ETSU football team looking ahead to Samford

Some losses hurt more than others. That was the case for the No. 19-ranked East Tennessee State football team after Tennessee Tech beat them 24-17 in a battle of Southern Conference leaders last Saturday. Defensive end Charles Woodard was one who took the loss personally, but he also knew the Bucs (6-3) had to get back on track before hosting Samford (3-6) this Saturday 1:30 p.m. at Greene Stadium. "We have a saying with our team. It's so what, now what," Woodard said at Monday's media availability. "That game hurt and we want to get it back. We can't dwell in the past. We have three games against three good teams. We have to give them our full attention to finish up this regular season good." Junior running back Jason Albritton, tied for the Southern Conference lead with nine rushing touchdowns, was also looking ahead more than looking back. The Bucs still have goals to achieve and would win at least a share of the SoCon title if they win the rest of their games. "All the stuff we've worked for this entire year means nothing if we don't attack these three weeks as hard as possible," Albritton said. "That was a tough loss, but Sunday for us, we watched film on it. We've got to improve, attack the rest of the week and Saturday will be big for us." Albritton made the decision to transfer to ETSU from Ole Miss in 2025. The powerful running back ended with 518 rushing yards and eight touchdowns last season. He's already surpassed the touchdowns and is on pace to end up around the same yards, now at 357, despite sharing carries with T.J. Peyton and Jaiden Daniels. He talked about how his move to Johnson City has been a good fit. He saw the type of culture that coach Will Healy was building a year when players remained focused although things hadn't gone well for the Bucs. "I have been validated in my reasons for coming here," Albritton said. "It's been awesome to be around a group of guys who want to attack it. Last year, we were tested and were 3-5 at one point with a four-game stretch of good opponents left. You could see how they still wanted it. I've been on teams before where guys had their minds on what's going on in January." His goal is to elongate the year, which would obviously mean a FCS playoff run. Albritton added that's also a goal of his teammates like Woodard, who played his first two seasons at Northwest Mississippi Community College. "There are so many guys on this team that want to keep playing football as long as they physically can," Albritton said. "How much they can will be determined in how much they work hard." To get past the Bulldogs, the Bucs hope to continue their rushing attack which had over 200 yards in the game against Tennessee Tech. Quarterback Mason Mims struggled in the loss, but still is at 68.8 completion rate for the season. He didn't throw an interception for a third straight game, while his three interceptions on the season rank the Bucs third in the FCS. As for Samford, the Bulldogs have been more of a passing team with quarterback Gabarri Johnson throwing for 1,584 yards and eight touchdowns. Woodard is expected to play a key role. He ranks fourth on the team with 34 tackles and is the team leader with seven quarterback hurries and 2.5 sacks. Both Woodard and Albritton have taken Healy's words to heart that the next game is the biggest. "Their record might not reflect it, but this is as an important game as any this year," Albritton said. "We will be in there for a dogfight, and we'll be ready for it."