# 2021 East Tennessee State Buccaneers football team

The 2021 East Tennessee State Buccaneers football team represented East Tennessee State University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). The Buccaneers were led by fourth-year head coach Randy Sanders and played their home games at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium in Johnson City, Tennessee. On November 20, 2021, the Buccaneers defeated SoCon rival Mercer, clinching the Southern Conference championship. The Buccaneers also finished their regular season with an overall record of 10–1, making only the third time in program history to have won 10 games. They also beat FBS Vanderbilt in a 23-3 blowout win.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 8:00 p.m. | at Vanderbilt* | | Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, TN | ESPN+, SECN+ | W 23–3 | 22,029 |
| September 11 | 7:30 p.m. | Virginia–Wise* | No. 15 | William B. Greene Jr. StadiumJohnson City, TN | ESPN3 | W 45–14 | 9,720 |
| September 18 | 7:30 p.m. | Delaware State* | No. 16 | William B. Greene Jr. StadiumJohnson City, TN | ESPN+ | W 38–6 | 8,015 |
| September 25 | 3:00 p.m. | at Samford | No. 15 | Seibert StadiumHomewood, AL | ESPN+ | W 55–48 $^{OT}$ | 6,753 |
| October 2 | 3:30 p.m. | Wofford | No. 13 | William B. Greene Jr. StadiumJohnson City, TN | ESPN+ | W 27–21 | 10,153 |
| October 9 | 4:30 p.m. | The Citadel | No. 12 | William B. Greene Jr. StadiumJohnson City, TN | ESPN+ | W 48–21 | 9,202 |
| October 16 | 1:30 p.m. | at Chattanooga | No. 10 | Finley StadiumChattanooga, TN | ESPN+ | L 16–21 | 7,838 |
| October 23 | 2:00 p.m. | at Furman | No. 14 | Paladin StadiumGreenville, SC | ESPN+ | W 17–13 | 9,330 |
| November 6 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 18 VMI | No. 14 | William B. Greene Jr. StadiumJohnson City, TN | ESPN+ | W 27–20 | 10,416 |
| November 13 | 2:00 p.m. | at Western Carolina | No. 11 | Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire StadiumCullowhee, NC | ESPN+ | W 56–35 | 10,348 |
| November 20 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 21 Mercer | No. 8 | William B. Greene Jr. StadiumJohnson City, TN | ESPN3 | W 38–35 | 10,594 |
| December 4 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 10 Kennesaw State* | No. 9 | William B. Greene Jr. StadiumJohnson City, TN (NCAA Division I Second Round) | ESPN+ | W 32–31 | 8,453 |
| December 11 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 3 North Dakota State* | No. 9 | FargodomeFargo, ND (NCAA Division I Quarterfinal) | ESPN | L 3–27 | 11,794 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### at Vanderbilt

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buccaneers | 0 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 23 |
| Commodores | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Statistics
| Statistics | ETSU | VAN |
| First downs | 13 | 23 |
| Total yards | 314 | 321 |
| Rushing yards | 179 | 85 |
| Passing yards | 135 | 236 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 32:47 | 27:13 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| East Tennessee State | Passing | Tyler Riddell | 13/22, 135 yards, TD |
| East Tennessee State | Rushing | Quay Holmes | 23 rushes, 149 yards |
| East Tennessee State | Receiving | Will Huzzie | 4 receptions, 62 yards |
| Vanderbilt | Passing | Ken Seals | 20/35, 195 yards, 2 INT |
| Vanderbilt | Rushing | Re'Mahn Davis | 15 rushes, 58 yards |
| Vanderbilt | Receiving | Will Sheppard | 9 receptions, 84 yards |