Furman at ETSU

The Game: Furman at East Tennessee State

Last Week: The Fighting Football Paladins dropped their sixth consecutive contest of the season and lost 38-21 to the Samford Bulldogs.

Are We Any Good? Nope. Here's the discouraging thing: When I began doing these previews well over a decade ago, I legitimately believed we had a shot to win every single game. Now? I'm assuming we're going to lose until proven otherwise. That isn't good. I'm still pulling for the team, love them, and want to see them succeed. There are good players on the team, but things aren't clicking right now.

Opposing Team's Mascot: The Buccaneers. Alright. That's better. It's not revolutionary, but it's better than playing a team nicknamed the Bulldogs for the billionth time. But here's a fun fact buried in ETSU's history: The school's first mascot was The Teachers since ETSU was the state's teaching college. I cannot tell you how much I want to see a modern football team's mascot be the Fighting Teachers.

Suggested Hashtag: #SchoolTheBucs

Corresponding Emoji to Suggested Hashtag: 🏫➡️☠️ 
(yes, that first building is a school and, no, I have never seen a school that looks like that; we're already stretching the Emoji bit in our second week)

Et cetera: 
-This is the first time that the Paladins and ETSU have played each other in football since 2002. The Bucs, SoCon members since the late 70s, shuttered their gridiron program after the season in which that last meeting took place. Now they're back and hoping to notch a victory in a series that Furman leads 23-7.

-It has been 348 days since the Paladins have won a football game: a 20-17 Halloween victory over Samford. Whooooooooooo...Halloween.

-Despite the loss, I had a blast attending the game last week. Got to hang out with family and friends, spend another afternoon in beautiful Paladin Stadium, and play on the field afterwards with the boys. Just wanted to end things on a positive note. 

Anything else? Go Paladins!