GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum Pioneers return to action this weekend when the Sons of Davy Crockett battle the UVA Wise Highland Cavaliers for Homecoming 2023.
The Pioneers (3-3, 3-1 SAC) picked up a hard-fought 27-21 victory at arch-rival Carson-Newman last Saturday for Tusculum's first win in Jefferson City in 89 years.
For TU head coach Jerry Odom, who is in his eighth season at the helm of the Pioneer program, it was his fifth win over the Eagles in seven meetings as Tusculum posted its first road victory over C-N since Oct. 20, 1934.
Sophomore quarterback Matthew Palazzo led the day with his career-best 370 passing yards and four touchdowns including two TD tosses each to Jalen Hunt and Joe Robustelli. The Tusculum defense also forced four turnovers including three interceptions.
The Pioneers are tied with Mars Hill atop the South Atlantic Conference Mountain Division standings at 3-1.
Ever since opening the season with a 48-0 pounding of Union (Ky.), UVA Wise (1-5, 0-4 SAC) has dropped five in a row including last Saturday's 41-24 Homecoming loss to Emory & Henry in the Southwest Virginia Bowl.
The Cavs surrendered three dramatic special teams plays including two kickoff returns for touchdowns and a blocked punt.
Greeneville, Tennessee native Jaevon Gillespie was the bright spot for UVA Wise as the Greeneville High School alum rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns as he anchored a ground attack that produced 251 rushing yards.
THE SERIES
The 14th renewal of the Tusculum / UVA Wise football series will be held this week in Greeneville.
Tusculum holds a 7-6 edge in the series as the Pioneers have won five of the last six meetings including three in a row including last year's 10-9 win at UVA Wise.
September 7, 1991 was a monumental date for both football programs. For Tusculum, it was the program's first game in 41 years since the University dropped the sport in 1950. For UVA Wise (then Clinch Valley College), it was the first football game in its school's history. The Cavaliers came away with a 13-8 victory.
Tusculum went 0-10 during that 1991 campaign, but the Pioneers answered in its 1992 season-opener and a rematch with UVA Wise in Greeneville where TU came away with a 24-13 victory on Sept. 5, the program's first win since the sport's reinstatement.
UVA Wise won the 1993 meeting 37-31, before Tusculum answered with a 34-31 win in 1994 at Pioneer Field. The Cavaliers ran a string of three consecutive victories, including back-to-back wins in Greeneville.
TU has also won four in a row in Wise. UVA Wise's last win in the series was in 2016 as the Cavs gutted out a 13-10 double-overtime win over Tusculum in Greeneville.
The 2016 meeting was the head coaching debuts for both Tusculum's Jerry Odom and UVA Wise's Dane Damron.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
After an 0-2 start to the 2023 season, the Tusculum Pioneers have won three of its first four South Atlantic Conference contests including the road victory at Carson-Newman.
Tusculum opened with three consecutive road games resulting in a loss to future NCAA-FBS and Conference USA foe Kennesaw State, along with a 21-17 setback at current undefeated and 24th ranked Virginia State.
The Pioneers answered with a 23-21 signature win at Wingate and followed with a convincing 35-21 home win over Catawba. Tusculum rallied with 14 second half points against red-hot Barton, but a last second field goal sent the surging Bulldogs to a 17-14 win in Greeneville.
After not forcing a turnover in the season opener at Kennesaw, the Pioneers have bounced back with a vengeance and have accounted for a SAC-high 14 takeaways (15th in NCAA II). TU's 11 interceptions are first in the conference and ninth in NCAA Division II. Tusculum is averaging 3.67 sacks per game this season which is the seventh-best average in DII and second in the league.
Junior linebacker Wesley Scott leads the SAC with his 54 tackles (9.0 tpg - 19th in NCAA II). He is tied for the team-lead with eight tackles for loss (7th in SAC) including a team-high five sacks (3rd in SAC / 30th in NCAA II), forced a fumble and recovered another to earn SAC Defensive Player of the Week recognition.
In 2022, Scott led the Pioneers with his 96 total tackles earning him All-Conference first team honors. Including his two years at Keiser University, he has amassed 269 tackles in his 37-game career including 150 stops as a Pioneer (17 games).
Junior linebacker Earnest Johnson III is third in the league with his 49 tackles (48th in NCAA II) including seven for loss and three sacks. He leads the team with his seven quarterback hurries including a career-high four last week at Carson-Newman. The Preseason All-Conference selection has made 129 tackles in his 30 career games including 23 for loss.
