GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum quarterback Rogan Wells passed for a career-high 519 yards and accounted for six touchdowns as the Pioneers defeated visiting Limestone 49-17 Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Field in South Atlantic Conference football action.
Tusculum scored 28 unanswered points in the second half as the Pioneers take sole possession of first place in the SAC Mountain Division.
Tusculum (3-1, 2-0 SAC) racked up 666 total offensive yards for the third-highest tally in school history and surpass 500 total yards for a third straight game.
Wells went 33-of-48 while completing passes to 10 different receivers. His 519 passing yards are the fourth-most in school history and marks the seventh time a TU quarterback has passed for over 500 yards in a game/
Wells also rushed for 23 yards on eight carries including a 13-yard TD run, his second of the season. He finished the game with a career-high 542 total offensive yards which are tied for the third-most in a TU game, matching two-time All-American Bo Cordell's 542-yard performance at Catawba (Nov. 6, 2010).
Tusculum outgained the Saints (1-2, 1-1 SAC) by a 666-221 margin as the TU defense recorded four sacks and limited Limestone signal callers to 10-of-27 passing for 171 yards. The Saints ground attack was held to 50 rushing yards on 36 attempts.
Running back TJ Jones amassed 232 all-purpose yards for Tusculum as he rushed for 81 yards on 15 carries, while posting a season-high 151 receiving yards on five catches including scoring catches of 38 and 56 yards. Jones leads the team in scoring this spring with eight touchdowns.
TU wideout Tory Ponder hauled in six catches for a career-best 140 yards including a 50-yard TD reception. Justice Parham added a team-high seven grabs for 78 yards and his 12-yard touchdown reception.
Tusculum senior linebacker Jackson Cauthen posted a career-high 11 tackles including two tackles for loss. Ivan Hogans added eight tackles, including three for loss and a sack, while Ryan McIntyre posted six stops, one sack, forced and recovered a fumble.
Limestone free safety Kris Williams led the Saints defensively with his 10 tackles including eight solo hits and forced a fumble.
Tusculum took the opening kickoff and marched 65 yards in five plays as Wells completed a 38-yard touchdown pass to Jones at the 12:36 mark of the first quarter. Eli Shepherd's extra point made it a 7-0 TU lead.
Tusculum forced a three-and-out by Limestone and took its second possession deep into Saints territory to the LU 10. But on second and goal, the Saints defense stacked up running back Maurice Gomillion and Williams stripped the football which was scooped up by Jansen Twigg and returned the fumble 33 yards to the LU 45. Seven plays later quarterback Dustin Noller found Quay Brown in the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown. Nathan Baker's extra point tied the game at 7-7 with 2:51 remaining in the opening quarter.
After the Pioneers went three-and-out, Limestone took over in great field position at the TU 45. The Saints got to the TU 23, but on fourth down and two yards to go, Noller was tackled in the backfield by Hogans for a four-yard loss, turning the ball over on downs on the next to last play of the quarter.
On the fourth play of the second period, Ponder hauled in a pass from Wells, made a spin move and sprinted to the end zone for a 50-yard touchdown at the 13:42 mark as TU regained the lead at 14-7.
The Saints were forced to punt on the ensuing possession but the ball was fumbled by Ponder and recovered by Limestone's Dallas Heyward at the TU 24. The Tusculum defense held and Baker's 40-yard field goal attempt went wide left.
Baker redeemed himself on the Saints' next possession as he connected on a 33-yard field goal as Limestone trimmed the deficit to 14-10 with 6:45 left before halftime.
Tusculum answered with an 84-yard drive which was capped off by Jones' 56-yard reception from Wells as TU extended its lead to 21-10 with 4:17 left on the clock.
The Saints marched back and put together a nine-play, 71-yard drive as Noller completed an 11-yard touchdown to Anthony McAfee with 42 seconds left in the quarter to make it a 21-17 game.
Wells took the TU offense 50 yards on five plays into Limestone territory to the LU 25. But Shepherd's 42-yard field goal try on the last play of the half went wide left.
Tusculum came out of the locker room on fire scoring on its first three possessions to bolt out to a 42-17 lead. TU's first drive of the half went 74 yards on six plays, highlighted by a 37-yard completion to Ponder and capped off by Wells' 13-yard TD run.
The Pioneers' second possession went 75 yards on 12 plays as Parham scored on a 12-yard TD reception. TU's third drive of the half spanned the third and fourth quarters resulting in a one-yard scoring run by Gomillion. The 14-play, 77-yard drive included three conversions on third down and one fourth down conversion.
Tusculum capped the scoring as the Pioneers marched 84 yards on seven play as Derrick Wright scored on a four-yard pass from Wells with 4:04 remaining in the game. The scoring drive was set up on the first two plays of the possession which included a 30-yard completion to Jones and a 23-yard catch by Ponder to move into Limestone territory.
Wells eclipsed a personal milestone on Saturday as he recorded his 10,000th offensive yard of his collegiate career. Including his first three seasons at Valdosta State, Wells has tallied 10,523 total offensive yards including 8,544 passing yards and 2,025 rushing yards.
Shepherd finished the game going a perfect 7-of-7 on his extra point tries.
Saturday was Senior Day for Tusculum seniors Jackson Cauthen and Amaad Gandy.
