GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum Pioneers will be vying for its fourth South Atlantic Conference Championship and fifth league title overall when they host nationally-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne this week at the Niswonger Sports Complex and Pioneer Field. Saturday afternoon's kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. (ET)
Saturday will also be Senior Day as 24 football student-athletes will be recognized in pre-game ceremonies which are slated to begin at 3:30 p.m.
For the second time in four years, the Pioneers and Bears will be battling for the league title. The two teams met in the SAC spring title game in 2021 as Tusculum came away with a 28-23 win at Moretz Stadium in Hickory, North Carolina.
Tusculum (6-4, 6-2 SAC) claimed its second SAC Mountain Division crown with last week's thrilling 29-27 double-overtime win over Mars Hill at Pioneer Field. TU overcame a 14-0 second half deficit and got the game-winner on the brother-to-brother two-point conversion when Kemani Brown completed a pass to Zaron Collins.
Lenoir-Rhyne (9-1, 7-1) continued its mastery at home with last week's 28-7 victory over arch-rival Catawba to claim the top spot in the SAC Piedmont Division. The Bears are ranked 15th in this week's AFCA Coaches' Poll and 13th in the D2Football.com Media Poll. But more importantly, L-R is listed fourth in the NCAA Super Region 2 and have all but clinched a spot in next week's DII Playoffs.
THE SERIES
For the 27th time since 1924, Tusculum and Lenoir-Rhyne will square off on the collegiate gridiron. Lenoir-Rhyne owns a 15-11 edge in the series winning 12 of the last 14 match-ups. The Bears had posted eight straight wins over Tusculum until TU snapped that run with a 28-23 win in the 2021 Spring SAC Championship game in Hickory.
Lenoir-Rhyne won the first meeting of the series on Nov. 15, 1924 as the Bears blanked Tusculum 6-0 at College Field in Hickory. The two teams wouldn't meet again until 74 years later at Pioneer Field as Tusculum posted its third straight win to open the 1998 season with a 20-5 home victory over the Bears.
L-R won the first South Atlantic Conference meeting in 1999 in Hickory when Ryan Wilson scored the game-winning TD with 4:09 left in the game in a 21-14 L-R win in Hickory. Tusculum got its first league win over the Bears the following season when D.J. Starling blocked a 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter as the Pioneers held on for a 10-9 win in the first game at the newly renovated Pioneer Field (Sep. 30, 2000).
The Tusculum win sparked five straight victories over the Bears from 2000-2004 and a stretch where the Pioneers went 8-1 over Lenoir-Rhyne in a nine-year span.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
With last week's victory over Mars Hill, Tusculum (6-4) has clinched back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the 2007 (6-5) and 2008 (9-4) campaigns.
With one goal crossed off its list in capturing the Mountain Division title, the Pioneers will set its sights on claiming its fourth SAC title since joining the conference in 1998.
The Pioneers played its first three games on the road to open the season and got off to an 0-2 start with losses at future Conference USA member Kennesaw State (38-7) and previously nationally-ranked Virginia State (21-17).
The Pioneers were staring at an 0-3 start, but sophomore quarterback Matthew Palazzo took over for the injured Preston Roberts and led the Black & Orange to a stunning 23-21 win at 24th-ranked Wingate.
TU followed with a convincing 35-21 home victory over Catawba. Tusculum erased a two-touchdown deficit with 14 second half points against Barton, but a last second field goal sent the 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 Homecoming win over UVA Wise.
Tusculum jumped out to a 14-0 lead at Emory & Henry, but seven turnovers including five interceptions as the Pioneers fell to the Wasps, 27-24 in overtime. TU answered with consecutive wins over Erskine (52-14) and Mars Hill Hill to close out divisional play.
The Tusculum defense is amongst the national leaders in takeaways forcing a SAC-leading 22 turnovers, which are also 16th in the nation. TU has recovered five fumbles and have recorded a SAC-leading 17 interceptions, which are the fifth-most in the country and fourth highest in a TU single-season.
Tusculum is averaging 3.40 sacks per game this year which is the sixth-best average in Division II and second in the league. TU is also third in the conference in team tackles for loss (8.1 tpg - 13th in NCAA II) and fourth in total defense (303.7 ypg - 41st in NCAA II).
Senior All-SAC linebacker Wesley Scott leads the team with his 75 tackles (7.5 tpg - 7th in SAC). He is second on the team with 11 tackles for loss including a team-high six sacks.
Including his two seasons at Keiser University, he has amassed 290 career tackles in his 41-game career including 171 stops as a Pioneer (21 games).
Junior linebacker Earnest Johnson III is second on the team with his 67 tackles including a team-high 12 for loss and four sacks. He leads the team with his nine quarterback hurries including a career-high four at Carson-Newman. He has made 147 tackles in his 34 career games including 28 tackles for loss.
