By Robbie Ross
SouthernPigskin.com

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The FCS version of the xe2x80x9cBattle at Bristolxe2x80x9d will be held this Saturday in Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCARxe2x80x99S historic half mile, concrete oval Colosseum, bringing together two SoCon foes that will be meeting for the 46th time.

nThere will not be any attendance records set. There will not be ESPN College Gameday. There will not be National TV.

nBut donxe2x80x99t try to tell Western Carolina or East Tennessee State those things.

nThe FCS version of the xe2x80x9cBattle at Bristolxe2x80x9d will be held this Saturday in Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCARxe2x80x99S historic half mile, concrete oval Colosseum, bringing together two SoCon foes that will be meeting for the 46th time, but the first since 2003, ETSUxe2x80x99s final season in its first stint in the league.xc2xa0

nThe Buccaneers (1-0) will step back into SoCon play after competing as an FCS Independent last year, when they restarted their football program after an eleven-year hiatus.xc2xa0

nETSU head coach Carl Torbush is excited to be opening the Bucsxe2x80x99 conference schedule in such a unique venue.xc2xa0

nxe2x80x9cIxe2x80x99ve been everywhere and none of them can compare,xe2x80x9d Torbush commented.xc2xa0 xe2x80x9cItxe2x80x99s going to be a once in a lifetime experience being able to piggyback off of the Tennessee and Virginia Tech game, a once in a lifetime opportunity and I think our players are tremendously excited about doing it.xe2x80x9dxc2xa0

nTorbush went on to say his Bucs need to get used to big venues.xc2xa0

nxe2x80x9cLook on down the road, we play Georgia, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, we play Appalachian State, so we have a lot of top 10, top 20 FBS teams we will be playing at in the next five or six years.xe2x80x9dxc2xa0

nWestern Carolina (1-1) head coach Mark Speir was equally excited about the chance to play in such a historic venue.xc2xa0

nxe2x80x9cItxe2x80x99s such a storied venue, The Last Colosseum,xe2x80x9d Speir remarked. xe2x80x9cI grew up in Kannapolis, North Carolina, Dale Earnhardt racing country, so therexe2x80x99s not a better day for me as an avid NASCAR fan than to be playing football in Bristol.xe2x80x9dxc2xa0

nSpeir echoed Torbush in saying that his players are excited as well.

nxe2x80x9cItxe2x80x99s exciting for our players. For the rest of their lives, whether theyxe2x80x99re a racing fan or not, to be able to say I played in the largest college football stadium in America.xe2x80x9dxc2xa0

nPreseason SoCon Offensive Player of the Year for the Catamounts, Detrez Newsome, is aware of the venue, but is not much of a NASCAR fan yet.xc2xa0

nxe2x80x9cI wouldnxe2x80x99t say that I am a NASCAR guy, but I feel like when me and the team are out there, we are going to feel like NASCARS runninxe2x80x99 in Bristol.xe2x80x9dxc2xa0

nAs if the Catamounts and Bucs needed more motivation than playing the first SoCon game of the season and playing in Bristol Motor Speedway, it was announced this week that the teams will be playing for two trophies Saturday.xc2xa0 One is a replica of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Bristol race trophy with a football at the top. The other is an actual tire used from August’s NASCAR race that will be painted half ETSU blue and half WCU purple.xc2xa0

nThe Battle at Bristol II kicks off Saturday at 1:30 ET on the SoCon Digital Network.