Welcome to the press box at William B. Greene Stadium. We’re here and getting ready for the ETSU 2026 season opener against Campbell.
Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m.
That’ll do it
Mims finds Charlie Browder on a completion to the 15, a hit by the Campbell defender dislodges the ball, and the Camels recover with 34 seconds left. Campbell is going to win, 49-37.
Check I-81 Sports tonight and tomorrow for reaction and comments.
Crunch time
Mims with a fourth down completion to keep the game alive and cross the 50. Two quick passes to Jaiden Daniels, who runs out of bounds each time. There’s 1:01 to go now, from the Campbell 32, and ETSU must score twice.
Campbell 49, ETSU 37
That’s the score with 1:53 in the game, and discourse quickly pivots to William & Mary coming back from down 13 with less than two minutes left to beat Villanova last night.
Are the Bucs up for a similar feat? Stay tuned.
A killer from Sixkiller
After shredding ETSU with his arm all day, Sixkiller with a backbreaker on the ground. Facing a third-and-short near midfield, Sixkiller keeps on the counter and busts off a 41-yard run, giving Campbell a first down at the Bucs’ 19-yard-line.
Campbell runs the clock down to the two-minute warning, then Sixkiller takes it on a designed bootleg and runs it in for the score.
Sixkiller now has 343 yards through the air on 29 of 42 passing with two touchdowns, and 95 yards and two TDs on the ground. That’s 438 yards single-handed, with four scores.
Touchdown ETSU
What a play by Brandon Winton. He fights off heavy pressure and makes a catch against the boundary, somehow staying inbounds, and hauls it in from 6 yards from Mims. ETSU goes for the traditional PAT this time, hits it, and now it’s a 42-37 game with 5:34 remaining.
What a wild, woolly game with lots of offense and some really bad defense. As we set for the kickoff, Healy is speaking to the officiating crew yet again.
Big-play Bucs
ETSU keeps making some big plays on offense. An impressive leaping catch by Brandon Winton at the end of a curl route, then TJ Peyton churns for another 12 yards to get back-to-back first downs. Peyton fumbled on the next play but Isaiah Hall, who previously played from Campbell, falls on the ball. Then the Bucs bust out a flea flicker! Mims gets the ball and chucks it to Charlie Browder, and ETSU has a first down inside the red zone.
Bucs get it back
Campbell punted, with a ton of pressure, ETSU gets the ball back, and Mims is still at QB. A quick first down for the Bucs as the total combined offense in the game reaches 838 yards.
QB change?
As we wait this fourth down, Jaydyn Davis is warming up on the ETSU sideline.
Three. And. Out.
An incompletion, a short run, and a dropped pass set up a fourth down for the Camels in their own territory. Campbell OL Zy-Terrio Lee is shaken up on the play. Will the Camels go for it, or punt? They’re surely gonna punt, right? Right?!?
Pivotal possession
Ewen Johnson hammers the dog-snot out of the ensuing kickoff for the touchback. Now, can ETSU actually stop Campbell and get the ball back?
Somebody’s clooooser
What a wild drive for ETSU. After back-to-back holding calls, the Bucs convert a third-and-long when Mims heaves it deep to Tyler Griffin to reap 32 yards for the first-and-goal. D’Marius Rucker chugs in from 4 yards out, but the trickery on the conversion play collapses.
It’s 42-30 Campbell now, with 10:34 left in the game.
One step forward, two steps back
This drive by the Bucs has embodied the Jekyll-and-Hyde kind of day for this team. A spectacular leaping grab downfield by Charlie Browder has woken up this crowd and given the Bucs a sign of life. ETSU has it first-and-10 at the Campbell 44, after gaining 21 on that play.
The Bucs had to convert a third-and-5, and Mims ran for it, sliding for the first down, but a holding flag moved the Bucs back to a 3rd-and-11. ETSU ultimately went for it on fourth and down from the 44, throwing deep to Trey Weary. Looked like Weary was out of bounds, or maybe he got forced out of bounds. Either way, tons of contacts and ETSU draws a pass interference call.
Then the Bucs bust out a reverse that would have set them up with a first down inside the red zone, but a holding call forces ETSU back again. Mims throws it deep and finds Weary for an apparent touchdown, but another hold negates the play.
Sheesh.
A huge mistake for Mims
Catastrophic sequence of events for ETSU. On the opening play of the drive, Campbell hit Mims as he dropped back to throw. The ball hit the deck, got ruled a fumble, and the Camels’ Cam Garza scooped the ball and returned it to the ETSU 1-yard line. It looked like a forward pass from the box, but the play was reviewed and upheld.
Campbell punched it in from 1 yard out on the very next play on a dive by Devon Thomas, and now the Camels lead 42-24 with 14:16 remaining in the game.
The Bucs look kind of cooked, folks.
Third quarter in the books
Will Healy had an extended conversation with the referee Brian Hilpisch and a couple members of the officiating crew during the break between quarters.
