GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The South Atlantic Conference Mountain Division title and a berth in next week's SAC Championship Game is at stake as the Tusculum Pioneers host 25th-ranked Mars Hill at Pioneer Field.
For a second straight year, the Division crown will be decided when the Pioneers and the Lions square off for the 40th time on the gridiron. Last year, it was Mars Hill who prevailed in a hard-fought 34-27 victory at Meares Stadium.
The Pioneers (5-4, 5-2 SAC) are coming off a 52-14 road win at winless Erskine College as TU scored on its first seven possessions and racked up 487 offensive yards.
Mars Hill (7-1, 6-1 SAC) is riding a four-game winning streak including last week's 49-24 home win over UVA Wise. The Lions raced out to a 35-0 halftime lead as quarterback JR Martin accounted for 329 of MHU's 403 offensive yards for the game. Martin was responsible for five touchdowns (2 pass, 3 rush) as he went 10-of-14 for 252 passing yards and rushed for 77 yards on six carries.
Tusculum and Mars Hill will meet at Pioneer Field for the first time since 2019. The last three encounters have been played at Mars Hill with the Lions winning the last two meetings with the Black and Orange.
THE SERIES
The 40th renewal of the Tusculum/Mars Hill football series will be held this week as the Pioneers hosts their cross-mountain rival for the first time since 2019. Tusculum leads the series 22-15-2.
Since 2000, the Pioneers have won 15 of the last 23 meetings with the Lions. MHU captured a thrilling 23-20 overtime win in the 2012 meeting. In 2010, the Lions outlasted TU in a shootout, 45-39. Prior to that, TU rattled off seven consecutive wins in the series, including three times at Mars Hill.
Tusculum won seven of the first eight games in the series that started in 1922. The Lions posted eight consecutive victories from 1936 to 1999 (Teams did not meet on the gridiron from 1939-1993).
From 2000-2009, Tusculum went 9-1 against the Lions, including a stretch of seven in a row from 2003-2009. MHU won three straight from 2010-2012.
Twenty-one (21) of the 39 previous meetings have been decided by seven points or less.
WHAT'S ON THE LINE
This week's clash between Tusculum and Mars Hill will pit the top two teams in the SAC Mountain Division. The winner will earn the right to host next week's conference championship game against the Piedmont Division champion.
The Mountain Division side of the league bracket is simple... the winner of the Tusculum/Mars Hill game advances.
On the Piedmont side, one of three teams could claim the division title and a berth in the conference title game.
Lenoir-Rhyne (8-1, 6-1 SAC) controls its own destiny; a win over rival Catawba and the Bears will claim the Piedmont title.
Limestone (6-3, 6-1 SAC) can claim the division with a win at Barton, along with a L-R loss to Catawba.
Wingate (6-3, 5-2 SAC) also has a chance to punch its ticket for the SAC Championship game, but it would need a win at Newberry and losses by both Lenoir-Rhyne and Limestone to force a three-way tie at 6-2. Wingate would win the tiebreaker and advance to the championship game. The three teams are all 1-1 head to head; however, Wingate would have a 3-0 record against the other teams in the division not involved in the tiebreaker and both Limestone and Lenoir-Rhyne would be 2-1.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
The Pioneers played its first three games on the road to open the 2023 campaign and got off to a 0-2 start with a 38-7 loss to future Conference USA member Kennesaw State. TU followed with a 21-17 loss at Virginia State, who are ranked 22nd in the nation.
The Pioneers overcame the sluggish beginning of the campaign and responded with a 23-21 win at Wingate and followed with a convincing 35-21 home victory over Catawba. Tusculum rallied with 14 second half points against Barton, but a last second field goal sent Bulldogs to a 17-14 win in Greeneville.
Tusculum bounced back with a 27-21 win at arch-rival Carson-Newman for the Pioneers' first victory in Jefferson City in 89 years. TU posted its second straight victory with its convincing 35-7 win over UVA Wise.
