdowns. Suderian Harrison led the receiving corps with 71 yards and a touchdown on three catches. TJ Peyton led ETSU's rushing attack with a career-high 121 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries.
Despite facing his former program, Coach Taylor and the Pioneers earned plenty of praise from ETSU head coach Will Healy following the win.
"It's hard to find guys who care about ETSU as much as Billy Taylor does," Healy said. "Got a ton of respect for him and his football team. I thought they played extremely hard. I wish them nothing but the best of luck the rest of the year. I will be pulling for them. I will do any and everything I can to help Tusculum and Billy Taylor and I am proud that he is a former Buc."
ETSU will hit the road for the first time this season next Saturday when it travels to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
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