Devontae Houston runs for 2 TDs and ETSU closes regular season with 28-26 victory over The Citadel

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) — Devontae Houston ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns, Jacolby Criswell threw for 244 yards and another score, and East Tennessee State closed its regular season with a 28-26 victory over The Citadel on Saturday.

East Tennessee State (7-5, 5-3 Southern) secured seven wins for the second season in a row and coach Will Healy has the second-most wins by a first-year coach in program history, tied with Paul Hamilton in 1997 and Tre Lamb in 2024.

Houston’s 15-yard touchdown run with 42 seconds left in the first half gave ETSU a 28-14 lead.

The Citadel scored all 12 second-half points, the last on a 33-yard field goal with 7:37 remaining. The Bulldogs had a 39-yard touchdown through the air on the scoring run, but the two-point conversion attempt was no good when Mike Jenkins batted away a pass in the end zone.

Quentin Hayes threw for 200 yards but he was intercepted twice for The Citadel (4-8, 3-5), which lost its third straight including 49-0 at then-No. 6 Mississippi. He also led the Bulldogs with 18 carries for 103 yards. Garrison Johnson Sr. and Beau Herrington each had a rushing score.

ETSU was coming off a 52-point performance against Western Carolina in which Criswell and Jackson Byrd combined for six passing touchdowns to set the program’s single-game record.

ETSU entered needing 421 total yards to break the program’s record for yards in a season set by the 2021 squad at 5,319 but came up just short after finishing with 409.

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