Tusculum jumped out to a 14-0 lead at Emory & Henry, but seven turnovers including five interceptions doomed the Pioneers as the Wasps defeated the Pioneers 27-24 in overtime. TU bounced back with a decisive 52-14 win over Erskine.
The Tusculum defense is amongst the national leaders in takeaways forcing a SAC-leading 18 turnovers, which are also 33rd in the nation. TU has recovered three fumbles and have recorded a SAC-leading 15 interceptions, which are the ninth-most in the country.
Tusculum is averaging 3.22 sacks per game this year which is the ninth-best average in Division II and third in the league. TU is also third in the conference in team tackles for loss (7.9 tpg - 19th in NCAA II) and fourth in total defense (297.9 ypg - 37th in NCAA II).
Junior All-SAC linebacker Wesley Scott leads the team with his 68 tackles (7.6 tpg - 5th in SAC). He is tied for second on the team with 10 tackles for loss including a team-high five sacks.
Including his two years at Keiser University, he has amassed 283 career tackles in his 40-game career including 164 stops as a Pioneer (20 games).
Junior linebacker Earnest Johnson III is ninth in the league with his 62 tackles including a team-high 12 for loss and four sacks. He leads the team with his eight quarterback hurries including a career-high four at Carson-Newman. He has made 142 tackles in his 33 career games including 28 tackles for loss.
All-SAC defensive back Ryan Dolce leads the team with his 10 passes defended which are third in the conference and 41st in NCAA II. He posted a career-best six pass break-ups against Carson-Newman which are tied for the second-most in program history.
Dolce is third at TU with 53 tackles including a team-high 36 solo hits (7th in SAC). The University of New Haven transfer recorded a career-high 11 tackles against Barton and in his three collegiate seasons he has totaled 152 career tackles.
Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Gavin Rowell is fourth on the roster with his 41 tackles including 10 for loss. 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. He also made six tackles two weeks ago at Emory & Henry with a sack.
Senior defensive back Jermaine Witherspoon is fifth on the team with 39 tackles including nine passes defended (5th in SAC) with three interceptions (5th in SAC) and six break-ups. He has been credited with 162 tackles in his collegiate career while his nine interceptions are tied for fourth in TU history with Cameron Thomas (2013-16), Jay Boyd (2016-18) and current TU teammate Ty'Korian Brown. His 23 career passes defended (9 INT, 14 PB) are ranked 10th in school history.
Junior Dajavon White, a 2022 All-SAC first team defensive lineman, has made 36 tackles this year with 10 behind the line of scrimmage and four sacks including one resulting in a safety at Wingate. He has been credited with 94 tackles in his 30-game career including 33 tackles for loss with 15 sacks which are the eighth-most in school history.
All-SAC defensive lineman Joslyn Mira is seventh on the team with 35 total tackles including seven for loss with four sacks and four QB hurries. Mira has recorded 92 career tackles in his 31 games.
Senior cornerback Ty'Korian Brown leads the conference with his five interceptions, which are the seventh in NCAA II. He has recorded an interception in five of his last seven games including his ninth career pick two weeks ago at Emory & Henry. He posted an interception in four straight games this season matching the feat by TU All-American and NFL standout Ricardo Colclough during the 2003 season.
Brown's 31 career passes defended are tied for the fifth-most in school history with former TU standout (Rashaun Strickland, 1998-2001), while his nine career interceptions are tied for fourth in the TU record book. Brown's 10 passes defended this year are tied for first on the team, third in the conference and 25th in NCAA II. In his 37 career outings, he has been credited with 104 total tackles.
The Tusculum offense, which averaged 261 yards per game in its first three games of 2023, the Pioneers have been putting up 427 yards per game ever since. TU has surpassed 400 yards offensively in each of its last four outings including five of its last six. TU posted a season-best 487 yards last week at Erskine.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Matthew Palazzo has been the Pioneers starting signal caller in the last seven games where he has a 5-2 record with SAC victories over Wingate, Catawba, Carson-Newman, UVA Wise and Erskine.
