Samford Stuns Ranked ETSU With Last-Second Touchdown Pass

Gabarri Johnson threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Domonique Thomas on the final play of the game to give Samford a 37-35 upset win over nineteenth-ranked East Tennessee State on Saturday in Johnson City, Tennessee.

Game Action And Stats

East Tennessee State had taken a 35-31 lead with fifty-seven seconds left when Mason Mims threw a ten-yard scoring pass to Brandon Winton to cap a fifty-nine-yard drive. Samford started their winning drive from their own twenty-four-yard line. Johnson converted a crucial fourth-and-two with an eighteen-yard pass to Kevonte Corbin near midfield. Johnson then scrambled for sixteen yards on third down and added a twenty-six-yard run to reach the ETSU seven-yard line. After an incompletion and timeouts by both teams with three seconds remaining, Johnson connected with Thomas on the right side for the game-winning score. Johnson finished the game completing nineteen of thirty-two passes for one hundred sixty-eight yards and ran for forty-one yards with a touchdown. Will Shields added four completions on seven attempts for fifty-six yards and a touchdown pass to Corbin, helping the Bulldogs improve their record to four wins and six losses overall, and four wins and three losses in the Southern Conference. For the Buccaneers, who fell to six wins and four losses overall and four wins and two losses in the conference, TJ Peyton rushed for eighty-nine yards, Jaiden Daniels gained seventy-nine yards, and Jason Albritton picked up forty-five yards. All three players scored rushing touchdowns for East Tennessee State. Earlier in the contest, East Tennessee State built a twenty-eight to sixteen lead late in the third quarter when Mims threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Charlle Browder. Samford immediately answered as Corbin returned the ensuing kickoff one hundred yards for a score. On the very next play, Noah Holton forced a fumble by Peyton, and Sam Dunlap recovered the loose ball and returned it to the eight-yard line. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Johnson ran four yards for a touchdown.

Schedule And Context

Looking ahead to next Saturday, Samford returns home to play Western Carolina, while East Tennessee State travels to face Wofford.

Context

College football games often feature dramatic finishes in the final minute when teams use timeouts and deep passing routes to drive down the field. Late-game comebacks rely heavily on converting fourth-down plays and managing the game clock efficiently. Conference matches in the Football Championship Subdivision carry extra importance for team standings as the season nears its final weeks.