INDIANAPOLIS --- Tusculum College receiver Xzanvion Smith has moved up to third in the nation in all-purpose yardage according to this week's NCAA Division II football statistics.
Smith, a junior from Anderson, S.C., is averaging a South Atlantic Conference best 194.2 all-purpose yards per game, including a school single-game record 311 in Saturday's 49-39 homecoming win over Brevard College.
Smith scored four touchdowns, all in the first half and three in the opening quarter. He returned kickoff returns of 79 and 83 yards for touchdowns, while also making TD catches of 51 and 18 yards. Smith also posted six catches for 149 receiving yards for his fourth 100-yard game in five contests this season. His 139 receiving yards per game average is third in the nation, while his 7.6 receptions per contest are tied for 12th-best in the country. His 34.5 kickoff return average is also sixth in the land.
Junior quarterback Bo Cordell (Cincinnati, Ohio) is third in Division II in completions per game (31.4 cpg) and fifth in both passing yards per game (358.2 ypg) and total offensive yards per game (369.8 ypg). In just 29 career contests, Cordell owns virtually every school passing record and is closing in on conference's all-time passing mark. Cordell's 10,892 passing yards are second in SAC history and needs just 46 yards to surpass former Presbyterian College signal caller Todd Cunningham (10,937 from 1998-2001).
Senior running back Brian Marshall (Chattanooga, Tenn.) is fifth in the country in all-purpose yards per game, averaging 187.6. Marshall established some school history on Saturday as he became the first Tusculum player in school history to record 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in a career. The Preseason All-SAC Second Team selection has recorded 1,043 rushing yards, while posting 1,008 receiving yards in his 36-game career. In all, he has posted 2,605 all-purpose yards as a Pioneer, which is currently seventh in the TC record book. Marshall is also 46th in kickoff return average (25.54 ypr) in this week's national statistics.
Defensively, Tusculum boasts two of the top tacklers in the country in senior defensive back Luke Harris (Floyd, Va.) and junior linebacker Brian Alexander (Union Point, Ga.). Harris has tallied 50 tackles so far this year, including a career-high 14 on Saturday against Brevard. His 10 tackles per game average is 37th in the nation, while Alexander's 9.8 average is 45th in DII. Alexander is closing in on a personal milestone as he needs just six tackles to join the 200-tackle club at Tusculum.
Sophomore tight end Wesley Powell (Eclectic, Ala.) is tied for 36th in the nation in receptions per game (6.2 rpg).
Junior Andy Rosetti (Kenneth City, Fla.) is 28th in the country in punting average at 40.6 yards per kick, which is fourth in the league.
As a team, the Pioneers are nationally ranked in seven categories in this week's report. Tusculum is sixth in passing offense (362.0 ypg), eighth in kick returns (28.18 ypr), 24th in net punting (36.68 ypp), 30th in total offense (451.6 ypg), 35th in sacks allowed (1.20 spg), 39th in punt returns (13.1 ypr) and 49th in pass defense (194.6 ypg).
Tusculum (2-3) returns to action this Saturday when the Pioneers host UNC Pembroke (4-1) for a 1:30 p.m. non-conference contest at the Niswonger Sports Complex and Pioneer Field.
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