All-SAC defensive back Ryan Dolce is second on the team with his 10 passes defended which are sixth in the conference. 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 60 tackles including a team-high 43 solo hits (6th 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 159 career tackles. Last week against Mars Hill, Dolce forced a fumble early in the fourth quarter which was scooped up by senior teammate Jermaine Witherspooon for a 23-yard game-tying touchdown. Dolce also recovered a fumble to go along with his seven tackles.
Witherspoon is fourth on the team with 46 tackles including 10 passes defended (6th in SAC) with four interceptions (3rd in SAC / 31st in NCAA II) and six pass break-ups. He has been credited with 171 tackles in his collegiate career while his 10 interceptions are tied for third in TU history with Dee Alford (2016-2019). His 24 career passes defended (10 INT, 14 PB) are ranked 10th in TU history.
Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Gavin Rowell is fifth on the roster with his 43 tackles including 10 for loss and five sacks. 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.
Junior Dajavon White, a 2022 All-SAC first team defensive lineman, has made 39 tackles this year with a team-leading 12 behind the line of scrimmage and a team-best six sacks including one resulting in a safety at Wingate. He has been credited with 97 tackles in his 31-game career including 35 tackles for loss (10th in TU history) with 17 sacks which are tied for sixth-most in school history.
All-SAC defensive lineman Joslyn Mira is seventh on the team with 38 total tackles including eight for loss with four sacks and five QB hurries. Mira has recorded 95 career tackles in his 32 Tusculum games.
Senior cornerback Ty'Korian Brown leads the conference with his five interceptions, which are 11th in NCAA II. He has recorded an interception in five of his last eight 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 32 career passes defended are tied for the fourth-most in school history with former TU standout Cameron Thomas (2013-2016), while his nine career interceptions are tied for fifth in the TU record book. Brown's team-leading 11 passes defended this year are fourth in the conference and 43rd in NCAA II. In his 38 career outings, he has been credited with 109 total tackles.
With the defense forcing turnovers at an unbelievable rate, Tusculum has committed 28 team miscues (20 INT, 8 fumbles lost), which are the worst in NCAA II.
The Tusculum offense, which averaged 261 yards per game in its first three games of 2023, the Pioneers have been putting up 411.3 yards per game ever since. TU has surpassed 400 yards offensively in four of its last five outings. TU posted a season-best 487 yards two weeks ago at Erskine in a 52-14 win.
Matthew Palazzo has been the Pioneers starting signal caller in the last eight games where he has a 6-2 record with SAC victories over No. 24 Wingate, Catawba, Carson-Newman, UVA Wise, Erskine and No. 25 Mars Hill.
He has passed for 1,991 yards, averaging 248.9 yards per game in SAC contests (3rd in SAC). His 17.6 points responsible per game average leads the SAC and is 17th in NCAA II. He has passed for 19 touchdowns (2nd in SAC / 28th in NCAA II) including 15 in his last five outings (4 vs Carson-Newman, 3 vs UVA Wise, 3 vs Emory & Henry, 3 vs Erskine, 2 vs Mars Hill).
Palazzo threw for a career-best 370 yards going 26-for-39 with four touchdowns and two interceptions at Carson-Newman last 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. Last weekend, he passed for two touchdowns and rushed for the game-tying score in the second overtime against Mars Hill.
The top target in the Pioneer aerial attack this season continues to be junior Tyler Burke. The All-SAC pick has made 49 receptions (4th in SAC / 42nd in NCAA II) for 664 yards (5th in SAC / 47th 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 31 career games, recording 107 receptions for 1,415 yards (14th 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 / 48th 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 has not seen action the past two weeks due to injury.
Running back Jalen Hunt has rushed for 414 yards on his 103 carries for a 4.0 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 363 rushing yards on 60 attempts (6.0 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 38 games under his collegiate belt where he has made 32 receptions for 356 yards and five touchdowns including one last week in overtime against Mars Hill. In 2023, he has posted 10 catches for 113 yards and a touchdown.
Sophomore tight end Reginald Hunter has posted eight receptions for 74 yards including his first collegiate touchdown at Emory & Henry last month.
Shorter University transfer Nicholas Pope has shined as TU's starting punter this season and has emerged as the team's placekicker for extra points and field goals.
Pope is averaging 39.5 yards per punt which is fifth in the league. His 16 punts inside the 20 are tied for third in the SAC while is 29 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 142 points including 22 field goals and 82 extra points. This year at Tusculum, he has tallied 20 points going 14-of-14 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.
Junior placekicker John Aiden Pittman has gone 58-of-63 for his career extra point tries for a .921 PAT percentage which is the fifth-best in program history. He scored five points at Virginia State including a career-long 35-yard field goal. He went a perfect 5-of-5 on his PAT tries last month in the Homecoming win over UVA Wise.
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.
