WISE, Va. --- Tusculum's Joslyn Mira blocked a potential game-winning field goal with 58 seconds remaining as the Pioneers preserved a 10-9 South Atlantic Conference victory over UVA Wise Saturday afternoon at Carl Smith Stadium.
Tusculum (6-1, 4-1 SAC) records its fourth consecutive win and remains tied for the top spot in the SAC Mountain Division standings. TU is off to its first 6-1 start since 2003 and secures the program its first winning season since 2010. The Cavaliers (1-6, 0-5 SAC) drop their sixth consecutive game.
The Tusculum defense kept the Cavs out of the end zone for the entire game thanks to 3 second half interceptions and turned away two golden scoring chances by UVA Wise in the final minute alone.
With TU clinging to a 10-9 lead with 3:43 left in the game, the Cavs drove down the field, converting 4 first downs including one on a facemask penalty taking the ball to the TU 16. Wise milked the clock to set up kicker Kellan Dalton, who had made field goals of 33, 29 and 30 yards to account for all his team's scoring. Dalton lined up for a 31-yarder and the win, but the try was blocked by Mira to preserve the one-point lead with 58 seconds to go.
Tusculum took over at the 14. Mekhai Johnson bolted down field for a long gain, but a holding penalty negated the gain. TU would only gain two more yards on the possession and were forced to punt as the Cavs took over at the TU 45 with 26 seconds remaining.
Wise quarterback Juwan Dent's first two passes were incomplete, but TU was call for pass interference. Dent completed a pass to Daniel Davis to get to the TU 25, but he was tackled in bounds. With no timeouts left, the Cavs were unable to get off another play as the Pioneers held on for the one-point triumph.
Tusculum's Trey Trawick led the defense with nine tackles including one for loss and a pass break-up. Mira added eight stops including three for loss and a sack to go along with his blocked kick. Wesley Scott contributed nine tackles with a hit behind the line of scrimmage.
The Pioneers added three more interceptions to their conference leading total of 13 picks. Adrian Robinson posted his team-best third interception of the season, while his brother Andrae Robinson accounted for his second pick of the year. Ty'Korian Brown also totaled his second pick of the season and fourth of his TU career.
UVA Wise out-gained Tusculum in total offense by a 357-255 margin as TU committed four turnovers, but the Cavaliers were unable to capitalize on the miscues.
Tusculum's Maurice Gomillion rushed for 62 yards on nine carries while Cortney Jackson had 40 yards on nine attempts including a three-yard scoring run for the game's only touchdown.
Dent finished the game going 26-for-57 for 264 yards with three interceptions. TU's Tre Simmons was also picked off three times as he finished with 114 yards.
Davis was the top receiver in the game for the Cavs as he tallied nine catches for 127 yards.
Tusculum punter Andrew Cantrell finished the game averaging 40.7 yards on his seven punts, which included a long of 59 yards and four punts inside the 20.
UVA Wise got on the board first scoring on its opening possession. The Cavs marched 61 yards on 14 plays, capped off by a Dalton 33-yard field goal.
Tusculum answered with an eight-play, 62-yard drive, which included 35 rushing yards by Jackson. He ended the drive with three-yard TD run for his team-leading fifth touchdown rush of the year and 12th of his career.
The Pioneers drove into Wise territory two times in the second quarter but both ended with Tusculum turnovers
Cantrell pinned the Cavs at their own seven yard-line following a 59-yard punt. UVA Wise's Julian Edwards bolted out to a 46-yard carry. At the end of the play he was stripped of the football, but Edwards recovered the ball. Two plays later, Dent completed a 27-yard strike to Davis, but again the Cavs fumbled, but TU was unable to capitalize as Wise recovered at the TU 17. The Cavaliers would toss three incomplete passes before Dalton hit a 29-yard field goal with 18 seconds left to trim the deficit to 7-6.
Simmons was intercepted for a second time in the half when Job Whalen came up with the pick at the Wise 44 and halt the TU drive with 12 seconds remaining in the half as TU headed to the locker room with a 7-6 lead.
In the third quarter, Dent was intercepted by Andrae Robinson at the Wise 43. Tusculum drove to the Cavs 8-yardline but the drive would stall as Juan Villasenor connected on a 30-yard field goal to extend the TU lead to 10-6 at the 7:06 mark of the third quarter.
UVA Wise got the three points back on its next possession as the Cavs went 68 yards on 13 plays before Dalton hit a 30-yard field goal to make it a 10-9 contest with 55 seconds in the frame.
The Pioneers once again moved into UVA Wise territory, but Markel Dailey intercepted Simmons at the three yard-line and returned the pick 13 yards to the 16 in the opening moments of the fourth quarter.
UVA Wise got to midfield, but Dent would be picked off by Adrian Robinson to keep the Cavs off the board.
TU went 3-and-out on its next possession but Brown intercepted Dent and returned the ball to the Wise 11. Tusculum would be kept out of the end zone and Villasenor's 26-yard field goal would go wide left at the Cavs took over with 8:43 remaining.
Both teams would be forced to punt before UVA Wise made one final push at the end of the game.
Each team had the football for exactly 30 minutes as TU went 4-of-14 on third down, while the Cavs converted nine of their 22 third down attempts.
Tusculum is 3-0 in games decided by two points or less including a pair of one-point decisions.
Tusculum returns to action next Saturday when they host Emory & Henry for Homecoming at Pioneer Field. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. Next Saturday's meeting will mark the first time the Pioneers and Wasps have met on the gridiron since 1950.
