JOHNSON CITY – East Tennessee State’s first scheduled football game was announced with a lot of fan fair and hoopla. The second one? Not so much.
Although ETSU’s coaches aren’t talking, Emory & Henry coach Curt Newsome said his team will be on the Bucs’ schedule in 2015.
“That’s exciting,” Newsome said Wednesday. “I think it’s good for southwest Virginia and upper East Tennessee. It’s good for Emory & Henry and good for ETSU. We’reexcited about it.
“Of course, we’ve got a lot of things to do between now and then – like a season coming up.” The Bucs don’t start playing football again until the 2015 season. The opener, a game against Kennesaw State at Science Hill High School’s Kermit Tipton Stadium, was announced to an excited group of fans in a crowded ballroom.
The Wasps play in the NCAA Division III Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
ETSU coach Carl Torbush, reached Wednesday, would not comment on thescheduled game with E&H.
“We’re not going to announce anything until we finalize our whole schedule,” he said.
Newsome has had a long relationship with ETSU offensive coordinator Mike O’Cain. The two coached together the past eight years, seven at Virginia Tech and last season at James Madison.
Interestingly, Newsome said that relationship was not the origin of the ETSUEmory & Henry game.
“I’d rather not play someone I like that much,” he said. “I’d much rather not play someone I know that well and respect that much.He’s a great person and a great football coach.
“I think in coaching, the biggest respect you can give a guy is to say you’d want your son to play for him. I’m telling you, there’s no question about it, if you have a son, you’d want him to play for Mike O’Cain.” Torbush did say he was getting close to announcing some coaching hirings over the next few weeks and that his first signing class has passed its initial hurdle.
“It looks like, right now, everybody we got signed and committed has been admitted to school,” Torbush said. “That’s very encouraging.”
Courtesy of: Joe Avento
Published by: Knoxville News Sentinel