SENIOR DAY
Twenty-four (24) members of the Tusculum University football team will be making their final home appearances at Pioneer Field on Saturday. This year's Senior Class includes: Dexler Benjamin, Lanadrick Bradley, Jordan Brown, Ty'Korian Brown, Josh Curray, Ryan Dolce, Colton Edwards, Jordon Harmon, Raynell Killian, Joe Lock, Michael McFayden, Joslyn Mira, Bryce Moore, Marquel Pittman, Nicholas Pope, Adrian Robinson, Andrae Robinson, Joe Robustelli, Wesley Scott, Ben Shellenback, Will Shellenback, Chris Smith, John Smith and Jamichael Wilson.
SCOUTING LENOIR-RHYNE
The Lenoir-Rhyne Bears provide the competition for this week's South Atlantic Conference Championship Game.
The Bears have steamrolled through the 2023 season winning nine games and claimed a share of the SAC Piedmont Division title.
Head coach Mike Jacobs is in his fourth season with the Bears where he has led the Bears to a 28-8 record (.778). He recorded his 70th career win as a head coach with last week's 28-7 victory over Catawba.
Lenoir-Rhyne leads the SAC in 18 statistical categories including nine in the NCAA Division II top-10.
The Bears opened the year with eight consecutive wins including a thrilling 31-28 overtime win at Limestone which would be the tiebreaker with the Saints and send LR to the SAC Championship Game. Lenoir-Rhyne's only blemish on its schedule is a 34-30 loss at Wingate two weeks ago
On the line this week for the Bears is a 10th SAC Championship and 26th league title overall. A berth in the NCAA II Playoffs would be secured and would most likely host a postseason game next week "Between the Bricks."
The Bears lead the SAC in both scoring offense (37.1 ppg - 27th in NCAA II) and scoring defense (10.9 ppg - 3rd in NCAA II). LR is posting 421.0 yards offensively (2nd in SAC / 23rd in NCAA II), while its defense is allowing only 233.2 yards per game (1st in SAC / 6th in NCAA II). The Bears have committed only eight turnovers this season (2nd in SAC / 8th in NCAA II), while forcing 17 miscues (2nd in SAC). LR's +9 turnover margin is tops in the conference and 23rd nationally.
Lenoir-Rhyne boasts the top rushing attack in the conference which churns out 215.2 yards per game (17th in NCAA II), led by running back Dwayne McGee. McGee has recorded two 1,000-yard rushing seasons in his career including this year where he has posted 1.063 yards on the ground (3rd in SAC / 11th in NCAA II). His 7.23 yards per rush average is third in the country and has ran for nine touchdowns (2nd in SAC / 36th in NCAA II). McGee has rushed for over 100 yards six times this year including a season-best 201 yards over UVA Wise.
Quarterback Sean White has also seen playing time under center in eight games this season including a start last week vs Catawba as he went 15-of-23 for 190 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown in the 28-7 victory over the Tribe.
Quarterback Jalen Ferguson has passed for 1,405 yards and 15 touchdowns and is second in the country with his remarkable .720 completion percentage which includes only two interceptions in his 150 pass attempts. In the road loss at Wingate, he went 24-of-33 for 262 yards and three touchdowns against Catawba. He completed a TD pass in his last seven straight appearances.
DeAree Rogers is one of the more exciting players in the conference. Rogers leads the Bears with his 37 receptions for 507 yards and four touchdowns. Rogers also handles LR's punt return duties where he leads the league averaging 14.5 yards per return (9th in NCAA II) which includes three touchdowns (1st in NCAA II) including two against Erskine in the SAC opener.
Deondre Lester and Songa Yates have made 25 catches each for the Bears. Lester has totaled 382 receiving yards with four touchdowns, while Yates has 275 yards with a pair of scores.
Defensively, Jon Ross Maye leads the Bears with his 76 tackles including 13 for loss and three sacks. He has forced a fumble, recovered another and has broken up three passes.
Andre Jefferson has 38 stops to his credit, but has been living in the opponent's offensive backfields where he has made a team-best 15 tackles for loss (3rd in SAC / 24th in NCAA II) including 8.0 sacks (4th in SAC / 23rd in NCAA II).
On special teams, kicker Jake Brown leads the SAC in scoring with 74 total points (37th in NCAA II) which includes 10 field goals (on 13 attempts) and 44 extra points.
The Bears have only punted 34 times this season with Stewart Simmons recording 32 of them with a 36.8 average.
TICKETS
Fans may purchase tickets on-line through HomeTown Ticketing on the Tusculum Athletic web site at: www.TusculumPioneers.com/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 2:30 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.
VETERANS DAY
Saturday is Veterans Day! All past and current members of the U.S. Armed Forces will be admitted FREE for Saturday's game with a valid ID card.
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 with the radio pre-game show beginning at 3 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.