The ridiculous offense continues. Campbell currently has ETSU outgained by exactly 100 yards (429-329). Sixkiller is 27 of 38 for 321 yards with the two touchdowns. Mims is 17 of 21 for the game but went just 1-for-5 in the third.
Campbell 35, ETSU 24
The Bucs are in trouble. Campbell RB Devon Thomas rumbles 2 yards for a TD up the gut, and the PAT means ETSU must score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and hold Campbell, to come back and win this game. The defense actually stopping Campbell sounds like the bigger challenge at this point.
That was a six-play, 65-yard drive by Campbell, by the way.
Sixkiller shows out
Kamden Sixkiller keeps slinging it for Campbell. He just completed a 20-yard pass to Jyron Walters on third down and heaved it 29 yards to Aaryn Tate on the very next play to set up a first-and-10 inside the red zone. The Bucs finally got to Sixkiller on the ensuing play, but drew a facemask so the Camels now have a first-and-goal with 57 ticks left in the third.
So maybe that’s why Campbell doesn’t kick much
A 39-yard field goal try by Alex Crabb misses the mark. And the Bucs get the ball back at their own 22, still down four, with 5:36 showing in the third quarter. As an aside, the print media section of the press box is right next to the Campbell coaches’ box and they were… substantially displeased with the way that drive ended for the Camels.
Can’t stop them
For the third time today, Campbell has converted a fourth down on the Bucs. This one was a fourth-and-4 from the ETSU 28. Rather than try a field goal, Campbell went for it, and completed an 8-yard pass on an out route to move the sticks. Another completion by Sixkiller on the ensuing play from the Bucs’ 20, but flags are flying. It’s a hold on Campbell, so back to the 30 they go.
On the move again
Campbell is sustaining yet another drive, advancing to the ETSU 28-yard-line but there’s a pause in the action as Camels RB Ethan Lawrence was shaken up on the play. It’s still 28-24 Campbell with 8:06 to go in the third.
Stopped short
Not a great start to the second half for the Bucs, who came out in a hurry-up offense, advanced the ball past the 50, and then stalled. An inside run on fourth-and-1 got stopped shy of the marker after a measurement, and now Campbell has the ball back and a four-point lead as we approach the 11-minute mark of the third quarter.
Halftime stats and thoughts
If you like offense this is the place to be. 609 total yards in the first half: 327 for Campbell and 282 for the Bucs.
Kamden Sixkiller has been impressive at QB for the Camels, completing 20 of 28 passes for 243 yards and two scores. Evan Austin has been the top target with three catches for 85 yards including the wider-than-wide-open TD that put Campbell on the board to open the game.
Six killer also ran it six times for 29 net yards.
Mason Mims has done well enough in his first career start, completing 12 of 16 throws for 184 yards and a score. Suderian Harrison, Trey Weary, and Brandon Winton had four catches a piece.
Campbell has converted two of four fourth downs, and a few third and longs, which really drew Will Healy‘s ire late in the half.
No sacks yet, either, so we’ll see if someone can actually put some pressure on the quarterback. Stay tuned.
Halftime: Campbell 28, ETSU 24
A 44-yard field goal by Ewen Johnson as time expires makes it a four-point game.
Charlie Browder got his first catch of the season on the ensuing drive, moving the chains and putting ETSU with a first-and-10 at the Campbell 34 with nine seconds to go.
During his interview on the ETSU radio broadcast going into the locker room, Will Healy calls out some “dumb” mistakes at the back end of the defense. “We’ ve got to figure some things out on defense or it’s gonna be a long frickin’ year.”
Campbell 28, ETSU 21
Sixkiller didn’t need much time to respond. He completed all five passes on the ensuing drive as Campbell went 63 yards in six plays. On the TD, an 11-yard strike to Jon Gullette, the ETSU safety jumped trying to make a hit or maybe intercept the ball, but mistimed his play. That left Gullette an easy target.
Campbell leads with 25 seconds left in the half.
Close but no cigar
In a game that’s been full of big plays, ETSU is going for short passes and runs, looking to extend possession and score the go-ahead touchdown leaving Campbell with little to no time left to answer. ETSU will get the ball to open the second half, by the way.
As we hit the two-minute timeout, this drive has taken up four-plus minutes, with two third-down conversions. ETSU has a third-and-long at the Campbell 38, which is probably in the dodgy territory on whether to kick a field goal or go for it.
The Bucs did attempt it, a 53 yarder by Ewen Johnson. It was on target but didn’t quite have the distance.
Campbell gets the ball back with 1:48 to go from its own 36.
And the worm turns
Well, that lead didn’t last long. Campbell marched right back down the field, with Sixkiller running in a 5-yard option for the score. The PAT helps Campbell level the score at 21-all.
Another big play from Campbell to Austin on that drive, this time a 50-yard pass play that immediately preceded the scoring scoot from Six killer (try and say that five times fast …)
We’re now at 463 total yards of offense (263 for Campbell, 200 for ETSU), with 6:20 still to go in the half.
