2016 Football Preseason Preview: ETSU

Throughout this preseason, Purple & Gold will preview all of Western's 2016 football opponents. Today we look at East Tennessee State.

Coming off their second straight 5-2 conference finish in the SoCon, the Catamounts travel to Bristol, Tennessee to open conference play against the Bucs of East Tennessee State.

Western and the Bucs will revive a series that started in 1932 and abruptly ended in 2003
when the Buccaneers eliminated football at East Tennessee State. Adding to the revival of play between the two teams, the game will be played at the Bristol Motor Speedway.




East Tennessee State

When: Saturday, September 17th  - Time:  1:30 pm

Where: Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN

Radio: Catamount Sports Network

TV / video: The SoCon Digital Network

The Series: This series also stretches back to 1932, with the Cats hold a slim lead, 23-21-1. The last game played between the two was in Johnson City and won by the Catamounts.

Last game played: (Sept. 27, 2003) WCU Improves to 2-0 in SoCon With 28-21 at ETSU -
Thanks to one of the best games in WCU history by senior wide receiver Lamont Seward, Western Carolina rolled up 446 yards of total offense and held the ball for 39:10 en route to a 28-21 victory over East Tennessee State Saturday afternoon at the Memorial Center.

Seward, a preseason All-Southern Conference pick, caught 12 passes for 176 yards to move to seventh on the WCU all-time list for receptions (147). Seward's 12 catches, 11 of which went for first down yardage, marks the second-best, single-game effort in WCU history, tying his own number from his freshman year versus Wofford. The 176 yards, Seward's ninth career 100-yard game, is the 12th-best single-game total. The Warrenton, N.C., native has now caught at least one pass in 32 consecutive games and at least one in 36 of his 38 career contests.

Head Coach: Carl Torbush was named head coach of the East Tennessee State University football program on June 21, 2013, and tasked with resurrecting a program that will kick off a new era of play in the fall of 2015. Torbush, whose career includes head coaching stops at North Carolina and Louisiana Tech, has built a strong reputation as an outstanding defensive strategist after having served as a defensive coordinator at six FBS programs, including Alabama, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Kansas, Texas A&M and UNC.

Last Year's Record: 2-9 overall  (home 2-4, road 0-), played as an independent

Offensive starters - Returning/Lost: 11 / 0

Defensive starters - Returning/Lost: 11 / 0

Specialist - Returning/Lost: 5 / 0

Offensive Formation: Spread

Defensive Formation: 3-4

2015 Bucs Statistics:
Rushing Offense: 2126 yards
Yards per game: 152
Yards per rush: 3.5 yards
TDs rushing: 14
Passing Offense: 1856 yards or 169 yards per game
Passing Comp-Att-Int: 160-286-12
Total Offense: 2825 yards or 257 yards per game
Passing 1st downs: 82
Rushing 1st downs: 104
Fumbles-Lost: 23 - 9
Penalties-Yards: 57 - 454 yards
3d Down Conversions: 61 of 168 - 36%
4th Down Conversions: 4 of 18 - 22%
Red-Zone Scores: 24 of 30 (80%)
Red-Zone Touchdowns: 16 of 30  (53%)
Punts: 62 - Avg. per punt: 36 yrds
Sacks: 14
PAT-Attempts: 22 of 22
Field Goals-Attempts: 8 of 13
Time of possession per game: 31:43

In their return to football last season, the Bucs played one NAIA team, two Div III teams, one Div II team and seven FCS opponents. picking up 2 wins.  One of the Bucs wins was over Div II's Kentucky Wesleyan and the second over NAIA's Warner College.

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