GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- It's Homecoming Week at Tusculum as the Pioneers return home to face SAC newcomer Emory & Henry this Saturday for the first time in 72 years. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. from Pioneer Field on the Greeneville campus.
The Pioneers (6-1, 4-1 SAC) are riding a four-game winning streak, but had to hold off a pesky UVA Wise team last week as the Sons of Davy Crockett prevailed 10-9. The Tusculum defense recorded three interceptions in the second half while Joslyn Mira blocked a field goal with 58 seconds remaining to preserve the one-point win. TU is off to its best start in 19 years and look to remain tied for the top spot in the SAC Mountain Division standings.
Meanwhile, Emory & Henry has been the surprise of the conference in their first season as a league member. The Wasps were picked to finish last in the SAC according to the Preseason Coaches' Poll. But the new kids on the SAC Block have proven that poll wrong as E&H is 4-3 overall including 3-2 in SAC play with victories over Catawba, UVA Wise and a 17-10 overtime win at Wingate. They gave defending SAC Champion Newberry all it could handle in a 26-23 double overtime loss to the No. 9 Wolves.
Emory & Henry had its three-game winning streak halted last week with a 49-14 loss at Mars Hill. MHU racked up nearly 500 yards offensively with a balanced attack (272 passing, 226 rushing), while the Wasps could only generate 214 total yards on the day. The E&H could not get off the field as the Lions generated 28 first downs and went 8-of-11 on third-down alone.
TU opened the season with a pair of wins against CIAA programs including a 70-13 home win over St. Augustine's followed by a 23-21 come-from-behind victory at Chowan. TU would return home against Wingate, but three turnovers and 12 sacks doomed the Pioneers to a 27-10 loss.
The Pioneers bounced back with consecutive wins over Catawba (50-13), Barton (14-13), Carson-Newman (34-6) and last week's win at UVA Wise (10-9).
Emory & Henry, who is in its second year as a NCAA Division II member, opened the season with a narrow 27-20 home loss to Concord, before answering with a 41-33 shootout win over Bluefield (Va.).
Emory & Henry went toe-to-toe with Newberry in the SAC opener, taking the Wolves to double overtime where the Wasps lost 26-23. But E&H answered with a season-defining 17-10 overtime win at previously undefeated Wingate.
That win kick-started the Wasps as E&H posted a 38-23 homecoming win over Catawba and followed with a 34-14 dismantling of UVA Wise in the Southwest Virginia Bowl V.
E&H quarterback Kyle Short has emerged as the SAC's top passer, averaging 205.4 passing yards per game while completing a SAC-best 12 touchdown passes. His favorite target has been Tmahdae Penn, who leads the conference in receiving yards per game (74.9 ypg) and is tied for second with his four TD grabs.
Short has completed 54.5 percent of his passes going 102-for-187 with only four interceptions.
Defensively, the Wasps have three of the top-five tacklers in the South Atlantic Conference led by linebacker Ivan Phillips, who is second in the SAC with 63 tackles. Defensive back Addison Knicely is third in the league with 58 tackles, while linebacker A.J. Burgess is fourth with 57 stops.
The E&H defense has also been prone into turning defense into offense and are tied with Tusculum for the league-lead with three defensive touchdowns.
Freshman kicker Trace Butcher is making a push for All-Conference honors as he leads the SAC in scoring with 46 points. He has connected on 10 of his 13 field goal tries and is 16-of-17 on extra points.
THE SERIES
The Pioneers renew a football rivalry which dates back to 1915 as they face South Atlantic Conference newcomer Emory & Henry.
This will be the 17th meeting between the two schools in a series where the Emory & Henry owns a 13-3 lead including wins in the last eight meetings.
The two teams last met on Oct. 28, 1950 as the Wasps won 47-0.
The Pioneers would drop their sponsorship of football after that season before reinstating the sport in 1991.
TU and the Wasps meet as league opponents for the first time since they were members of the Smoky Mountain Athletic Conference.
The series began on Oct. 25, 1915 as the Pioneers posted a 28-0 win over the Wasps in Greeneville. TU would win two of the first three meetings, before Emory & Henry ran off five straight wins from 1920-25.
