ETSU blanks VMI for first road shutout since 2001

LEXINGTON, Va. — East Tennessee State maintained its grip on the Southern Conference lead with a 38-0 shutout win at Virginia Military Institute on Saturday afternoon. The No. 18-ranked Bucs dominated in all phases of the game. They again featured a balanced offense with a season-high 263 rushing yards, 210 passing yards and 32 first downs. On defense, they held the Keydets to just 13 passing yards, 143 yards of total offense and six first downs. Special teams helped preserve the shutout by blocking a field goal attempt with three minutes left in the game. It was the ETSU program's first shutout since a 26-0 win over Charleston Southern in 2001. ETSU improved to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the conference with their fifth straight win. It was the Bucs' eighth straight SoCon victory dating back to last season. VMI fell to 0-8 overall and 0-4 in league play. "I'm proud of the defense pitching a shutout," ETSU coach Will Healy said on the Buc Sports Network. "It is very, very hard to have a goose egg on the scoreboard at the end of 60 minutes of football. I thought our defense gave up one explosive play on a quarterback scramble in the fourth quarter. It was a really gutsy and impressive performance." Quarterback Mason Mims continued to be one of the nation's leaders in passing efficiency. He completed 22-of-25 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns behind Micah Sumpter, making his first start at center. Wide receiver Suderian Harrison, a former high school quarterback, even went 2-for-2 passing with a 13-yard touchdown throw to Tyler Griffin in the fourth quarter. "Sudi has a good arm. That was a big play in the football game," Healy said. "We've got to push the ball down the field more. Everybody is making us be patient and drive the length of the field. That's hard, but our wideouts are really good players. We were able to push it more than the last couple of weeks." TJ Peyton led the Bucs' rushing attack with 121 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Jaiden Daniels added 66 yards on just eight rushes, and Jason Albritton had 41 yards and a touchdown. Griffin was the leading receiver with seven catches for 56 yards and two touchdowns. Brandon Winton had four receptions for 44 yards, and tight end Charlie Browder had three catches for 29 yards. Dre Delinois led the Bucs defensively with six tackles. Jeremiah Curry was second with five tackles. VMI punter Ben Shrewsbury, a former Daniel Boone High School standout, had eight punts for a 49.1 yard average. He had long punt of 58 yards. SCORING SUMMARY Mims found a wide-open Khristen Means over the middle for a 19-yard touchdown in the first quarter. It was the first career touchdown for the junior tight end. Harrison's pass down the field to Brandon Winton set up a 37-yard field goal for Ewan Johnson and a two-possession lead. Mims found Griffin open for a 23-yard touchdown pass and a 17-0 halftime lead. Peyton led ETSU down the field and Albritton capped it off on the Bucs' first possession of the second half. Albritton powered up the middle for a 7-yard touchdown, his team-best eighth TD of the season. Harrison's throw down the middle to Griffin put the Bucs firmly in command. Peyton put a lid on the day's scoring with a 28-yard touchdown run. Although dominant, Healy feels the Bucs still haven't had their best game. "This is a group where we just have to keep getting better," Healy said. "We still haven't played our best football, but to come on the road and get that big win is a big deal. We don't take it for granted." NEXT UP After two straight road games against military schools with a bye week in between, the Bucs return home to host Tennessee Tech in a battle for the SoCon lead next Saturday. VMI travels to Chattanooga in search of its first win of the season. ETSU 38, VMI 0 ETSU 7 10 7 14 — 38 VMI 0 0 0 0 — 0 First quarter ETSU — Khristian Means 19-pass from Mason Mims (Ewan Johnson kick), 1:19 Second quarter ETSU — Johnson 37-FG, 6:49 ETSU — Tyler Griffin 23-pass from Mims (Johnson kick), 2:29 Third quarter ETSU — Jason Albritton 7-run (Johnson kick), 7:09 Fourth quarter ETSU — Griffin 13-pass from Suderian Harrison (Johnson kick), 12:43 ETSU — T.J. Peyton 28-run (Ethan Lane kick), 6:10 RUSHING — ETSU: T.J. Peyton 15-121, Jaiden Daniels 8-66, Jason Albritton 8-41. VMI: JoJo Crump 5-54. PASSING — ETSU: Mason Mims 22-25-0 173, Suderian Harrison 2-2-0 33, Jadyn Davis 2-6-0 4. VMI: Ian Reynolds 2-5-0 13. RECEIVING — ETSU: Tyler Griffin 7-56, Brandon Winton 4-44, Charlie Browder 3-29. VMI: Traveion Slaughter 1-12. Records: ETSU 6-2 (4-0), VMI 0-8 (0-4).