ETSU rolls past Tusculum for first win of season

JOHNSON CITY — East Tennessee State turned on the jets in the second half to defeat Tusculum on Saturday evening. The Bucs led by six points late in the second quarter, but scored a touchdown right before the half and two more in the third quarter and routed the NCAA Division II Pioneers 48-14 at Greene Stadium. Quarterback Mason Mims finished 13-of-21 passing for 242 yards and three touchdowns. He hit Virginia transfer Suderian Harrison for a 55-yard passing touchdown just 39 seconds in the game, but went just 6-for-14 in the first half with some drops by the receivers. "I'm proud of our guys the way they hung in there and got the win. Obviously, we have some things we need to fix," ETSU coach Will Healy said. "Mason felt like he had to throw the ball through the hoop every single time, and our wideouts weren't really helping him. We were a little off-kilter, but we settled down in the second half." T.J. Peyton rushed for 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 11 carries. He finished just shy of 200 all-purpose yards, thanks to two kick returns for 76 yards. It was his first career 100-yard rushing game after he played sparingly at Georgia State. "When I had a chance to recruit T.J., I felt he was like an Ashton Jenty type," Healy said. "If you showcased him and gave him the ball as many times as Ashton at Boise State, he could be that type of player. I thought he was special the first time I saw him. He runs the ball hard, has balance and can catch the ball out of the backfield. He created some explosive runs." In addition, Jaiden Daniels rushed for a career-high 56 yards on seven carries, while Jason Albritton and D'Marius Rucker each had touchdown runs. Harrison led the receiving corps with three catches for 71 yards. Tyler Griffin had three for 50 yards and Brandon Winton finished with two catches for 52 yards. FIRST HALF SCORING After the early quick strike, the Bucs (1-1) struggled for a while afterwards as Tusculum (1-1) tied the game on an 8-play, 60-yard drive capped off by Cam Ferguson's 1-yard rush. ETSU quickly responded with Peyton's 41-yard touchdown run down the left sideline. The Bucs missed on a 2-point conversion and led just 13-7 at the end of one quarter. The Bucs finally made it a two-possession game with a 55-yard drive that took just 1:37 off the clock. Peyton scored his second touchdown, a 1-yard run with 1:26 left in the half. SECOND HALF SURGE Mims completed all five of his passes in the third quarter. It included a 45-yard touchdown to Brandon Winton in the left corner of the end zone. Tight end Charlie Browder was later the recipient of a wide-open pass down the middle of the field. He raced untouched for a 31-yard touchdown and a 34-7 ETSU lead. The freshman quarterback took the blame for the passes his receivers didn't come up with in the first half. "I wouldn't say they were drops. I'd say they were on me," Mims said. "I have to do a better job executing and putting the ball out front where it makes it easier on them. We just had to flush the first half and put it behind us. We know we're better than that." Tusculum, coached by former longtime ETSU defensive coordinator Billy Taylor, was stopped at the Bucs 15 on fourth down in the fourth quarter, ETSU went on a 9-play, 85-yard drive. Lined up in the I-formation, Albritton powered in from a yard out for the touchdown. Lavante Adams gave the Pioneers a late-game highlight with a 57-yard scramble for a touchdown. Rucker had a 10-yard touchdown run with 22 seconds left to close out the scoring for ETSU and the game. O-LINE AND DEFENSE Behind its offensive line which has only given up one sack this season, the Bucs had a balanced attack of 259 passing yards and 225 rushing yards for 484 yards of total offense. "When I look at our offensive line, Sam Browder and Josh Benson are only going to get better," Healy said. "Micah (Stumper) played last year on a (bad) labrum, now he's starting. Will (McCraw) and Frank (West) are now coming back from injuries. Those guys will just get better." On the defensive side, Dre Delinois had a team-leading 11 tackles, his second straight game with double-digit stops. Jarvis Johnson finished with eight tackles, while Charles Woodard and Qua Birdsong each had five apiece. Johnson talked about the Bucs stepping up to the challenge against Tusculum's triple-option offense. "It was very challenging. Against that, you have to be very disciplined," Johnson said. "This week, it was like you have to keep your eye on what you're keying on."