SALISBURY, N.C. --- Bo Cordell passed for 510 yards and accounted for five touchdowns to lead the Tusculum College football team to a 54-44 South Atlantic Conference victory over Catawba College Saturday afternoon at Shuford Stadium.

The Pioneers (6-4, 2-4 SAC) clinch a winning season with the victory, while the Catawba Indians (6-3, 4-2 SAC) fall out of first place in the league. Catawba entered the game ranked third in the NCAA Division II Super Region 2 poll.

Tusculum rallied from a 14-3 first quarter deficit, as the Pioneers outscored the Indians 31-10 for the remainder of the opening half to take a 34-24 lead at the intermission.

Cordell went 32-of-43, including three touchdowns, while also rushing for 32 yards on 10 carries, including a pair of scores. The Cincinnati, Ohio sophomore also established school and SAC single-season records in passing yardage (4,258). Cordell has also passed for over 400 yards in nine straight games.

Junior receiver Deonte' Gist tallied nine receptions for a career-best 160 yards and two touchdowns. Gist also set a new school single-season record with 279 all-purpose yards (160 receiving, 15 rushing, 104 kickoff return), including a 79-yard kickoff return for touchdown. Gist eclipsed the 1,000-receiving yard plateau for the season, giving him 1,110 yards this year on 90 catches, both second all-time in Tusculum history.

Catawba's LJ McCray was the highlight on special teams as he established a new NCAA II single-game record with 304 yards on six returns, including touchdowns covering 99 and 94 yards. McCray becomes the first SAC player to return two kickoff returns for touchdowns since Tusculum's Ricardo Colclough brought back a pair of scores against Morehouse in 2003.

Tusculum's Calvin Britt posted three catches for 102 yards, while Rashaad Carter and Michael Rodriguez each finished with six receptions for 77 yards, apiece.

Tusculum kicker Gareth Rowlands was perfect on all of his kicks as he went 4-for-4 on field goals and 6-of-6 on extra points for a school single-game record 18 points. His field goals covered 23, 46, 34 and 29 yards.

Catawba's Patrick Dennis completed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Bunn on the Indians' opening possession to take a 7-0 lead. On Tusculum's ensuing possession, Cordell completed a 72-yard pass to Britt to the Catawba eight-yard line. But the drive would stall there as Rowlands came aboard and connected on his 23-yard field goal, while breaking the TC single-season record for most kicking points in a year (currently has 98 in 2010).

McCray returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to put Catawba up 14-3 with 10:42 left in the quarter.

Tusculum responded with 17 straight points including touchdown runs of one and six yards by Cordell and Rowlands' 46-yard field goal as the Pioneers led 20-14.

Following a 21-yard field goal by Trexler with 5:29 left before halftime, Tusculum answered with a pair of touchdowns, including Gist's 79-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. Catawba drove to the TC 27 on its next possession, but Dennis was intercepted in the end zone by Luke Harris for the only turnover of the contest by either team. TC parlayed that miscue into points as four plays later, Cordell completed a 52-yard touchdown strike to Carter, for his eighth TD of the season to make the score 34-17 with 1:34 left.

But McCray spoiled the Tusculum momentum with his second kickoff return for touchdown of the half as he sprinted up the near sideline, 94 yards for the score for a 34-24 contest at the intermission.

In the second half, Tusculum marched down the field and Rowlands added his third field goal of the game, a 34-yarder at the 11:25 mark of the third quarter.

The two teams would trade touchdowns on their next possessions. Catawba got a one-yard scoring quarterback keeper from Dennis and Tusculum answered with a 20-yard TD toss to Gist to make the score 44-31. The Tusculum TD was set up by a 47-yard completion to Xzanvion Smith.

Catawba trimmed the deficit to 44-37 as Rashaun Gaither ran in for an 11-yard touchdown with 3:43 left in the quarter. Trexler's extra point attempt was blocked as the deficit remained at seven points.

Tusculum's next possession would stall and would be forced to punt. Catawba drove inside TC territory to the TC 28, but Trexler's 45-yard field goal went wide right as the Pioneers took over. Cordell and the Pioneers would capitalize on the miss as he orchestrated a six-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by a 33-yard TD pass to Gist for a 51-37 lead.

Catawba would go three plays and out on its next drive as would methodically move down the field and moved out to a three score lead thanks to Rowlands' fourth field goal, this one from 29 yards away with 4:48 left in the contest. The drive covered 12 plays, 53 yards and took 7:07 off the clock for the Pioneers most time-consuming scoring drive of the season.

The Indians scurried down the field as Eric Norman hauled in a four-yard pass by Daniel Griffith with 3:15 remaining in the game to cut the TC lead to 54-44.

Tusculum's Fred Jones recovered the on-side kick and followed by rushing for 31 of his 65 yards on the day on TC's final possession as the Pioneers ran out the clock to seal the victory.

Tusculum churned out 638 yards offensively for the second most total offensive yards in school history.

Senior linebacker Zachary Norman led the Pioneers with nine tackles, including one for los and a pass break-up, while rookie Kaytron Becton added eight tackles and three pass break-ups. Rashaun Harris accounted for eight stops, while Luke Harris, Justin Arrington and Marcus Jackson each tallied six tackles in the victory. Catawba's Trey Ingram led all tacklers with 14 hits in the contest.

Cordell's 4,258 passing yards this season are also the seventh most in NCAA Division II history.

Tusculum returns home next Saturday to host Carson-Newman in the regular season finale from the Niswonger Sports Complex / Pioneer Field.

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