Bucs to play six games inside their new on-campus stadium next season

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Dec. 19, 2016) – After unveiling its opponent for the 2017 season opener last month, East Tennessee State University football head coach Carl Torbush and his staff announced Monday the Buccaneers’ full schedule, which features six games inside their new on-campus stadium.

The Bucs, who returned to the Southern Conference in 2016, ended the season with back-to-back wins, including a 15-14 victory over No. 18 and eventual playoff bound Samford in the season finale. ETSU’s season was also highlighted with a road win at Kennesaw State and a victory over Western Carolina in front of a program-record 13,863 fans at Bristol Motor Speedway. Overall, the Bucs went from posting two wins in year one to finishing with five wins in 2016.

“We are pleased to announce our 2017 schedule, which is one that will be another strong test for our program,” said Torbush. “This schedule features five teams that appeared in the FCS Playoff this year, and we are excited to host six games inside our new stadium – including our season opener on Sept. 2.”

SEASON OPENER

ETSU opens the season in its new home against Limestone on Saturday, Sept. 2. The game will be under the lights as kickoff for the historic game is set for 7 p.m. Like the Bucs, Limestone is also a start-up program, as the Saints played their first season in 2014.

SOCON HOME GAMES

Limestone is the first of six home games for the Blue and Gold in 2017. ETSU opens its Southern Conference portion of the schedule with back-to-back home games against reigning conference champion The Citadel (Sept. 16) and Mercer (Sept. 23). The Bucs also enjoy consecutive home SoCon games against Wofford (Oct. 28) and VMI (Nov. 4).

COLONIALS COME TO TOWN FOR HOMECOMING

ETSU turns to a 2015 foe for Homecoming Weekend as Robert Morris makes the return trip to Johnson City on Saturday, Oct. 7. The Bucs traveled to Pittsburgh in their inaugural season two years ago.

PLAYOFF PUSH

Overall, ETSU takes on five teams who made appearances in the 2016 Football Championship Subdivision Playoff, beginning with its first road game of the campaign against CAA champion James Madison on Sept. 9. The Dukes – who earned the No. 4 national seed in this year’s playoff – play Youngstown State in the FCS Championship game on Saturday, Jan. 7. In addition to JMU, The Citadel, Wofford, Samford and Chattanooga all earned spots in the FCS Playoff.

REMAINING ROAD GAMES

The Bucs’ remaining road games all come in conference play as ETSU travels to Furman (Sept. 30) and Western Carolina (Oct. 14), before ending the season with back-to-back games at Samford (Nov. 11) and Chattanooga (Nov. 18).

OPEN DATE

ETSU’s open date comes in week eight (Oct. 21), which is sandwiched between a road game at Western Carolina and a home showdown with Wofford.

TICKET INFORMATION

For ticket information regarding the upcoming 2017 season, please visit ETSUBucs.com or call (423) 439-3878.

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