GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College football program has released its 2016 schedule announced head coach Jerry Odom. (Schedule)
The Pioneers will play an 11-game regular-season schedule and will host six home games at the Niswonger Sports Complex and Pioneer Field.
Coach Odom is in his first year as Tusculum's head coach and the Pioneers will be hosting its annual Spring Game next Saturday (Apr. 23rd) at 3 p.m. on the Greeneville campus.
Tusculum will kick-off the 2016 gridiron campaign on Thursday, Sep. 1st when the Pioneers host UVa-Wise. UVa-Wise leads the all-time series 5-4, but TC has won the last two meetings, including last year's 47-28 come-from-behind win in the first meeting between the two schools since 1998.
The Pioneers will travel to Virginia State University on Sept. 12 as TC will be making its inaugural trip to Ettrick, Virginia. The Trojans finished with a 6-4 record, including a 40-13 victory over the Pioneers in the first-ever meeting between TC and VSU. Virginia State finished third in the CIAA Northern Division.
Tusculum will open South Atlantic Conference play on Sep. 17th when they venture to Hickory, North Carolina to face Lenoir-Rhyne University. The Bears went 5-5 last season and tied for fifth place in the SAC and snapped its four-year reign as conference champions. TC leads the series 10-9, but L-R has won the last four meetings, including a 55-52 triple overtime thriller in Greeneville.
The Pioneers return home to host Newberry College on Sept. 24th as they take on the Wolves. Newberry went 7-5 last season, finished fourth in the league and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Newberry edged Tusculum 38-31 last year to tie the series at 9-9.
On Oct. 1st, the Pioneers will host Brevard College at Pioneer Field. BC finished eighth in the league and went winless on the season (0-11), including a 20-0 loss to Tusculum as Isaac Robinson rushed for a school single-game record 250 yards. TC is 9-4 against Brevard in a series that began in 1940.
Tusculum travels to Wingate University on Oct. 8th. The Bulldogs posted a 6-5 record and tied for fifth in the conference standings. The Bulldogs lead the series 12-7, but the Pioneers have won the last two encounters, including a 26-17 victory in Greeneville last season.
North Greenville University visits Pioneer Field on Oct. 15 in the eighth meeting between TC and the Crusaders. NGU is playing in its final year as a NCAA II Independent before joining the Gulf South Conference as an associate member in 2017. The Crusaders went 7-3 last year, including a 35-24 win over Tusculum at North Greenville.
On Oct. 22nd, Limestone College makes its first trip to Greeneville for Tusculum's Homecoming and Sports Hall of Fame Game. The Pioneers won last year's inaugural meeting 45-11 against the Saints. Limestone is in its second year as playing a SAC-alliance schedule as they will face all eight South Atlantic Conference teams.
Tusculum makes the short trip across Sam's Gap to face cross-mountain rival Mars Hill University on Oct. 29. The Lions finished with a 6-5 record but went 5-2 in league play to tie for second place in the conference. One of those league wins was a 31-24 victory at Tusculum. TC leads the series 18-11-2.
The Pioneers travel to Catawba College on Nov. 5 to face the defending SAC Champions. The Catawba Indians posted a 9-3 worksheet and won its last seven regular season games, including a 24-6 win at Tusculum. Catawba earned a bid to the NCAA Playoffs and were eliminated in the opening round.
Tusculum will close out the regular season on Nov. 12th against arch-rival Carson-Newman University. It will be the 46th recorded meeting between the Pioneers and Eagles and it will mark the 10th time the teams have met in the season finale. The renewal of the second oldest collegiate football rivalry in the State of Tennessee will take place at Pioneer Field. The Eagles are coming off of a 9-3 campaign as C-N finished runner-up in the league and advanced to the NCAA II Playoffs.
The 2016 NCAA Division II Playoffs will begin Nov. 19th and will culminate with the DII National Championship Game on Dec. 17th in Kansas City, Missouri.
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.
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