JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Interstat) — East Tennessee State used an early lead and a fourth-quarter deep strike to defeat West Georgia 35-27 on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in an NCAA Football Championship Division game at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium. The Buccaneers improved to 2-2. The Wolves fell to 0-4.

West Georgia scored 10 points in the first quarter, 14 in the second and three in the third. East Tennessee State scored 14 points in the first quarter, seven in the second, seven in the third and seven in the fourth. The Buccaneers held on despite a productive afternoon from West Georgia quarterback Colton Fitzgerald, who completed 29 of 50 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns and rushed four times for 4 yards.

East Tennessee State opened the scoring with 2:04 remaining in the first quarter when J. Albritton rushed up the middle for a 6-yard touchdown. Ewan Johnson made the extra point. West Georgia answered in the second quarter when Fitzgerald found Malik Leverett on a short left pass for a 1-yard touchdown with 10:54 left. Logan Lopez kicked the extra point. Lopez then made a 46-yard field goal with 9:36 remaining in the second quarter.

The Buccaneers reclaimed the lead with 6:21 left in the second quarter on T. Peyton’s 14-yard touchdown run up the middle. Johnson’s extra point was good. After halftime, Fitzgerald connected with Josh Schuchts on a 6-yard touchdown pass with 12:22 remaining in the third quarter, and Lopez added the extra point. Fitzgerald later hit T.J. Lockley on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 5:15 left in the third, with Lopez again converting.

East Tennessee State swung momentum late in the third when Mike Jenkins intercepted Fitzgerald at the West Georgia 25-yard line and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown with 31 seconds remaining. Johnson’s kick made it a two-score game. In the fourth quarter, Mason Mims found Brandon Winton on a deep right pass that covered 88 yards for a touchdown with 6:10 remaining. Johnson added the extra point. Lopez closed the scoring for West Georgia with a 29-yard field goal with 3:37 left.

Fitzgerald led the Wolves through the air, and Luke Marble completed his only pass attempt for 23 yards. Justin Montgomery carried 16 times for 55 yards and caught four passes for 27 yards. Brody Jones had seven receptions for 109 yards and one rush for 1 yard. Leverett finished with five catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. Schuchts had four receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown. Lockley added three catches for 12 yards, one punt return for 16 yards and a touchdown. DK Daniel caught three passes for 23 yards. Zander Erasmus had one catch for 23 yards. Jamarcus Prince had one catch for 3 yards, and Colby Dixon had one catch for 6 yards. Shammai Gates had one rush for 1 yard and one reception for minus-4 yards. Christian Monfort rushed four times for 3 yards.

Defensively for West Georgia, Stephan French recorded 11 tackles. Lucas Naquin had 10 tackles and one sack. Chidu Bekee added nine tackles. Andrew Ruffin had seven tackles. Caleb Reid, Tariq Hollinger, Jay Culbreth and Dawson Rivers each finished with three tackles. Culbreth also had one sack. Myti Johnson had two punt returns for 2 yards and four tackles. Elijah Barnes had two tackles and one quarterback hurry. Isaac Nyenabo had two tackles and one sack. Nolan Harris punted six times for 258 yards. Sean Ferguson had one kick return for 22 yards and two tackles. Justin Wilson, Chancellor Bryant, Semaj Fluellyn and Holton Harris each added two tackles. Jaleel Chambliss, Shawn Cummings, Logan Lopez and Dorian Gibson each had one tackle.

For East Tennessee State, Mims completed 15 of 24 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns. Winton caught two passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Suderian Harrison had three receptions for 34 yards and two punt returns for 18 yards. Vashawn Nalls caught two passes for 13 yards and a touchdown. Charlie Browder had one reception for 15 yards. Tyler Griffin caught three passes for 28 yards. Trey Weary had two receptions for 5 yards and one tackle. Tommy Winton III had one reception for 5 yards. Izay Bridges rushed once for 4 yards.

Defensively, Jenkins had eight tackles, one interception and one touchdown. Dre Delinois had eight tackles and one quarterback hurry. Jeremiah Curry and Jarvis Johnson each had five tackles and one quarterback hurry. Devin Hunter added five tackles. East Tennessee State’s team punt went for 19 yards.

West Georgia’s previous results this season were a 52-7 loss at Arkansas State on Sept. 12, a 47-0 loss at Kennesaw State on Sept. 3 and a 24-10 home loss to Chattanooga on Aug. 27. East Tennessee State had lost 35-3 at North Carolina on Sept. 12, beaten Tusculum 48-14 on Sept. 5 and lost to Campbell 49-37 on Aug. 29. West Georgia will host Fort Valley State on Sept. 26. East Tennessee State will host Western Carolina on Sept. 26.

West Georgia’s upcoming schedule also includes a trip to Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 10, home games against Austin Peay on Oct. 17, Tarleton State on Oct. 24, North Alabama on Nov. 14 and West Florida on Nov. 21, and road games at Abilene Christian on Oct. 31 and Central Arkansas on Nov. 7. East Tennessee State will visit Chattanooga on Oct. 3, Citadel on Oct. 10, Virginia Military Institute on Oct. 24, Wofford on Nov. 14 and Mercer on Nov. 21, and will host Tennessee Tech on Oct. 31 and Samford on Nov. 7.

Entering the game, the Interstat game simulator projected a final score of East Tennessee State 31, West Georgia 29. The Interstat ELO system gave East Tennessee State a 65.7 percent probability to win. West Georgia had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +16.5. The over/under line was 53.5, and the total score was 62.