Tusculum recorded its last win in the series in 1926 with a 14-3 win.
The teams met again in 1927, and would not face off again in 1940 and 1941 before halting the series due to World War II.
The teams met again four more times from 1946-1950 before the series would take a 72-year hiatus before meeting this week in Greeneville.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Tusculum is off to its best start to a season in 19 years as the Pioneers are 6-1 overall and 4-1 in SAC play which has the Black & Orange tied for first place in the SAC Mountain Division.
The Tusculum defense is listed amongst the leaders in the South Atlantic Conference in several statistical categories including first in the country with 13 interceptions. The Pioneers are also tops in the conference in turnover margin (+6 - 19th in NCAA II), fumble recoveries (6 - 38th in NCAA II), turnovers gained (19 - 5th in NCAA II) and team passing efficiency defense (85.55 - 3rd in NCAA II).
Tusculum is ranked sixth nationally in defensive touchdowns (3 - 1st in SAC), 16th in scoring defense (15.1 ppg - 2nd in SAC), 16th in red zone defense (.625 - 2nd in SAC), 16th in pass defense (156.1 ypg - 4th in SAC), 23rd in total defense (279.9 ypg - 4th in SAC), 30th in team tackles for loss (7.7 tpg - 5th SAC) and 30th in first down defense (109 - 4th in SAC).
Linebacker Wesley Scott has emerged as TU's top tackler with 57 tackles, averaging 8.1 per game (2nd in SAC). including a 24 over the last two weeks along. He has nine tackles for loss with one sack and is second on the team lead with five quarterback hurries. The Keiser University transfer earned All-Conference honors with the Seahawks in 2021 where he led the team with 90 tackles and helped his KU to the NAIA quarterfinal.
Junior Jermaine Witherspoon is second this season with 38 total tackles including 11 last month at Barton. He has a pair of passes defended including his fifth career interception at Chowan. He was injured during the Carson-Newman and did not play at UVA Wise.
New Haven transfer Ryan Dolce is third with his 36 tackles including three for loss and a sack. The graduate student has shined at the nickel position where he has amassed three pass break-ups and three QB hurries. In the win at Catawba, he posted six tackles including a forced fumble and returned an interception for a 72-yard touchdown (5th longest in TU history).
Last year at New Haven, Dolce played in 12 games while earning Northeast 10 All-Conference honors and helped New Haven to a league title and berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
Sophomore linebacker Earnest Johnson has been credited with 27 stops including five for loss, one sack, three quarterback hurries and forced two fumbles (2nd in SAC / 37th in NCAA II) while recovering another.
Preseason All-SAC defensive lineman Dajavon White has been building on last year's solid rookie campaign. He leads the team this year with nine tackles for loss (8th in SAC) and four sacks. His 25 total tackles are fifth on the team and has three QB hurries and a blocked kick.
Trejen Fox-Birdwell has been a force on the defensive front for the Pioneers this year. He has 24 tackles including eight behind the line of scrimmage, three sacks and is second with five QB hurries. He also lettered on the TU baseball team as a pitcher last spring.
John Smith is seventh on the team with 22 tackles including one for loss with an interception and a pass break-up. He needs two more tackles to eclipse the 100-stop plateau for his career.
Joslyn Mira had the game of his career at UVA Wise where he posted a career-high eight tackles including three for loss with a sack. He also had a QB hurry and blocked a field goal in the final minute as TU held on for the win. Mira leads the team with his six QB hurries to go along with 21 tackles including six for loss and two sacks.
Jamichael Wilson has earned the start at nose guard for Tusculum in the first seven games of 2022 where he has totaled 20 tackles including seven behind the line of scrimmage, including two sacks.
Nine different Pioneers have recorded an interception this season led by Adrian Robinson whose three picks are second in the conference and 21st in the nation. His twin brother, Andrae is tied for second on the team with two interceptions including one he returned for a 97-yard touchdown at Catawba (longest in TU history). The Robinsons have established a rare feat on two occasions this season with two siblings each recording an interception in the same game. The duo did it at Catawba and followed with repeating the feat last week at UVA Wise.
