GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tre Simmons threw for a season-high 307 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair to Tyler Burke, as Tusculum University defeated Emory & Henry College 35-9 Saturday afternoon in South Atlantic Conference action from Pioneer Field.
Mekhai Johnson took a short pass from Simmons 78 yards for a touchdown in the first half and scored on a five-yard run in the third quarter as the Pioneers (7-1, 5-1 SAC) won their fifth straight game and maintained a tie for first place in the SAC Mountain Division with Mars Hill. Tusculum's 7-1 start matches the 2001 and 2003 teams for the best record through eight games in program history.
Tusculum, coming off wins over Carson-Newman (34-6) and UVA-Wise (10-9) the previous two weeks, held its third straight opponent to fewer than 10 points for the first time since the program was reinstated in 1991 after a 39-year hiatus. The last time the Pioneers surrendered less than 10 points in three consecutive games was 1948 against Milligan (7), Cumberland (6) and Hiwassee (6).
The Wasps (4-4, 3-3 SAC) were held to 210 total yards and turned the ball over three times in their first meeting with the Pioneers since 1950. Emory & Henry had won seven straight in the series, with Tusculum's last win coming by a 14-3 score on Nov. 11, 1926.
Burke caught a 35-yard scoring strike from Simmons in the third quarter and added an 11-yard score in the fourth, finishing the day with five receptions for 72 yards. Johnson ran for a game-high 78 yards on eight carries as Tusculum accumulated 142 of its 149 yards rushing in the second half to the delight of the sun-splashed Homecoming crowd at Pioneer Field.
Simmons finished 15-for-27 and connected on passes of 30 yards or more with five different receivers, including a 50-yard strike to Mydreon Vines in the third quarter to set up Johnson's five-yard run which gave Tusculum a 21-3 lead. The 78-yard touchdown pass to Johnson was the longest pass play of Simmons' career, the longest play from scrimmage by the Pioneers this season and is tied for the 11th-longest touchdown pass in program history.
Wesley Scott led the Pioneers defense with a game-high nine tackles, and picked off a Kyle Short pass early in the third quarter and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown to give Tusculum a 14-3 lead. The pick-six by Scott was the third of the season for the Pioneers, the most for Tusculum since returning three interceptions for scores in 2002. Tusculum entered the game leading Division II with 11 interceptions, and added three to the total against Emory & Henry.
The teams played a scoreless first quarter, with Tusculum having the best chance on its first possession as passes from Simmons for 30 yards to Justice Parham and 33 yards to Bryce Moore set up the Pioneers at the Wasps 11. However, a 24-yard field goal attempt was off target with 8:46 left in the quarter.
Emory & Henry broke the stalemate early in the second quarter, driving to the Tusculum 21 before settling for a 38-yard field goal from Trace Butcher to go up 3-0 with 13:18 left until halftime.
After an exchange of punts left the Pioneers at their own 22, Simmons lofted a screen to Johnson in stride in the left flat. Johnson ran to midfield where he eluded a would-be tackler, escaped another tackle attempt at the 35, split two blockers at the 20, juked another tackler at the 5 and was pushed into the end zone inside the pylon for a 78-yard score and a 7-3 Tusculum lead with 9:55 left in the first half.
Each would punt on its next two possessions, as Emory & Henry began a drive at its own 30 with 48 seconds left in the half. After a 12-yard completion to Kashawn Cosey, Short's pass to Anthony Smith Jr. was deflected by Andrae Robinson and gathered in as he went to the turf at the Wasps' 46 with 28 seconds left. Tusculum would use a 14-yard pass from Simmons to Kemani Brown to move to the Emory & Henry 3, but a pass from Simmons to Parham fell incomplete as the half expired with the Pioneers up 7-3.
On Emory & Henry's first possession of the third quarter, Short threw a pass directly into the arms of a leaping Scott, who dashed untouched 35 yards for a touchdown and a 14-3 Tusculum lead with 12:25 left in the quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Pioneers would march 84 yards in nine plays with three third-down conversions, including Simmons' 50-yard heave to Vines down to the Emory & Henry 5. On the next play, Johnson ran off tackle left and escaped a defender at the 2 before reaching across the goal line for his second touchdown of the day and a 21-3 Tusculum lead with 5:14 left in the third quarter.
The Wasps would go three and out for the second straight possession and Tusculum needed just three plays to convert, with a 38-yard run by Johnson helping set up Simmons to Burke down the middle for 35 yards and a 28-3 lead with 2:55 to go in the quarter. Tusculum carried the 28-3 lead into the fourth after outgaining Emory & Henry 190-3 in the third quarter and outscoring the Wasps 21-0.
Emory & Henry would finally reach the end zone on its first drive of the fourth quarter, traveling 80 yards in 11 plays with backup quarterback Charles Mutter scoring on a 7-yard run with 8:59 remaining to pull within 28-9. Tusculum would responded with a 75-yard, five-play drive which culminated with Burke catching a short pass on the left side from Simmons and dashing 11 yards for a touchdown with 6:21 to play.
Short was 7-for-20 for 84 yards and two interceptions before giving way to Mutter after the interception return by Scott. Mutter was 3-for-9 for 31 yards and a pick and ran for a team-high 40 yards on six carries. Justin Hill added 39 yards on 16 carries for the Wasps, who played most of the game without leading rusher Grayson Overstreet after he went out with an injury following three carries for a loss of six yards.
Trey Trawick finished with eight tackles (six solo) and had three for loss for the Pioneers, while Jordan Taylor joined Scott and Robinson with an interception. Chris Smith had the lone sack for the Pioneers and also had a pair of pass breakups. Ivan Phillips paced the Wasps with eight tackles (seven solo) with Addison Knicely coming up with a first-quarter interception for the Emory & Henry defense, which sacked Simmons three times.
Tusculum outgained Emory & Henry 463 yards to 210 in the victory, although the Wasps controlled the ball for 33:22 compared to 26:38 for the Pioneers. Tusculum was 3-for-12 on third-down conversions and Emory & Henry was 5-for-16. Both teams were flagged six times, with Tusculum losing 70 yards and Emory & Henry 45.
Pioneer punter Andrew Cantrell averaged 45.1 yards on seven punts, with a long of 56 yards, while Ethan Muncy punted nine times for the Wasps and averaged 40.8 yards with a long of 50. Tusculum's John Aiden Pittman was 5-for-5 on extra points for the Pioneers.
Tusculum will conclude its regular-season home schedule on Saturday, October 29 when the Pioneers host Erskine on Senior Day. Kickoff from Pioneer Field will be at 1:30 p.m. for the Flying Fleet's first-ever visit to Greeneville. The only meeting between the teams came on March 27, 2021 with the Pioneers winning 47-7 on the road during the abbreviated spring schedule that season.
