(STATS) – Beginning this week, Southern Conference rivals ETSU and Western Carolina will introduce a trophy to their longtime mountain border rivalry, rebranding it the “Blue Ridge Border Battle.”
Both schools made the announcement Monday, preceding Saturday’s matchup at ETSU in Johnson City, Tennessee.
The new trophy includes a two-tiered wooden pedestal adorned on opposite sides by the two schools’ respective logos and the moniker of the series. The two campuses are separated by 112 miles and share a common border through the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Western Carolina won last year’s game 49-10 to increase its series lead to 24-22-1.
ETSU (6-2, 4-1) holds a No. 25 national ranking and a share of first place in the SoCon as it gets set to host Western Carolina (3-4, 1-4 SoCon), which has lost four straight games.