Tusculum defensive back Ty'Korian Brown also has two interceptions this season.
On offense, Tusculum is ranked amongst the SAC leaders including scoring offense (30.1 ppg - 4th in SAC), total offense (377.0 ypg - 4th in SAC), passing offense (196.6 ypg - 4th in SAC), rushing offense (180.4 ypg - 6th in SAC / 44th in NCAA II), first down offense (141 - 2nd in SAC) and fourth down offense (57% - 2nd in SAC / 43rd in NCAA II).
Sophomore quarterback Tre Simmons is orchestrating the Tusculum attack as he leads the SAC in total offense (224.7 ypg). He is second in touchdown passes (11 - 40th in NCAA II), third in passing yards (1,337 - 48th in NCAA II) and third in points responsible for (78).
Last month at Catawba, he rushed for a career-high 122 yards on 11 carries including a 44-yard touchdown. He went 16-of-28 through the air for 156 yards and a touchdown.
In his last game at Pioneer Field, he recorded 279 total offensive yards and accounted for three touchdowns with zero turnovers in a 34-6 win over Carson-Newman. He ran for 89 yards including a career-long 71-yarder for a TD which is tied for the 10th longest run from scrimmage in school history.
In his 16-game collegiate career, Simmons has passed for 2,113 yards (9th in TU history) and 19 touchdowns (7th in TU history) against 10 interceptions.
Sixteen different players have recorded a catch this season for the Pioneers led by All-SAC choice Justice Parham. Parham has made 16 receptions for 229 yards and three touchdowns (4th in SAC). In his TU career, he has made 85 catches for 1,390 yards (14th in TU history), which includes 15 touchdown receptions (T7th in TU history). He was injured early against C-N and did not play last week at UVA Wise.
Sophomore Tyler Ajiero is tops on the TU team with 17 receptions and is third with his 253 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Sophomore Tyler Burke has made 16 catches for a team-best 253 yards (15.8 ypc) and two touchdowns.
Tulsa transfer Kemani Brown is fourth on the roster with 12 receptions for 150 yards and tied for the team-lead with three touchdowns, which are third-most in the conference.
Sophomore Lanadrick Bradley has accounted for 11 receptions for 121 yards.
Mydreon Vines is a seasoned veteran with 34 games of NCAA Division I experience including three seasons at East Carolina and last year at NCAA-FCS Western Carolina. This season, he has made six grabs for 77 yards and two touchdowns for the Pioneers.
Graduate student Maurice Gomillion. has rushed for 1,280 yards (11th in TU history) in his career on 303 carries (10th in TU history) and nine touchdowns. He has also made 47 receptions for 476 yards and three TD grabs. This season, he has rushed for 202 yards on 47 attempts (4.3 ypc).
Senior Cortney Jackson earned All-SAC second team honors in 2021 in the TU backfield. This season, he has carried the ball 58 times for a team-best 358 yards and a team best five TDs (T5th in SAC). He rushed for 79 yards at Catawba including a 67-yard touchdown run.
He has rushed for 915 yards in his 18-game career at Tusculum which includes 12 touchdown carries. He needs 85 rushing yards to become the 14th player in program history with 1,000 for his career.
Marist College transfer Mekhai Johnson has been a welcomed addition to the TU backfield. He is second on the roster in rushing for 336 yards on 57 attempts with four touchdowns (7th in SAC). He rushed for a team-high 78 yards on eight carries at Barton including a touchdown. He has rushed for 1,199 yards in his collegiate career including 33 games at Marist where he was an All-Conference performer, especially on the return team where he was a three-time NCAA FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week.
The Tusculum offensive line has battled injuries for the first half of the season but the anchor of the trenches has been All-SAC first team choice Tommy Mahoney. He has been a consistent performer in his 23 consecutive starts at center for the Pioneers and is a candidate for the SAC's Jacob's Blocking Trophy.
Junior Ben Shellenback returns for the Pioneers after playing in all 11 games last year including eight starts at tackle and earning Preseason All-SAC second team accolades. He missed the season-opener against St. Augustine's and has been hampered with injuries, but returned to the starting line-up last week at UVA Wise.
