There’s not a bigger rival on ETSU’s schedule in any sport than Chattanooga. Especially in basketball, where these two teams are genuine nemeses.
As the Bucs and Mocs prepare to lock horns yet again tomorrow at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium (3:30, ESPN+), let’s analyze this matchup, by the numbers.
48: The total number of meetings between ETSU and Chattanooga in football heading into this one. The Mocs hold a 28-19-1 record in the series, and ETSU has not won this game since 2018. “I think it’s been much more give and take in basketball than it has in football and it’s our job to make sure it becomes a rivalry in football,” ETSU coach Will Healy said at his weekly press conference on Monday.
7: The number of seasons that Healy spent on the staff at Chattanooga. The Mocs head coach back then was Russ Huesman. Healy is also originally from Ooltewah, Tenn., a suburb of Chattanooga. Healy spent three of those years (2013-15) at UTC working on the same staff with Rusty Wright, now the head coach of the Mocs. Wright was the linebackers coach at the time.
108: The weight, in pounds, of the rail tie (pictured above) that goes to the winning team in what became known as the Rail Rivalry as of 2018. The rail is 5-feet, 7-inches long, to commemorate the fact that it was 57 years between the first game with the rail tie at stake and the first-ever meeting between the two teams, in 1961.
5: The number of consecutive Southern Conference wins for ETSU, dating back to the end of last season. That’s already the longest run of successive SoCon wins since 2015. ETSU hasn’t won six consecutive conference games since 1996.
3: The number of defensive categories where Chattanooga ranks in the top 10 in the entire FCS. The Mocs are fifth in passing defense (136.2 yards per game), seventh in total defense (266.6 ypg allowed) and tied for ninth in scoring defense (14.2 points per game allowed). That creates an interesting matchup with an ETSU offense that averages 36.2 points and 437.2 yards per game through the first five contests in 2026.
11: The number of seconds remaining on the clock in the 2025 meeting when Chattanooga scored the winning touchdown, en route to a 42-38 victory over the Bucs. The Mocs scored three touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the game, and ETSU led 38-21 in the fourth quarter. Healy referred to repeated viewings of last year’s game and how, when he does, “I want to absolutely vomit and throw up.” Healy also, looking back, said, “I think we kind of expected bad stuff to happen at times last year. I don’t think we were disciplined enough to go win that football game.” He also thinks that mentality has changed. “We’ve got a lot of new guys and I think the guys that were here are calloused enough to say we’re not going to let that stuff happen again.”
Final Facts
FanDuel has the Bucs listed as a 3.5-point favorite. … The Buc Walk will take place at 1:05 p.m. … ETSU will wear its navy jersey with white pants and the white helmet. … The Bucs won’t be back at home again until Halloween when they host Tennessee Tech. In between, ETSU plays games at The Citadel (Oct. 10) and VMI (Oct. 24) with its open date in between.