Virginia-Wise’s defense dominated from the start, the offense took advantage of its opportunities and the Cavaliers won their second straight game.
Four field goals by JJ Jerman plus two interceptions by Tyree Robinson added up to the sixth win of the season for ETSU, a 26-23 victory over The Citadel on Saturday.
The view from the top is nice, but East Tennessee State will have to fight hard over the next few weeks to remain on its lofty perch in the Southern Conference football standings.
The term run-heavy certainly applies when it comes to The Citadel football offense. Through four games, the Bulldogs have 255 rushing attempts to just 47 passes.
Freshman defensive back Trevon Flowers underwent surgery and will miss a few weeks after suffering a broken collarbone diving for an interception during practice.
Dexter Williams ran for three touchdowns, including a 97-yarder, and No. 6 Notre Dame beat No. 24 Virginia Tech 45-23 on Saturday night.
Hjavier Pitts ran for 204 yards and two touchdowns in Thomas More’s 41-27 victory over Emory & Henry on Saturday at Fred Selfe Stadium.
The Bucs’ next chance to learn — and to win — comes Saturday when Gardner-Webb invades Greene Stadium for the homecoming game. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.
With the panel mostly in sync this week, just four games threaten to shift the rankings. But it could be a big shift as leader Tanner Cook and second-place Jeff Birchfield are on opposite sides of all four picks.
The roles are reversed since Gardner-Webb and East Tennessee State last faced each other on the football field.
ETSU has won three games in a row and, at 3-0 in the Southern Conference, is alone in first place, half a game ahead of Wofford.
A quarterback change and a solid defensive performance were just what the East Tennessee State football team needed to remain in first place in the Southern Conference.
Ryan Willis threw for 332 yards and a career-best three touchdowns in his first start for Virginia Tech, helping the Hokies upset No. 22 Duke 31-14 on Saturday night.
Virginia-Wise went into Saturday’s homecoming contest allowing opponents 280.5 yards per game then saw Fairmont State put up 516 yards in a 24-6 MEC win at Carl Smith Stadium.
D'Andre Swift ran for two touchdowns, including a late 14-yarder to ice the game, and No. 2 Georgia used dominant defense to overcome a sluggish offensive start in a 38-12 win over Tennessee on Saturday.
