GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University forced five turnovers in the opening half resulting in 21 points as the Pioneers defeated Catawba College 35-21 Saturday at Pioneer Field in South Atlantic Conference football action.
The Pioneers (2-2, 2-0 SAC) win in their 2023 home opener and record its fifth consecutive home victory. TU is also off to its first 2-0 league start since 2007.
The Tusculum defense accounted for three interceptions and recovered a pair of fumbles while also recording seven quarterback sacks.
Linebacker Wesley Scott led the Pioneers with his team-high 13 tackles including three for loss, two sacks, forced a fumble and recovered another. Earnest Johnson III accounted for nine tackles including two sacks.
Quarterback Matthew Palazzo, who was making his second straight start, went 23-for-33 for 226 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 56 yards on 12 carries including a pair of rushing touchdowns, his third and fourth of the season. He completed passes to 11 different receivers and was not sacked the entire game.
TU's Jalen Hunt ran for a season-high 86 yards on 13 attempts including his 24-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Teammate Jojo Restall added 79 yards on his 13 carries and averaged 6.1 yards per run.
Joe Robustelli hauled in five receptions for 88 yards including his 47-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter for TU's final score. Tyler Burke also made five catches for 49 yards while the quartet of Kemani Brown, Kareem Carswell, Ethan Stinnett and Tyreik Thorpe tallied two receptions apiece. Burke needs three more yards to become the 23rd Pioneer to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a career.
Catawba quarterback Preston Brown had a tale of two halves. In the first 30 minutes, he was picked off three times and was held to 106 passing yards. In the final two quarters, he orchestrated three consecutive scoring drives including a pair of TD passes to Bo Pryor who finished the game with 13 catches for 131 yards. Brown racked up 312 passing yards going 31-for-52 to conclude the game.
Tusculum finished the contest with 455 offensive yards including a season-best 229 rushing. Catawba tallied 398 yards for the day and dominated time of possession 32:52-to-27:08 including 16:26-to-13:34 in the second half.
Catawba (2-2, 0-2 SAC) turned the ball over on its first two possessions. On the second play of the game, Brown's pass was deflected at the line and intercepted by defensive lineman Jamichael Wilson as Pioneers started at the CAT 29. But the Pioneers would find itself behind the chain on its opening drive and would be forced to punt. But on the second play of that possession, TU nose guard and reigning SAC Defensive Player of the Week Dajavon White, forced a fumble and was recovered by Jordan Taylor at the CAT 21.
Tusculum capitalized this time as Palazzo completed a six-yard touchdown toss to Thorpe at the 10:17 mark of the quarter. John Aiden Pittman's extra point was good as TU led 7-0.
With Tusculum on the move again, Palazzo was intercepted by Juice Martin as Catawba had its first takeaway of the game and took over at the TU 33. Brown threw three incomplete passes as the team went for it on fourth down. Brown completed a pass to Jordan Mitchell who had the first down, but Adrian Robinson punched the ball out and was recovered by Wesley Scott who returned the fumble to the TU 17.
Tusculum went 83 yards in nine plays culminating with Hunt's 24-yard run to end zone with 13:48 left in the half and a 14-0 TU lead.
Brown was intercepted for a second time in the half as Robinson picked off a pass on the sideline as the Pioneers gained the possession at the CAT 49 with 5:25 to go in the quarter. Palazzo completed a 15-yard pass to Robustelli to the CAT 34. Five straight carries by Hunt got the Pioneers to the one-yard line. On fourth-and-goal, Palazzo called his own number and ran it in from there to extend the Tusculum advantage to 21-0.
With 1:40 left in the half, Preston Brown was intercepted by Tusculum's Ty'Korian Brown at the TU 44. It was his second straight game with a pick and sixth of his career, tied for 10th most in school history.
The Pioneers went three-and-out and were forced to punt. Three Catawba penalties and a sack by White had the Indians third-down and 18 from their own one yard-line with 45 seconds remaining. Catawba punter Vraj Patel's kick was fumbled by Tusculum and recovered at midfield by Catawba's Anton Popov with 37 seconds left. The Indians got to the TU 26 before time ran out to end the first half.
Tusculum had the opening possession of the second half and advanced to mid-field. But Palazzo would be intercepted by Deno Wardlow who returned the pick 15 yards to the CAT 40. Catawba cashed in on the TU miscue as Brown completed a 49-yard TD toss to Pryor. Bryson Sims extra-point made it a 21-7 game at the 10:05 mark of the quarter.
The Pioneers answered with a methodical 14-play, 74-yard drive which took nearly five minutes off the clock. Tusculum converted on third-down three times including Palazzo's six-yard touchdown jaunt to extend the lead to 28-7.
Catawba held the ball for the remainder of the third quarter and got a 10-yard run from Williams on the second play of the fourth period to make it a 28-14 score with 14:11 left.
Catawba attempted a pooch kick on the ensuing kick-off bbut was recovered by Tusculum at the TU 40. Later in the drive on third down and seven, Robustelli got behind the Catawba secondary and hauled in a 47-yard touchdown strike from Palazzo for a 35-14 lead with under 12 minutes to go.
The Catawba Indians scored on its third straight possession Brown completed a 16-yard pass to Malcolm Wilson and later followed with a 17-yard toss to LJ Turner to get to the TU 5. Two plays later, Pryor caught a six-yard scoring pass from Brown with 8:37 left to trail 35-21.
An on-side kick was recovered by Tusculum as the hosts look to milk some time off the clock. The Pioneers rank six straight running plays as TU moved to the CAT 24 as the Indians called a timeout with 5:16 left. Palazzo ran up the middle but Catawba's Christian Bennett dislodged the ball and was recovered by teammate Chase Rogers at the CAT 14.
Down by two scores, the Indians marched into Tusculum territory and completions of 14 and 20 yards to Pryor moved the football to the TU 22 with two minutes left. But a false start penalty and two quarterback sacks including one by Johnson on third down set up a fourth-and-28 from the 40. Brown's pass fell incomplete to end the game.
TU finished with 23 first downs and went 8-of-13 on its third-down conversions. Catawba had 21 first downs and went 7-of-16 on third down but was near perfect in the second half going 5-of-6.
Patel finished the game averaging 42.8 yards on his four punts as he had two downed inside the 20. TU's Nicholas Pope averaged 34.5 yards on his four punts including one pinned inside the 20.
Tusculum will host Barton College next Saturday for a 2 p.m. contest at Pioneer Field. TU will be kicking off Breast Cancer Awareness Month for the Sep. 30 game and all fans are encouraged to wear pink.
