GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The 2021 football season comes to an end this Saturday as the Tusculum Pioneers host their arch-rival Carson-Newman in the 50th meeting in the Battle of US-11E. Saturday's game will kick off at 1:30 p.m. from Pioneer Field on the Tusculum campus.
It hasn'y been the season either team expected as the two East Tennessee programs will be playing for pride as the South Atlantic Conference campaign comes to a close. This will mark only the third time since 1998 that both Tusculum (4-6, 2-5 SAC) and Carson-Newman (1-8, 1-6 SAC) have had losing records entering the big game.
Tusculum's bid for a second straight winning season ended a week ago with a disappointing 20-7 loss at Mars Hill. The Pioneers were held to a season-low 184 yards offensively including a 21 yards rushing.
Meanwhile, Carson-Newman halted an eight-game losing skid and posted its first win of 2021 with last week's 27-21 triumph over Limestone at Burke-Tarr Stadium in Jefferson City. The Eagles racked up 472 rushing yards including a career-high 262 by Troy Dendy, the fifth-most in program history.
Saturday will be Senior Day as 12 Pioneers will be making their final gridiron appearance for Tusculum including: Darion Anderson, Desmond Arthur, Tremaine Chatman, Markel Clark, Tyler Forde, Maurice Gomillion, Widchard Guervil, Ryan McIntyre, Brendan Nichols, Jahaud Russ, Will Sweeper and student assistant Jay Kennedy.
THE SERIES
The Tusculum/Carson-Newman football rivalry began in 1904, making it the second oldest collegiate gridron series in the State of Tennessee (The Tennessee/Vanderbilt rivalry is the oldest as the Volunteers and Commodores first met in 1896). C-N has dominated the all-time series and leads 35-12-2.
Carson-Newman won the first two meetings in 1904 and 1913, before Tusculum reeled off six consecutive wins from 1914-1920. On Oct. 11, 1919, the Pioneers scored a program-record 103 points in a 103-0 shutout of the Eagles.
C-N would go 6-0-2 in the next eight meetings before Tusculum ended the drought with a 3-0 win over the Eagles in Jefferson City en route to capturing the Smoky Mountain Athletic Conference football title, the Pioneers' first league crown in program history.
Carson-Newman would run off a string of 13 consecutive wins including 10 straight from 1935-1950 and then three in a row from 1998-2000 when the Pioneers became South Atlantic Conference members. Eight of those C-N wins during the streak were by shutout.
Tusculum ended the losing streak with a thrilling 37-36 win over Carson-Newman on Oct. 13, 2001 in the Eagles' first-ever trip to Pioneer Field. Aaron Claridy scored go-ahead touchdown with 35 seconds left. C-N answered 21 seconds later when Shane Kelley hit Alvin Sanders with an 18-yard TD pass to pull the Eagles to within one. Carson-Newman went for the two-point conversion and the victory, but Antwon Oliver was stopped shy of the goal-line by Michael Anderson to preserve the TU victory.
Two years later, Tusculum would post a 27-18 triumph over Carson-Newman as the Pioneers captured its second conference championship and its first in the SAC.
The Eagles would win the next four meetings, before Tusculum would get back in the win column. On Nov. 8, 2008 in the regular-season finale, the Pioneers jumped out to a 17-point lead in the first half and led 38-24 midway through the third quarter. C-N quarterback Alex Good rallied the troops with TD runs of one and 80 yards to tie the game in the fourth quarter. With 4:24 left in the game and C-N driving Jeremy Thompson scooped up a fumble went 55 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. Good completed a 43-yard TD pass to Otis Miller with 1:49 on the clock. But the game-tying extra point was blocked by TU's Brandon Kelley as the Pioneers won 45-44. The win secured a three-way tie for the SAC Championship and earned TU its first NCAA Division II Playoff appearance.
