GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College football program has released its 2014 schedule announced Frankie DeBusk, Director of Athletics and Head Football Coach. The schedule includes four games against teams that advanced to last year's NCAA Division II Playoffs, including the national runner-up. (2014 Schedule)

The Pioneers will play an 11-game regular-season schedule and will host six home games for a second straight season. The 2014 slate will also include four night games, including three at the Niswonger Sports Complex and Pioneer Field. Tusculum is coming off a 4-7 campaign where the Pioneers finished sixth in the South Atlantic Conference.

Tusculum will kick-off the gridiron campaign on Thursday, Sept. 4 when they host the College of Faith. The Pioneers posted a 63-0 win over the Saints in last year's inaugural meeting. It will be the first of two Thursday night battles that the Pioneers will host this year.

The Sept. 4 game will feature the return of the popular "Pioneer Pete Tailgate" and will culminate with a fireworks show following the game.

The Pioneers will hit the road for the first time in 2014 when they make the 484-mile trek to Elizabeth City, N.C. to take on Elizabeth City State University. Tusculum amassed a school-single game record 782 offensive yards in TC's 54-41 win over the Vikings last year. It will be the fourth recorded meeting between the two schools with Tusculum owning a 2-1 edge in the series.

North Greenville University visits Pioneer Field on Sept. 20 for a Saturday night clash with Tusculum. The Crusaders won its first four games of 2013, including a 39-36 home win over the Pioneers. But NGU would drop six of its last seven games to end the season at 5-6. The Sept. 20 meeting will be the sixth installment of the series that began in 1995. TC leads the all-time series 3-2.

Sept. 20 has been designated as "Local Heroes Night" as the Pioneers will honor members of the armed forces and veterans, law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics and first responders at the game. All local heroes will be admitted free to the Sept. 20 game with their identification card.

The Pioneers will kick-off its 16th season in the South Atlantic Conference when they take on three-time defending league champion Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C. The Bears are coming off one the best seasons in their history. L-R dropped its season opener, only to rattle off 13 straight wins, while advancing to the NCAA II national championship game, where they lost to Northwest Missouri State University. TC and Lenoir-Rhyne have met on the gridiron 17 times, including the Bears' 24-10 win in Greeneville last fall. Tusculum is 10-7 all-time against L-R in a series that started 90 years ago (1924).

The Pioneers will remain in North Carolina to take on SAC foe Catawba College on Oct. 4. The Catawba Indians won three of their last four games to post a 6-5 record last year and finish tied for fourth place in the league. Tusculum defeated Catawba 43-25 at Pioneer Field last fall to record its sixth win in the series that started in 1996 (Catawba leads 12-6).

Tusculum returns home on Oct. 11 to face Newberry College as the Pioneers will play four of its next five contests at Pioneer Field. The Wolves went 9-3 last season and tied for second place in the SAC. Newberry punched its ticket for the NCAA Playoffs where they were eliminated in the opening round. The Wolves opened 2013 with six straight victories, including a 44-9 homecoming victory over the Pioneers. Newberry has won four straight over the Pioneers to tie the overall series at 8-8.

The Oct. 11 game will be the Pioneers annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game as the Pioneers will wear pink to assist in raising funds and awareness to fight this dreaded disease. The Newberry game will also be Faith Appreciation Day as tickets will be provided to local church groups for the Oct. 11 contest.

Tusculum will host arch-rival Carson-Newman University on Oct. 18 at Pioneer Field for Homecoming. It will mark only the second time the Pioneers have faced the Eagles for its annual Homecoming contest and first since 1937. This year will mark the 44th encounter between TC and Carson-Newman in the second oldest collegiate gridiron rivalry in the State of Tennessee (CN leads 31-10-2). C-N won last year's contest 45-17 in Jefferson City as the Eagles went 10-3, finished second in the league and advanced to the NCAA Playoffs before falling in the region semifinals to Lenoir-Rhyne.

The Oct. 18 game will also be Sports Hall of Fame weekend as members of the 2014 induction class will honored at the game.

The Pioneers travel to Wingate University on Oct. 25 to take on the Bulldogs at Irwin Belk Stadium. Wingate has won five in a row against TC, including a 41-33 decision in 2013 at Pioneer Field. Wingate leads the all-time series 12-5.

Tusculum returns home on Nov. 1 to face UNC Pembroke for Senior Day. The Braves went 9-2 last year, including a 60-20 home win over the Pioneers. The Braves earned a berth to the NCAA Playoffs, where they were eliminated in the opening round. UNCP has won the three previous meetings against Tusculum.

The Nov. 1 contest with UNCP will also be Tusculum's "Take a Kid to the Game" event as all youth will be admitted free.

The Pioneers will host Brevard College on Nov. 6, in a rare Thursday night game late in the season. Tusculum leads the all-time series with the Tornados 7-4, but BC posted a 52-33 win over the Pioneers in Brevard, N.C. Brevard went 3-8 and tied for sixth place in the conference. Following the game, there will be a fireworks show.

Tusculum will wrap up the regular season on Nov. 15 as the Pioneers travel over Sam's Gap to face cross-mountain rival Mars Hill University. The Lions went 3-8 last season and finished eighth in the league standings. Tusculum scored 21 unanswered points en route to a 49-42 win over Mars Hill in last year's season finale. TC leads the all-time series with the Lions, 17-10-2.

The 2014 NCAA Division II Playoffs will begin Nov. 22 and will culminate with the DII National Championship Game on Dec. 20 and will be held in Kansas City, Mo.

The Pioneers are scheduled to begin spring practice on March 31st and will wrap up with Tusculum's annual spring game on April 26.

Tusculum College, located in Greeneville, Tenn., is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, USA and is a NCAA Division II member of the South Atlantic Conference.

- TC -

2014 Tusculum College Football Schedule
Date Opponent Site Time
Thu., Sept. 4 COLLEGE OF FAITH GREENEVILLE 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 13 at Elizabeth City State Elizabeth City, N.C. 4:00 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 20 NORTH GREENVILLE GREENEVILLE 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 27 at Lenoir-Rhyne* Hickory, N.C. 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 4 at Catawba* Salisbury, N.C. 1:30 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 11 NEWBERRY* GREENEVILLE 2:30 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 18 CARSON-NEWMAN* (Homecoming) GREENEVILLE 2:30 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 25 at Wingate* Wingate, N.C. 1:30 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 1 UNC PEMBROKE (Senior Day) GREENEVILLE 1:30 p.m.
Thur., Nov. 6 BREVARD* GREENEVILLE 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 15 at Mars Hill* Mars Hill, N.C. 1:00 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 22 NCAA Division II Playoffs Campus Site TBA
Sat., Nov. 29 NCAA Division II Playoffs Campus Site TBA
Sat., Dec. 6 NCAA Division II Playoffs Campus Site TBA
Sat., Dec. 13 NCAA Division II Playoffs Campus Site TBA
Sat., Dec. 20 at NCAA II National Championship Kansas City, Mo. TBA

* South Atlantic Conference Game
All Times Eastern and Subject to Change
Games broadcast locally on WSMG 1450 AM & TusculumPioneers.com
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