ETSU 21, Campbell 14
The Bucs have their first lead of the season. TJ Peyton ran it on a 3-yard toss sweep and the PAT staked ETSU to a 21-14 advantage with 10:25 showing in the second quarter.
At the end of the first quarter, Campbell had run 28 offensive plays to seven for ETSU, and had a 186-82 advantage in total yardage. After that drive? Campbell still has a big cushion in total plays, 31-15, but the Bucs now have outgained the Camels 200-188.
Sophomore RB Jaiden Daniels, who didn’t even show up on the pregame two deep, had two nice runs for 33 yards on that drive.
Three and out
ETSU forced a three-and-out of Campbell for the first time today. Pivotal defense on a deep ball from Sixkiller down the ETSU sideline by Bucs freshman DB Tamajh Mitchell. Also, Jivon Oggs, who got shaken up earlier in the game, is back out there in the defensive backfield for ETSU.
ETSU strikes quickly in second
All the Bucs did to start the second quarter was gain 76 yards on three plays in 1:11 and tie the game on a 6-yard run to the outside by Jason Albritton. Mims’ showed his arm, completing a quick strike to Harrison that reaped 24 yards, then heaving it 46 yards down field to a leaping Xavier Gaillardetz to set up a first-and-goal.
It’s 14-14 with 13:49 showing in the half.
Campbell answers
If you like offense, this first quarter has been for you. Campbell answers and takes a 14-7 lead with 31 seconds to go in the frame. The Camels went on a 12-play, 75-yard drive that took 6:01 off the clock. Ethan Lawrence ran it in 3 yards for the score.
Sixkiller has been having a fantastic game at QB, completing 11 of 17 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown with a 143.9 QB rating.
Wrecking Ball
Keep an eye on Mason Ball because the Elizabethton native is giving Campbell problems with his interior pass rush. Ball essentially got triple tackled in what was a holding call for Campbell on the Camels’ second possession and continues to give the offensive line problems blocking him. He just busted out a nice spin move on this drive, but Campbell moved the sticks a couple of snaps later on another nice throw by Sixkiller. Campbell driving again, has a second-and-5 from the ETSU 9 as we pass the two-minute mark in the first quarter.
Bucs strike back
ETSU is on the board. First points of the season come on an 18-yard strike from Mims to Trey Weary. Mims lofted a fine pass to the corner of the end zone where only Mims could get it. The big play came on the prior snap, when Mims found Suderian Harrison on a slant and the Virginia transfer raced 55 yards before being forced out of bounds on his own sideline. Healy was running almost step for step on the tail end of the play and congratulated his player after the fact.
The TD, which with the PAT tied the game at 7-7, came after two near-misses by Campbell on the Camels’ second possession. Sixkiller went right for the end zone on the opening play, with Mike Jenkins breaking the pass. Campbell advanced into the ETSU red zone, and had a fourth-and-3 from the 19. Sixkiller dropped back, evaded the pressure and what looked like a sure sack from Ayden Guess, heaved it into the end zone on a leaping throw, and the ball bounced out of the hands of Campbell 5th Year wideout Keynan Richardson-Cook.
Grand opening? Grand closing
ETSU’s first offensive drive of the 2026 season did not last long. The Bucs went three and out. Mason Mims‘ first collegiate pass got tipped, and nearly picked off. Then a quick dump-off pass perhaps got fumbled before a quick strike from Mims to Brandon Winton got dropped.
ETSU’s Luke Stewart had a nice 45-yard punt, but Campbell return man Jyron Waiters negated most of it with a 35-yard return.
Campbell strikes first
Not a great start, or even a good start, for ETSU’s defense. Campbell marches down and scores on a seven-play 75-yard drive. Kamden Sixkiller finds Evan Austin from 30 yards out for the touchdown. Austin was as wide open as anyone as ever been open in the history of football in the end zone when he made the catch, then celebrated with a little Griddy.
A defensive holding call on ETSU on third-and-long from the Bucs’ 48 yard line extended the drive, and Campbell went TD on the very next play.
Players not active for ETSU today
No sign of DL T.A. Cunningham, the highly-touted junior college transfer who was a four-star prospect coming out of high school and started his college career at Penn State.
Several players not in full pads are circulating and giving some encouragement to the rest of the Bucs while they stretch.
Here’s who I identified:
- LB Jarris Coney (Jr.)
- CB Ramani Bruton (So.)
- DL Xavier Porter (Jr.)
- OL Noah Anker (Jr.), who hails from Denmark by the way
- N Logan Miller (So.)
Add OL Brodie Bass and LB Reed Blake-Thomas to the inactive list. ETSU coach Will Healy said Bass was lost for the season at his Monday press conference.
Warmups
Less than an hour until kickoff and a few players are on the field for both teams going through drills.
ETSU, as reported, is wearing blue helmets, blue jerseys, white pants.
Campbell is in white helmets and jerseys with black pants.