The Eagles won the next seven meetings including a 49-48 victory in the 2010 season-finale which arguably is considered the most exciting game in the history of the rivalry. In a game which featured 10 lead changes including with 5:50 remaining when LiRonta Archie put the Pioneers back in front 48-41 with his 26-yard fumble return for a touchdown. C-N responded with a 14-play, 77-yard drive as Tyron Douglas scored on one-yard TD with 35 seconds remaining. After a C-N timeout, the Eagles elected to go for the lead and Doug Belk's successful two-point run gave the visitors a one-point lead (49-48). With only one timeout remaining the Pioneer moved into C-N territory and with six seconds left, All-American kicker Gareth Rowlands set up for a 53-yard field goal try. His kick was plenty long enough but hit the left upright on the game's final play.
The 2016 game was another thriller as Tusculum scored the first 20 points of the game only to see Carson-Newman rally and tie the game at 23-23 in the fourth quarter with nine minutes left in regulation as the contest would go into overtime, a first in the history of the rivalry. Carson-Newman scored on its first possession and kicked the extra point to go up 30-23. After two incomplete passes on its first two plays of its possession, Luke Lancaster completed a 20-yard strike to Rodnell Cruell for the first down. Tony Belle would run it in for a three-yard touchdown. TU head Jerry Odom, who was in his first season with the Pioneers, elected to go for two and the win. Lancaster rolled out to his right and completed a pass in the flat to Jordon Shippy who would dive and extend the ball over the goal line for the game-winner (31-30).
Carson-Newman would win the next two in Jefferson City to extend its streak to 16 in a row in home wins over the Pioneers. TU would post a 41-28 win in the 2018 meeting at Pioneer Field.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
The Pioneers will be looking for its third straight win over Carson-Newman in Greeneville, which would give this year's senior class a winning record over its neighbors from Jefferson City. It would be the first time a senior class has posted three wins over C-N since the class of 1919 and 1920.
Tusculum returns to Pioneer Field with a chance to post back-to-back home winning records. TU is 3-2 at home this year and went 1-0 in its lone spring home contest against Limestone.
Defensively, the Pioneers lead the SAC in defensive touchdowns scored and team tackles for loss per game. Tusculum's four defensive TDs are tied for the most in a TU single-season. The Pioneer defense scored two defensive scores in the season-opener at St. Augustine's and one each against Chowan and Limestone.
The Pioneers are averaging 8.4 tackles for loss per game with 25 different Pioneers have been credited with a tackle behind the line of scrimmage this year. Freshman defensive lineman Dajavon White has been credited with a team-high 11 tackles for loss which includes five sacks. He has 21 tackles this year along with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
TU is third in the SAC in total defense (311.9 ypg – 36th in NCAA II), third in team passing efficiency defense (112.39 – 29th in NCAA II), second in passing defense (179.8 ypg – 32nd in NCAA II), third in fumbles recovered (8 – 49th in NCAA II), fourth in first down defense (169 – 49th in NCAA II) and third in team sacks (2.8 spg – 32nd in NCAA II).
Jermaine Witherspoon leads the Pioneers in tackles with 61 including a TU-best 37 solo hits. He is tied for the team-lead with seven passes defended which includes five break-ups and two interceptions. He also has a forced fumble in his personal ledger.
Raynell Killian is second with 53 tackles including six for loss, two sacks, two break-ups, an interception and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Ty'Korian Brown is third with 48 tackles with four for loss. He also has a team-best seven passes defended with five break-ups and two interceptions. Linebacker Craig Watts is fourth with his 47 tackles including seven for loss and three quarterback hurries.
Jordan Taylor is next with 43 stops including five for loss, seven passes defended (6 break-ups, 1 interception), two forced fumbles and a blocked field goal. Free safety John Smith has 42 tackles with three for loss, two break-ups and one interception
Linebacker Jahaud Russ is next with 35 tackles with five for loss, four QB hurries and returned a fumble for a 49-yard touchdown in the SAC opener against Limestone.
Junior defensive end Nelson Louis has nine tackles for loss, including seven sacks (2nd in SAC). He has been credited with 30 tackles this year, giving him 94 total for his career. His 20 sacks are also the second most in school history and is four sacks away from matching the school record of 24, held by Tracy Branner (1997-2000). Louis has forced two fumbles this season which are third-most in the league and 48th in NCAA II.
Ryan McIntyre is tied for second on the squad with nine tackles for loss including four sacks, five QB hurries and three pass break-ups to go with his 30 tackles.
