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 Bulldogs 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 Buccaneers 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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