WISE – A new era for UVA Wise football will begin this weekend as the team opens the 2024 season in Johnson City, Tennessee, where they will face East Tennessee State University Saturday evening. The game, which features the debut of Coach Gary Bass as the head coach of the Highland Cavaliers, kicks off at 5:30 p.m. at the Bank of Tennessee Field at William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium.

Tickets for the contest can be purchased at ETSUTickets.com.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats are available at the link above.

ALL ABOUT THAT BASS
- The game is the first game as head coach for Gary Bass, who came to Wise in December 2023 after spending seven seasons as the head coach at Quincy University. He is the fifth head coach of the Highland Cavaliers since the program was started in 1991.
- Bass, a native of Marion, North Carolina, attended Catawba College from 2002-2005, where he played offensive lineman for the Catawba Indians.
- After graduation, he made coaching stops at East Rowan High School (Offensive Coordinator - 2006-08), Missouri Southern (Offensive Line – 2009-10), and Quincy (Associate Head Coach/Offensive Line – 2011-16; Head Coach - 2017-23).

QUICK FACTS
- This game will begin the 34^th season of Highland Cavalier Football. Their all-time record is 147-193 (.432).
- The team had a 2-9 record last season and a 1-8 record in South Atlantic Conference play.
- This is the second meeting between UVA Wise and East Tennessee State. The previous meeting was on Sept. 11, 2021, in Johnson City. The Bucs had 528 total yards of offense and held the Cavs to 271 yards as they rolled out to the 45-14 victory.
- This is actually the third time UVA Wise has played on the ETSU campus. They opened the 1996 season in the ETSU Mini-Dome when they hosted Cumberland University on Sept. 7, 1996. The game was moved from Wise because of heavy rain that was forecast because of the remnants of Hurricane Fran. The Cavs rolled out to the 34-20 lead before Cumberland scored late and had the ball on the UVA Wise (then Clinch Valley) six yard line before fumbling the ball as time expired and the Cavs escaped with the 34-27 win. That team went undefeated in the regular season and lost in the first round of the NAIA playoffs to finish the season 10-1.

OFFENSE
- Many starters on offense return, led by QB Jake Corkren. Corkren was 134-239 for 1,181 yards and passed for three touchdowns last season. The junior also had three rushing touchdowns as well.
- Zavier Lomax is the top rusher returning. The junior had 86 carries for 343 yards and four touchdowns last season.
- Tight End Dorien Goddard returns for a final season following a 2023 campaign where he had 41 catches for 427 yards and three touchdowns.
- Wide Receiver DJ Powell had 40 catches for 397 yards and a touchdown, while Seth Fischbach caught 19 catches for 202 yards and a touchdown.
- The staff brought in several new players on offense, led by freshman Daniel Thomas. The Bell County (KY) High School product led not only the commonwealth of Kentucky but the nation in touchdowns and rushing yards as he ran for 3,817 yards and 55 touchdowns. He helped lead Bell County to a 13-2 record and was named Kentucky's Mr. Football for 2023.

DEFENSE
- Several players return on defense, led by linebacker Aydan Willis. The junior had 49 tackles, 6.5 for loss, and two sacks last season. Brub Hines III also returns following a season where the junior had 46 tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS
- Redshirt sophomore Jake Marcantel had 71 punts for 2,628 yards last season. Six of his punts were over 50 yards, including one that was 56 yards. He is also the only returning kicker, going 1-2 in field goals as a backup last season.

ABOUT ETSU
- The Bucs are 0-1 following a season-opening loss to Appalachian State in Boone, North Carolina, last Saturday. The game was close for three quarters with App State leading 17-19 midway through the third quarter, but then the Mountaineers scored 21 unanswered points to take the 38-10 victory.
- The Bucs had 306 yards of offense for the game, with running back Devontae Houston going for 127 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. Defensively, Cam Sims led the charge with a team-high eight tackles and two pass breakups.
- Like UVA Wise, ETSU is also led by a first-year coach. Tre Lamb was hired to lead ETSU in November 2023 after four successful seasons at Gardner Webb. While at GWU, he led the Bulldogs to back-to-back conference titles and FCS playoff appearances.