Campbell football beats East Tennessee State 49-37 behind Kamden Sixkiller’s four touchdowns
JOHNSON CITY, TN – Campbell opened its season with the kind of offensive performance that can travel. Behind a huge night from quarterback Kamden Sixkiller, the Camels outlasted East Tennessee State 49-37 on Saturday in a game that featured 1,042 combined yards, 12 scoring drives and a late fourth-quarter answer that finally put the Buccaneers away.
Sixkiller carried Campbell throughout, completing 29 of 42 passes for 343 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He also led the Camels on the ground, rushing 10 times for 95 yards and two more scores. His final touchdown, a 14-yard keeper with 1:53 remaining, capped an 82-yard drive and gave Campbell breathing room after ETSU had trimmed the deficit to five.
Campbell never trailed by more than seven and answered nearly every ETSU push with one of its own. Sixkiller started the scoring with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Evan Austin, finishing an eight-play, 75-yard opening drive. ETSU tied it on Max Mims’ 18-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Weary, but Campbell responded late in the first quarter when Elijah Lawrence scored from three yards out.
The second quarter turned the game into a back-and-forth shootout. ETSU took a 21-14 lead on rushing touchdowns by Jermaine Albritton and Travon Peyton, but Campbell answered with a seven-play, 75-yard drive that Sixkiller finished with a five-yard touchdown run. After an ETSU missed field goal, Campbell moved 64 yards in 1:23 and went back in front on Sixkiller’s 26-yard touchdown pass to Stevie Keener with 25 seconds left in the half.
ETSU still managed to add a 44-yard Ewan Johnson field goal as time expired, cutting Campbell’s halftime lead to 28-24. The score reflected the pace of the first half, when the two teams combined for 527 yards and seven scoring possessions.
Campbell created separation late in the third quarter. Devin Thomas finished a six-play, 65-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run, then added a one-yard score early in the fourth after the Camels turned an ETSU fumble into a short field. That touchdown gave Campbell a 42-24 lead, its largest of the game.
ETSU did not go quietly. Mims, who completed 33 of 41 passes for 373 yards and two touchdowns, led the Buccaneers back with a fourth-quarter push. Da’Quan Rucker scored on a four-yard run with 10:34 remaining, and Mims later found Brandon Winton for a six-yard touchdown that pulled ETSU within 42-37 with 5:34 left.
That set up the game’s decisive drive. Facing third-and-2 at the Campbell 40, Sixkiller broke free for a 42-yard run to the ETSU 18, flipping the field and draining the clock. Three plays later, he kept the ball again and scored from 14 yards out to restore the 12-point cushion.
Campbell finished with 514 total yards, including 343 passing and 171 rushing. Austin led the receiving group with four catches for 93 yards and a touchdown, while Aaryn Tate added 55 yards, Spencer Jones had 49 and Jon Gullette caught seven passes for 43 yards. Keener’s lone touchdown catch gave Campbell a halftime lead it never lost.
The Camels also won the turnover battle, recovering two ETSU fumbles and turning one into points. Caleb Battaglia led Campbell defensively with 12 tackles, including eight solo stops and a forced fumble. Vincent Sheppert added seven tackles and also forced a fumble.
ETSU outgained Campbell 528-514 and had 28 first downs to Campbell’s 24, but the Camels were more efficient in the red zone, finishing 5-for-5 with five touchdowns. Campbell also converted three of four fourth-down attempts and held the ball for 32:53.
For Campbell, the difference was the ability to finish drives and answer late. On a night when neither offense had much trouble moving the ball, Sixkiller’s dual-threat performance gave the Camels the final response they needed.
.png)
