SPARTANBURG, S.C. – ETSU’s football team finished inside the top 10 nationally in both major FCS polls, ranking No. 7 in the final
AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 Poll of the season and landing at No. 9 in the
Stats Perform FCS Top 25.
Mercer was the first team out of the Stats Perform poll, falling out from the No. 25 slot it occupied at the conclusion of the regular season. The Bears and Chattanooga both received votes in the AFCA poll.
ETSU enjoyed one of the most historic seasons in program history, setting a single-season record for wins with 11 after finishing 11-2. The Bucs (7-1 SoCon) laid claim to their first outright Southern Conference title in program history and their second league championship in four seasons.
The Blue & Gold reached the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs after picking up a thrilling come-from-behind win over Kennesaw State in the second round, 32-31. The Bucs then dropped the quarterfinal matchup to eventual FCS national champion North Dakota State.
Along the way, ETSU set single-season records for most points scored (425), points per game (32.7), total offense (5,319), rushing touchdowns (32) and total touchdowns (53).
The Bucs saw historic individual efforts as well, including from Quay Holmes, who ran for a program-record 1,553 yards and was joined in the 1,000-yard club by fellow back Jacob Saylors, who ran for 1,019 yards – becoming the first ETSU duo in program history to rush for over 1,000 yards in the same season. In addition, the duo accounted for 31 of the team’s 53 touchdowns.
Tyler Riddell posted one of the more pristine seasons at quarterback since the return of football, completing 62.4 percent of his passes and throwing for 2,464 yards and 19 touchdowns. Will Huzzie was a heavy favorite at wideout with 798 receiving yards and five touchdowns, the most receiving yards since the return of football.
On the defensive side, it was the linebacker duo of Donovan Manuel and Jared Folks who paved the way. Manuel finished the season with a career-high 124 tackles, followed by Folks with 94 tackles. The defensive unit finished fifth in turnover margin at +1.00 and eighth in all of FCS football in turnovers gained (25).
Mercer went 7-3 overall and 6-2 in league play, both program-best marks since joining the league in 2014. The Bears’ second-place SoCon finish was also its best in history. Two of Mercer’s losses came at the hands of FBS No. 1 Alabama and a top-10 ETSU squad to close the regular season in a game that decided the SoCon title.
Chattanooga finished 6-5 overall and 5-3 in SoCon play. The Mocs handed then-No. 10 ETSU its lone SoCon loss of the season.
AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 Poll
Rank, School (1st votes) Rec. Pts. Prev.
1. North Dakota State (24) 14-1 600 3
2. Montana State 12-3 571 9
3. James Madison 12-2 548 2
4. Sam Houston 11-1 520 1
5. South Dakota State 11-4 471 11
6. Montana 10-3 470 5
7. ETSU 11-2 438 8
8. Villanova 10-3 435 7
9. Eastern Washington 10-3 416 6
10. Kennesaw State 11-2 399 4
11. Sacramento State 9-3 358 12
12. UT Martin 10-3 307 13
13. UIW 10-3 297 15
14. Missouri State 8-4 276 10
15. Southeastern Louisiana 9-4 248 17
16. UC Davis 8-4 205 16
17. Southern Illinois 8-5 203 23
18. Stephen F. Austin 8-4 188 19
19. Jackson State 11-2 136 14
20. South Dakota 7-5 133 20t
21. Princeton 9-1 130 18
22. Holy Cross 10-3 117 24
23. Dartmouth 9-1 89 20t
24. Florida A&M 9-3 88 22
25. Northern Iowa 6-6 62 25
Others receiving votes: Davidson, 20; Sacred Heart, 18; South Carolina State, 17; Eastern Kentucky, 13;
Mercer, 9; Monmouth (N.J.), 6;
Chattanooga, 5; Harvard, 4; Columbia, 1; Elon, 1; Rhode Island, 1.
Stats Perform FCS Top 25
Rank, School (1st votes) Rec. Pts. Prev.
1. North Dakota State (50) 14-1 1,250 3
2. Montana State 12-3 1,173 7
3. James Madison 12-2 1,165 2
4. South Dakota State 11-4 1,051 11
5. Sam Houston 11-1 1,046 1
6. Montana 10-3 1,008 5
7. Eastern Washington 10-3 924 4
8. Villanova 10-3 919 6
9. ETSU 11-2 879 9
10. Sacramento State 9-3 745 8
11. Kennesaw State 11-2 740 10
12. UIW 10-3 682 13
13. UT Martin 10-3 654 16
14. Missouri State 8-4 531 12
15. Southeastern Louisiana 9-4 522 18
16. Southern Illinois 8-5 504 21
17. UC Davis 8-4 439 14
18. South Dakota 7-5 326 17
19. Holy Cross 10-3 319 24
20. Dartmouth 9-1 218 19
21. Stephen F. Austin 8-4 268 20
22. Jackson State 11-2 259 15
23. Northern Iowa 6-6 132 NR
24. Princeton 9-1 116 23
25. Florida A&M 9-3 114 22
Others receiving votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Mercer (7-3, 6-2 Southern) 76, South Carolina State (7-5, 5-0 MEAC) 35, Rhode Island (7-4, 4-4 CAA) 23, Sacred Heart (8-4, 6-1 Northeast) 23, Eastern Kentucky (7-4, 4-2 AQ7) 15, Davidson (8-3, 7-1 Pioneer) 12, Harvard (8-2, 5-2 Ivy) 8