The Tusculum offense is third in the league in with its 31.8 points per game (50th in NCAA II) average and second in passing offense (246.0 ypg – 45th in NCAA II). TU is third in passing yards per completion (13.52 ypc – 45th in NCAA II) and third in first down offense (207 – 48th in NCAA II).
Junior receiver Justice Parham has been the top target in the TU passing attack where he has made 45 receptions (3rd in SAC) for 745 yards (3rd in SAC / 43rd in NCAA II) and eight touchdowns (2nd in SAC / 37th in NCAA II). He eclipsed the 1,000 receiving yard plateau at Tusculum two weeks ago at Catawba to become the 22nd Pioneer to achieve the feat. The Valdosta State transfer did it in just 15 games where he has 1,109 yards (19th in TU history).
Senior Derrick Wright is second on the team with 28 catches for 353 yards and two touchdowns. Wright has also emerged as one of the top specialists for the Pioneers where he is averaging 11.7 yards on his six punt returns and has a 23.7 yards per return average on kickoffs.
TU senior running back Maurice Gomillion is third on the squad with his 22 receptions for 198 yards and two TD grabs. Gomillion is second on the roster in rushing with 274 yards on 67 carries including three touchdowns. He also moved to within 31 yards of becoming the 13th player in school history with 1,000 rushing yards.
Junior Cortney Jackson is TU's leading rusher with 521 yards and seven rushing touchdowns, which are fourth in the league. He is averaging 52.1 rushing yards per game.
Graduate student Ivan Corbin was TU's starting quarterback for the first nine games this season where he has accounted for 2,003 passing yards (3rd in SAC / 38th in NCAA II) for 14 touchdowns (5th in SAC) and eight interceptions. He has a completion percentage of 51.2 percent and has rushed for 250 yards and four touchdowns.
Corbin was replaced at halftime of the Catawba game by true freshman quarterback Tre Simmons who finished out that game and earned his first collegiate start last week at Mars Hill. Simmons has seen action in eight of 10 games. He went 16-of-24 for 205 yards and two touchdowns in the second half against Catawba where he also ran for 44 yards on 12 carries including an 11-yard TD to open the third quarter. Last week at Mars Hill, he went 13-of-38 for 163 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Simmons was also sacked five times and could never get it going last week. So far this year, he has completed 47.9 percent of his passes for 414 yards and five touchdowns. He has also rushed for 103 yards and two scores.
Junior punter Andrew Cantrell is averaging 39.7 yards per punt this year, which ranks him third in the SAC and 31st in the nation. Of his 45 punts this season, 16 have been inside the 20-yard line and a SAC-best 19 have been fair caught. Of this 16 inside the 20, seven have come in the last two weeks including a career-best four last Saturday at Mars Hill.
Freshman John Aiden Pittman has been handling the placekicking duties of late where he has made 21 of his 23 extra points and has gone 2-of-4 for his 26 points.
PRE-GAME / HALFTIME ACTIVITIES
Tusculum's football senior class will be honored in pre-game ceremonies beginning just after 1 p.m. Parents and escorts of those seniors are asked to meet on the home sideline at 12:45 p.m.
Former TU women's tennis All-American and Academic All-American Annie McCullough will be honored with the presentation of the SAC Presidents Award, the highest honored given to a league student-athlete. McCullough and teammate Emilie Hansen will be recognized as well for being named to the 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-America team.
At halftime, the Tusculum men's tennis team, who went 17-4 last season and won the 2021 SAC Championship, will be recognized.
Also at halftime, the results of the 18th annual Tusculum vs Carson-Newman Blood Drive Bowl will be announced and the presentation of the Blood Drive Bowl trophy will be made.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for Tusculum home football games are $15 for fans. Children ages 12 and under will be admitted free. Tickets go on sale at 12 p.m. on Saturday and are available at both the north main entrance and the south visitors' entrance.
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 the SAC Digital Network. The radio call of the game will also be available locally on WSMG Radio on 95.5 FM and 1450 AM, as well as online at https://jewel955.com/listenlive.
The "Voice of the Pioneers" Brian Stayton and Joe Byrd will describe all the action for both the radio and video broadcasts. Stayton is in his 25th season as the broadcast voice of Tusculum University Athletics.