He has passed for 1,772 yards, averaging 253.1 yards per game in SAC contests (3rd in SAC). His 17.5 points responsible per game average leads the SAC and is 16th in NCAA II. He has passed for 17 touchdowns (3rd in SAC / 29th in NCAA II) including 13 in his last four outings (4 vs Carson-Newman, 3 vs UVA Wise, 3 vs Emory & Henry, 3 vs Erskine).
But two weeks ago in the Emory & Henry game, Palazzo was picked off a school-record five times including an interception to end the game in a 27-24 overtime loss to the Wasps. He has completed 55.8 percent of his passes this year.
Palazzo threw for a career-best 370 yards going 26-for-39 with four touchdowns and two interceptions at Carson-Newman earlier this month. He threw for 314 yards with three touchdowns and also ran for a TD in Tusculum's Homecoming win over UVA Wise last month.
The top target in the Pioneer aerial attack this season continues to be junior Tyler Burke. The All-SAC pick has made 44 receptions (4th in SAC / 43rd in NCAA II) for 632 yards (5th in SAC / 36th in NCAA II) and four touchdowns (9th in SAC). He established career highs with seven receptions for 151 receiving yards at Carson-Newman. He followed with five grabs for 115 yards and two more touchdowns, including a 70-yard TD catch vs UVA Wise.
The 2022 All-SAC honoree has played in 30 career games, recording 102 receptions for 1,415 yards (15th in TU history) with 12 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 20 grabs for 475 yards with a TU-high six touchdown receptions (4th in SAC / 36th in NCAA II). In this year's home opener, he made five catches for 88 yards and a touchdown against Catawba. He tallied five receptions for 89 yards including a pair of TDs. In the UVA Wise game, he posted a 114 yards including a 73-yard TD reception. At Emory & Henry, he added two more touchdown grabs as he finished the game with a season-high 127 yards including a 68-yard TD reception. He did not play last week at Erskine.
Running back Jalen Hunt has rushed for 387 yards on his 93 carries for a 4.2 average. He ran for a season-best 86 yards with a touchdown against Catawba. He's also made 12 receptions for 31 yards including his two TD catches against Carson-Newman.
Freshman Jojo Restall is second on the team with his 352 rushing yards on 56 attempts (6.5 ypc). He ran for season-best 79 yards on 13 carries against Catawba. He had a 67-yard performance at Emory & Henry.
Veteran tight end Will Shellenback has 37 games under his collegiate belt where he has made 30 receptions for 330 yards and four touchdowns. In 2023, he has posted eight catches for 87 yards.
Sophomore tight end Reginald Hunter has posted seven receptions for 62 yards including his first collegiate touchdown at Emory & Henry.
Shorter University transfer Nicholas Pope has shined TU's starting punter this season and has emerged as the team's placekicker for extra points and field goals with the injury to veter John Aiden Pittman.
Pope is averaging 39.4 yards per punt which is fifth in the league. His 14 punts inside the 20 are tied for third in the SAC while is 24 fair catches are the most in the conference. Pope played four seasons at Shorter where he did double-duty as placekicker and punter.
During his collegiate career at Tusculum and Shorter, Pope has totaled 139 points including 22 field goals and 79 extra points. This year at Tusculum, he has tallied 17 points going 11-of-11 on extra points and 2-of-2 on field goals.
Redshirt freshman Harrison Baltzell has been handling the kickoff duties for the Pioneers the last three games.
Senior 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 CSC Academic All-District team.
SCOUTING MARS HILL
The Mars Hill Lions provide the competition for this week's titanic clash for the South Atlantic Conference Mountain Division title.
Mars Hill is enjoying one of its best seasons in recent memory and are off to a 7-1 start including 6-1 in the league.
The Lions enter this week's game ranked 25th in both the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll and the D2Football.com Media Poll. MHU is also listed sixth in this week's NCAA Division II Super Region 2 Poll.
Mars Hill opened the season with three straight victories including a 15-10 non-conference win over Wingate and followed with SAC wins over Catawba and Barton.
