AP

ETSU gets TDs from all three units in 34-16 win over The Citadel

TJ Peyton ran for 110 yards and a touchdown and East Tennessee State rallied from an early deficit to beat The Citadel 34-16

TJ Peyton ran for 110 yards and a touchdown and East Tennessee State rallied from an early deficit to beat The Citadel 34-16. The Citadel built a 10-0 first quarter lead on Quentin Hayes’ 17-yard touchdown run and Evan Kelly’s 29-yard field goal. To start the second, ETSU got a defensive score when Tyreek’e Robinson forced a fumble by Gavin Garcia and CJ Robinson scooped the ball and ran it in from the 4. Ewan Johnson tied it before halftime with a 25-yard field goal. Johnson added a 26-yard field goal in the third, and just a minute later, Taylor McClure blocked Jack Weil’s punt and Josh Buckhalter returned it from the 9 for a 20-10 lead.

1 min read

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — TJ Peyton ran for 110 yards and a touchdown and East Tennessee State rallied from an early deficit to beat The Citadel 34-16 on Saturday.

The Buccaneers (5-2, 3-0 Southern Conference), who entered ranked 24th in the Stats Perform poll, got touchdowns from all three units.

The Citadel (2-4, 0-3) built a 10-0 first quarter lead on Quentin Hayes' 17-yard touchdown run and Evan Kelly's 29-yard field goal. To start the second, ETSU got a defensive score when Tyreek'e Robinson forced a fumble by Gavin Garcia and CJ Robinson scooped the ball and ran it in from the 4. Ewan Johnson tied it before halftime with a 25-yard field goal.

Johnson added a 26-yard field goal in the third, and just a minute later, Taylor McClure blocked Jack Weil's punt and Josh Buckhalter returned it from the 9 for a 20-10 lead. Peyton's 85-yard touchdown run with 3:05 left in the third sealed it.

Xavier Hill — one of four quarterbacks used by the Bulldogs — threw for 81 yards and a touchdown.

The Citadel's last win against the Buccaneers occurred Sept. 10, 2022, in a 20-17 home contest.

Up next

East Tennessee State is off next weekend before traveling to face VMI on Oct. 24.

The Citadel heads to College Station, Texas, to play Texas A&M on Saturday.


Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.