Bucs defensive front turns in ‘elite’ performance vs. Samford

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – For the first half of ETSU’s contest against Samford on Saturday, the bulldogs hit a number of big passing plays – some for touchdowns.

But, as the game wore on, the Blue and Gold defensive front wore down the visitors.

The Bucs made their living in the offensive backfield, wracking up a season-high seven sacks on the day. The run defense showed out, as well, holding the visitors to just 13 net rushing yards on 28 attempts.

“We wanted to get them in situations where they had to run the ball,” redshirt-senior linebacker Zach West said. “We knew that we had an advantage in the redzone because the field is smaller and they’re not as versatile with their offense.”

“The defensive front had a great day – their best day of the year,” Lamb added. “Nick Hunter, Zach West, Brandon Wilson – some of those guys were terrific. We didn’t have to commit a lot of bodies to the box, does that make sense? So, we could play some coverage and we were able to stop the run with four or five, which was elite.”

ETSU now ranks second in the Southern Conference with 19 sacks through seven games. Only Mercer (20) has managed more in the first half of the season.

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