GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Senior Kyle Dickey accounted for three touchdowns, including his 27-yard scoring strike in overtime to lead the Tusculum College football over visiting UNC Pembroke 20-17 Saturday afternoon at a snow and rain-soaked Pioneer Field.
The win is the first-ever by Tusculum (4-5) over UNCP as the Pioneers record their third win in their last four outings.
In the first overtime period, UNC Pembroke went three and out, while losing six yards on the possession. Junior kicker Connor Haskins connected on a 48-yard field goal that just cleared the cross bar for the Braves (1-7) first lead of the day.
On Tusculum's possession, Dickey was sacked on third down at the UNCP 27. On fourth down and 12 yards to go, Dickey went to the right corner of the end zone and found Deon Hicks in double coverage, but the senior came down with game-winning 27-yard touchdown.
Tusculum out-gained UNC Pembroke in offensive yardage, 322-195 as the Pioneer defense limited the Braves to four yards passing, while coming up with a pair of interceptions.
Defensively, TC senior defensive end Caushaud Lyons recorded four tackles for loss and a pair of sacks for a second straight game. He finished the contest with 11 tackles, including seven solo hits. Senior safety LiRonta Archie added 10 stops in the victory.
Dickey went 13-for-18 for 165 yards with a pair of touchdowns. He also rushed for 41 yards and a score.
Greeneville freshman running back D.J. Haney ran for a season-high 110 yards on his 23 carries for the Pioneers. Hicks finished the game with three receptions for 66 yards as he becomes the 17th player in school history to record 1,000 receiving yards in a career (1,027).
UNCP's Tamari White rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Seth Owen ran for 55 yards and a TD.
Tusculum's Cameron Thomas came up with an interception on UNCP's second offensive play of the game as he returned the pick 28 yards to the Pembroke 32-yard line. TC drove to the one-yard line and went for the touchdown on fourth and goal but Haney was stopped shy of the end zone by Darcus Elliott.
Both teams came up with interceptions later in the quarter. UNCP defensive end Mike Keck made a diving interception after a tipped pass to stop a Tusculum drive. But TC came up with a turnover of its own when Irim Aiken hauled in an interception at the UNCP 46.
Tusculum took advantage of a pass interference penalty and capped off the scoring drive with Dickey's three-yard touchdown plunge up the middle. Senior Logan Cornelius added the extra point for a 7-0 lead at the 1:05 mark of the quarter.
Pembroke took the ensuing possession and got a 24-yard run by Seth Owen to get into TC territory on the first play of the second quarter. Owen would call his own number again later in the drive when he scampered in with the game-tying touchdown from six yards out with 12:37 remaining before the intermission.
Dickey was intercepted again as L.J. Stroman hauled in the pick at the TC 41. UNCP would get to the TC 23, but on fourth down and 12, Owen was sacked by Lyons to stop the threat.
Later in the second quarter, Dickey completed a 32-yard pass to junior Ken Funnye to the UNCP 21. On the next play, Dickey found senior tight end Wesley Powell in the right side of the end zone for a go ahead score with 2:30 left in the half as TC carried a 14-7 lead into the locker room.
Following a scoreless third quarter, UNCP marched 51 yards on 11 plays and tied the game with White's six-yard TD run with 7:25 left in regulation.
Both teams would be forced to punt on their next possessions. Tusculum took over near midfield with 2:46 to go but on fourth and one from the UNCP 46, Dickey's quarterback keeper was stopped shy of the line to make as Pembroke took over at its own 46 with 33 seconds left. UNCP ran two offensive plays to end regulation and send the game into overtime to set up the late game heroics.
The overtime win was Tusculum's second in program history and first since defeating Jacksonville University 42-36 in the 1999 season finale at Pioneer Field. TC evens its all-time OT record at 2-2.
Tusculum returns to action this Thursday night when the Pioneers host Brevard College for a 7 p.m. South Atlantic Conference contest.
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