All-SAC defensive back Ryan Dolce leads the team with his passes defended which are second in the conference and 20th nationally. He posted a career-best six pass break-ups last week against Carson-Newman which are tied for the second-most in program history.
Dolce is third at TU with 46 tackles including a SAC-high 32 solo hits (16th in NCAA II). The University of New Haven transfer recorded a career-high 11 tackles two weeks ago against Barton. In his three collegiate seasons he has totaled 145 career tackles.
Senior defensive back Jermaine Witherspoon is fourth on the squad with 31 tackles including seven passes defended (6th in SAC / 40th in NCAA II) with two interceptions and five break-ups. He has been credited with 154 tackles in his collegiate career while his eight interceptions are tied for sixth in TU history. His 21 career passes defended (8 INT, 13 PB) are ranked in school history.
Dajavon White, a 2022 All-SAC first team selection on the defensive line, has made 27 tackles this year with a team-best eight behind the line of scrimmage (7th in SAC) with four sacks including one resulting in a safety at Wingate. He was named the SAC Defensive Player of the Week. He had three tackles for loss last week at Carson-Newman including his 15th career sack which are the eighth-most in school history.
Redshirt freshman Gavin Rowell is fifth on the roster with his 26 tackles including a team-best eight for loss (7th in SAC). He tallied seven stops at Wingate including a sack for a safety. He followed with six tackles against Catawba including two for loss and a sack.
All-SAC defensive lineman Joslyn Mira is seventh on the team with 25 total tackles including four for loss with three sacks and four QB hurries. Mira has recorded 82 career tackles in his 28 games as a Pioneer.
Senior cornerback Ty'Korian Brown has recorded an interception in four straight games including one last week at Carson-Newman. He becomes only the second Pioneer to achieve the feat joining All-American and Harlon Hill Trophy finalist Ricardo Colclough who posted a pick in the final four games of the 2003 season. His four picks are first in the SAC and seventh nationally. Brown's 28 career passes defended are the seventh-most in school history while his eight career interceptions are tied for sixth. In his 34 career outings, he has been credited with 99 total tackles.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Matthew Palazzo has posted a 3-1 record in his first four starts under center this season with wins over Wingate, Catawba and Carson-Newman. He has passed for 968 yards averaging 242 yards per game in SAC contests (3rd in SAC). His 60.3 completion percentage is third in the conference where he has passed for eight touchdowns (3rd in SAC) including four last Saturday at Carson-Newman.
In the win at C-N, Palazzo threw for a career-best 370 yards going 26-for-39 with two interceptions. He has rushed for 93 yards this with a team-best five TD carries (3rd in SAC / 46th in NCAA II). He is averaging 15.8 completions per game (3rd in SAC) and has completed a pass to 14 different receivers this year.
He rushed for a pair of scores and threw a game-winning 46-yard TD pass with 2:59 remaining in a 23-21 win at Wingate, TU's first road win over the Bulldogs since 2014.
The top target for the Pioneers this season continues to be junior Tyler Burke. He has made 28 catches (6th in SAC) for 392 yards (6th in SAC) and two touchdowns. He established career highs with seven receptions for 151 receiving yards at Carson-Newman.
The 2022 All-SAC honoree has played in 27 career games, recording 86 catches for 1175 yards (23rd in TU history) with 10 touchdowns. For his career on special teams, he is averaging 26.5 yards per kickoff return and posted a school-record 100-yarder in his 2021 rookie campaign against Carson-Newman.
Senior Joe Robustelli is second on the team with his 14 grabs for 234 yards with a TU-high three touchdown receptions (7th in SAC). In this year's home opener, he made five catches for 88 yards and a touchdown against Catawba. Last week, he tallied five receptions for 89 yards including a pair of TDs.
Kemani Brown is third on the team roster with 13 receptions for 167 yards and a touchdown, coming two weeks ago against Barton. He made four grabs for 70 yards including an eight-yard TD from Palazzo for Tusculum's first score.
Freshman Tyreik Thorpe is fourth on the team with his 10 receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Running back Jalen Hunt has rushed for 258 yards on his 60 carries for a 4.3 average. He ran for a season-best 86 yards with a touchdown against Catawba. He's also made seven receptions for 21 yards including his two TD grabs last week in the win against Carson-Newman.