The veteran duo of Bryce Moore and Will Shellenback are manning the tight end position in 2022. Moore made the transition from quarterback in 2021 as he played in eight games with one start. He finished the year with seven catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns. In 2022, he has made seven catches for 62 yards.
Shellenback has been Tusculum's starter at tight end for the past two seasons. He finished last year with eight receptions for 112 yards and two touchdowns. This season, he has made eight grabs for 32 yards including a TD reception against Wingate.
Veteran punter Andrew Cantrell has been manning TU's special teams for the past five seasons. Including the four seasons his older brother Hunter spent at TU, there has been a Cantrell punting for the Pioneers in the last nine gridiron campaigns.
Andrew has punted in 44 games and is second all-time with 225 punts and is third with 8,728 punting yards. His 38.79 career punting average is seventh in the TU record book while his 75 punts inside the opponents' 20-yardline are a new school record, breaking the record held by his brother (70).
Andrew Cantrell is having a banner season so far in 2022 where he is fifth in the SAC in punting averaging 41.0 yards per punt which is also 24th in the country. He is second in the league with his 17 punts inside the 20 yardline including a career-best five at Chowan.
Andrew has also shined off the field where he is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and is a national nominee this year for the prestigious AFCA Good Works Team.
Cumberland University transfer and sophomore kicker Juan Villasenor has emerged as TU's starting kicker. He leads the team in scoring with 34 points (9th in SAC) including a career-high 14 at Catawba. He went 3-of-4 on field goals and was perfect 5-of-5 on his extra point tries to earn SAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He connected on a 23-yard field goal in the third quarter which proved to be the game-winner in TU's 23-21 win at Chowan. He has gone 21-of-23 on his extra point tries including a perfect 6-of-6 against St. Augustine's in his TU debut. He is also 6-of-10 on field goals.
Sophomore John Aiden Pittman handled the kicking duties for the Pioneers in the last half of the 2021 season and finished the year going 27-of-30 on extra points and 2-of-5 on field goals. He finished fourth on the team in scoring with his 33 points. He has handled the kickoff duties this year where he has posted three touchbacks and has been perfect on his four extra point tries.
Tyler Burke and Mekhai Johnson have been manning the kickoff return duties, while freshman sensation Eddie Watson has emerged as one of the top punt returns in the conference.
Burke has returned 14 kickoffs in his career for an average of 25.2 yards per return including a school-record 100-yarder for a touchdown last season against Carson-Newman.
Johnson, who was one of the top return men in NCAA-FCS while at Marist, has continued that trend with Tusculum, averaging 33.7 yards on his three returns this season.
Watson made an impression in his collegiate debut with St. Augustine's which included a 61-yard punt return for a touchdown. He has returned 23 punts for an average of 9.9 yards per return (3rd in SAC / 21st in NCAA II).
TICKETS
Fans may purchase tickets on-line through HomeTown Ticketing on the Tusculum Athletic web site at: www.TusculumPioneers.com/information/tickets.
All ticket purchases (on-line and in-person) are CREDIT CARD ONLY. Cash WILL NOT be accepted at the gate. Gates open this Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Admission for Tusculum home football games is $15 for all entrants. Admission is $10 for adults 65 and older and for children ages 6-12. Children 5 and under will be admitted free. Tusculum students will be admitted free and valid Tusculum ID is required.
Spectators using HomeTown Ticketing can choose to print tickets at home or use mobile entry tickets at the gate.
PARKING
Parking for Tusculum football games is FREE and on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Tusculum fans are asked to utilize the main stadium parking lot behind Pioneer Field and Pioneer Park as well as other available parking lots on campus.
VISITING FANS are asked to utilize the South parking lot by the Indoor Practice Facility. Visiting fans will have easier access to the South Entrance and the visiting grandstand area.
Fans are asked to utilize the clearly marked spots in the parking lot. Parking is not permitted at curbside or in grass areas.
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 FloSports.com, the official video stream provider of the South Atlantic Conference.
The radio call of the game will be available locally on WSMG Radio on 95.5 FM and 1450 AM, as well as online at https://jewel955.com/listenlive.