The only blemish on the MHU slate is a 27-23 loss at Limestone. The Lions have won four straight over Erskine (38-3), Emory & Henry (24-14), Carson-Newman (21-17) and last weekend over UVA Wise (49-24).
Mars Hill provides a balanced attack with a reliable offense and a strong defense, sprinkled with solid special teams play for head coach Tim Clifton, who is in his 31st season with the Lions.
The Lions are ranked second in the SAC in scoring defense allowing just 15.4 points per game (14th in NCAA II). They are third in the league in total defense (283.9 ypg - 32nd in NCAA II) and are tops in the SAC with three defensive touchdowns (12th in NCAA II).
Offensively, Mars Hill is fourth in the league in scoring offense (27.6 ppg) and fifth in total offense (380.0 ypg).
Senior quarterback JR Martin leads the MHU offense where is averaging 193.6 passing yards per game (4th in SAC) and has completed 13 TD passes with only three interceptions. He has completed nearly 60 percent of his passes (112-for-118). He is a two-way threat where he is rushing with 433 yards on 81 carries for 54.1 yards per game average and has rushed for five touchdowns.
Running back Jon Gullette leads the team with his 696 rushing yards and two touchdowns. His 87.0 yards per game average is fourth in the SAC and 30th in NCAA II. He scored two receiving touchdowns last week vs UVA Wise as he made three catches for 106 yards. He also rushed for a touchdown to give him four total on the season.
Malik Laurent in the team's top receiver where he has made 40 catches for 543 yards and three touchdowns. Beau DeBerry is second on the roster with his 21 receptions for 287 yards and four touchdowns. Simeon Thompson leads the team with five TD grabs while posting 16 receptions for 369 yards.
Mars Hill has the league's top tackler in linebacker Landon Honeycutt who has made 80 tackles (12th in NCAA II) with seven stops for loss and three sacks.
Damipi Lamboni leads the SAC with his 13 tackles for loss (14th in NCAA II) along with a league-most eight sacks (6th in NCAA II).
Tristan Rankin leads the secondary where he has recorded 12 passes defended (1st in SAC/17th in NCAA II).
Punter Hunter Bridges is fourth in the conference with his 40.6 yards per punt average (28th in NCAA II).
Kicker Lon Teachey is the Lions leading scorer with 43 points including 25-of-27 in extra points and 6-of-11 in field goals.
SPORTS HALL OF FAME / SAC CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM REUNION
Tusculum University will be honoring some special alumni and former administrators this Saturday at the Tusculum / Mars Hill game.
Tusculum will be honoring the 2023 induction class of the Sports Hall of Fame and will also welcome back its football alumni, highlighted by the reunions of the 2003 and 2008 South Atlantic Conference championship teams who are celebrating their 15th and 20th anniversaries of their title seasons.
Four new members will be inducted to the Tusculum Sports Hall of Fame including former football coach and athletic director Frankie DeBusk, former major league pitcher and U.S. Olympian Brandon Dickson, cross country running great Dr. Simon Holzapfel and All-American volleyball libero Caitlyn Dean Smith.
The Sports Hall of Fame Breakfast will be held at the Chalmers Conference Center in the Niswonger Student Commons beginning at 8:30 a.m. this Saturday morning. The Hall of Fame inductees will also be recognized at halftime of the football game.
The 2003 and 2008 Tusculum football teams will have a reunion tailgate on the concourse of Pioneer Park (baseball stadium), located adjacent to the football stadium. The reunion tailgate will begin at 11 a.m.
Members of the 2003 and 2008 SAC Championship football teams will be recognized during pre-game ceremonies at the stadium.
To RSVP or to receive more information about Sports Hall of Fame Weekend and/or the 2003 & 2008 SAC Championship Team Reunion, please contact Robert Zirkle, Director of Athletic Development at (423) 636-7331 or email: rzirkle@tusculum.edu or pioneerclub@tusculum.edu.
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 11:30 a.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 12 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.
