FOOTBALL HOLDS SECOND SPRING SCRIMMAGE

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College football team held its second scrimmage of the spring this past Sunday as the Pioneers continue their preparations for the 2009 campaign.

For Tusculum head coach Frankie DeBusk, the 75-play scrimmage saw an even distribution of individual and team highlights, both on offense and defense.

"We did really good job in protecting the football," said DeBusk. "The offense committed only one turnover, but we have to cut down on the penalties, especially on the offensive side of the ball."

Three quarterbacks are competing for the starting job, including rising junior Brandon Behenna, junior college transfer Collin Wigley and senior Altorien Reed. Behenna, a native of Sharpsburg, Ga., went 11-for-17 for 139 passing yards, including a touchdown. He also rushed four times for 22 yards.

Wigley, a 6-2, 205 native of Newport Beach, Calif., tallied 106 passing yards, going 9-for-13, including a TD. The Mount San Jacinto College transfer also ran for 30 yards on a pair of carries.

Reed, a 5-11, 175-pound product from Darien, Ga., passed for a pair of touchdowns, going 8-of-11 for 110 yards.

Rising senior wideout Ryan Tallent had the best outing of the receiving corps as he hauled in eight catches for 143 yards and a touchdown. Tallent is coming off an All-American season where he led the South Atlantic Conference in receiving for a second consecutive year.

Nate Binder, a rising senior from Maidstone, Ontario, Canada, added four receptions for 86 yards and a TD, while rising junior Calvin Britt (Augusta, Ga.) added two grabs for 56 yards and a scoring catch. Sophomore Jonathan Lyons (Hampton, Tenn.) accounted for a four-yard TD toss, while sophomore Michael Rodriguez (Columbia, S.C.) finished with five receptions for 18 yards.

The quartet of Marcus Foster (Siloam, Ga.), Jamar Ferguson (Jasper, S.C.), Fred Jones (Appling, Ga.) and Marcus Carroll (Greenwood, S.C.) all graded well at the running back position, including Ferguson who scored on a four-yard touchdowns.

The offensive line, which returns three starters from last year's squad, including rising sophomore Josh Stone (Smithville, Tenn.) stood out amongst to corps of returnees. Handling most of the snaps at center was sophomore Brandon Priest (Loganville, Ga.), who will be looking to cover the duties once held by All-Region standout Danny Partida.

The defensive unit accounted for seven tackles for loss, including five sacks and a fumble recovery. The duo of Kevin Funches (Kansas City, Kan.) and Javon Forsett (Cedar Hill, Texas) played very well, while Mason Fowler (Dacula, Ga.), Futuao Mua (Concord, Calif.), Robert Hogg (Kingsport, Tenn.), Derrick Belton (Gretna, La.) and Sam Broadwater (North Augusta, S.C.) all played well.

On special teams, All-American punter John Gregory (Ooltewah, Tenn.) got in a lot of repetitions, while sophomore Gareth Rowlands (Wales, Great Britain) was perfect on his seven field goal attempts, including a long of 43 yards.

"Overall, it was a good day," added DeBusk. It was a beautiful afternoon and we became a better team as the scrimmage went along. We still have many young faces at certain positions being evaluated every day."

The Pioneers are comin