Freshman Jojo Restall is second on the team with his 182 rushing yards on 32 attempts (5.7 ypc). He ran for season-best 79 yards on 13 carries against Catawba.
All-Conference tackle Ben Shellenback anchors the offensive line for the Black and Orange. The 6-5, 300-pound graduate student has been a starter in the TU trenches for the past three years.
Sophomore Levi Gould has been the starting center for the Pioneers in the season's first five outings. The 6-2, 280-pound product has made 16 appearances on the line with 14 career starts.
Adrian Gumm (6-5, 295) and Reggie Jackson (6-5, 280) are set to make their sixth straight starts this week.
Veteran tight end Will Shellenback has 34 games under his collegiate belt where he has made 29 receptions for 320 yards and four touchdowns. In 2023, he has posted seven catches for 77 yards.
Sophomore Reginald Hunter has posted six receptions for 57 yards including a 39-yard performance at Wingate including his 25-yard reception to set up a short TD run for Palazzo for Tusculum's second touchdown.
Shorter University transfer Nicholas Pope has emerged as TU's starting punter and is averaging 39.6 yards per boot which is sixth in the league. His 11 punts inside the 20 are tied for second in the SAC while is 18 fair catches are the most in the conference. Pope played four seasons at Shorter where he did double-duty as placekicker and punter. In his SU career he has totaled 122 points including 19 field goals and 68 extra points.
Last week at Carson-Newman, he averaged 44.2 yards per punt with two inside the 20 with a long of 52 yards. He also connected on all three of his extra point attempts.
Junior placekicker John Aiden Pittman has made 53-of-58 of his career extra points for a school-record .914 PAT percentage which is the third-best in program history. Last season, he was a perfect 15-of-15 on extra points and made 29 in a row before his streak ended against Barton. He scored five points at Virginia State including a career-long 35-yard field goal.
Junior Josh Curray is in his third season as Tusculum's long-snapper. He earned All-SAC Mountain Division recognition last year and earned a spot on the Academic All-District team.
Eddie Watson is Tusculum's starting punt returner as he established a single-season record with 32 return attempts, which were the most in the country (NCAA II) in 2022. The 2023 Preseason All-SAC Mountain Division honoree averaged 9.47 yards per punt return (3rd in SAC / 21st in NCAA II) including a 61-yarder for a touchdown in last year's home-opener. This year, he has returned eight punts for a 8.0 yards per return average (5th in SAC / 34th in NCAA II).
Senior Marquel Pittman has been TU's top kickoff returner this season. He is averaging 21.2 yards on his eight returns in 2023 with a long of 36 yards. Pittman returned a 96-yarder for a touchdown against Erskine last season. He has been showcasing his speed on the TU track team where he earned All-America, All-Region and All-SAC distinction as a sprinter.
TICKETS
Fans may purchase tickets on-line through HomeTown Ticketing on the Tusculum Athletic web site at: www.TusculumPioneers.com/information/tickets.
All ticket purchases (on-line and in-person) are CREDIT CARD ONLY. Cash WILL NOT be accepted at the gate. Gates open this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Admission for Tusculum home football games is $15 for all entrants. Admission is $10 for adults 65 and older and for children ages 6-12. Children 5 and under will be admitted free. Tusculum students will be admitted free and valid Tusculum ID is required.
Spectators using HomeTown Ticketing can choose to print tickets at home or use mobile entry tickets at the gate.
GAME PROGRAMS
Game programs will be on-sale at both the North and South entrances of Pioneer Field. Cost is $3 and sales are CARD ONLY.
PARKING
Parking for Tusculum football games is FREE and on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Tusculum fans are asked to utilize the main stadium parking lot behind Pioneer Field and Pioneer Park as well as other available parking lots on campus.
VISITING FANS are asked to utilize the South parking lot by the Indoor Practice Facility. Visiting fans will have easier access to the South Entrance and the visiting grandstand area.
Fans are asked to utilize the clearly marked spots in the parking lot. Parking is not permitted at curbside or in grass areas.
FOLLOW THE GAME
If you can't make it to Saturday's game, fans can watch the action on-line at www.TusculumPioneers.com on the Pioneer Sports Network and FloSports.com, the official video stream provider of the South Atlantic Conference.
The "Voice of the Pioneers" Brian Stayton along with Joe Byrd will describe all the action the radio pre-game show beginning at 1 p.m.
The radio call of the game will be available locally on WSMG Radio on 95.5 FM and 1450 AM, as well as online at https://jewel955.com/listenlive.
