GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University football team returns to action this Saturday when the Sons of Davy Crockett make the 360-trek to Ettrick, Virginia to take on Virginia State University at Rogers Stadium.

The Pioneers (0-1) are in the middle of a season-opening three-game road swing, but will be facing their first NCAA Division II foe of 2023.

Both Tusculum and Virginia State played up a division last week. The Pioneers took on NCAA FCS Independent Kennesaw State University in the season lid-lifter for both teams. Tusculum went toe-to-toe with the FBS-Bound Owls for three quarters, but five costly turnovers including four interceptions sent the Pioneers to a 38-7 defeat.

Virginia State (1-0) racked up 487 yards offensively and pulled off a 33-24 road win at FCS Norfolk State University in the Labor Day Classic.

Saturday's game at Virginia State will be the final tune-up for TU before next week's South Atlantic Conference opener at nationally-ranked Wingate University.

THE SERIES

This will be the third meeting between the Pioneers and the Trojans but the first since they last met in 2016. VSU won the previous two meetings including a 24-10 victory over Tusculum seven years ago in Ettrick.

Virginia State won the 2015 inaugural encounter in Greeneville, 40-13.

Tusculum is 10-5 all-time against teams from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA).

LAST WEEK'S GAME

After trailing 7-0 following the first quarter, Kennesaw State scored 38 unanswered points to defeat visiting Tusculum at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

KSU quarterback Jonathan Murphy threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third, all over 50 yards as the Owls won the first-ever meeting with the Pioneers.

Redshirt quarterback passed for 179 yards and a touchdown to Ethan Stinnett in his first career start under center, but was picked off four times. Stinnett finished with three receptions for 40 yards with senior Joe Rubustelli making three grabs for 46 yards and All-SAC standout Tyler Bure made three catches for 19 yards.

Lanadrick Bradley led the TU ground game with 51 rushing yards on nine carries, while Edinboro University transfer Anfreenee Williams finished with 39 yards on a team-high 11 carries.

Preseason All-SAC linebacker Earnest Johnson III led the Pioneers with 11 tackles while Gavin Rowell had seven stops. All-SAC linebacker Wesley Scott added six hits, while Jermaine Witherspoon and Ryan Dolce contributed five tackles apiece.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS

Tusculum head coach Jerry Odom, who is in his eighth season with the Black and Orange, returns 59 lettermen and 17 starters from last year's 8-3 club which finished runner-up in the SAC Mountain Division. TU's eight victories were tied for the third-most in school history, while its six SAC wins were tied for the most by a Pioneer football team.

Tusculum brings back the bulk of its defensive unit including nine of its top-10 tacklers from a year ago. Coach Odom's defense finished as SAC statistical champions in four categories including: four defensive touchdowns (8th in NCAA II), 19 interceptions (3rd in NCAA II), 93.02 pass efficiency defense (4th in NCAA II) and forced 25 turnovers (16th in NCAA II). Nationally, the team finished 15th in pass defense (159.6 ypg), 18th in total defense (282.4 ypg), 26th in team tackles for loss (7.7 tpg), 35th in third down defense (.328) and 47th in turnover margin (+4).

Scott led the team in 2022 with his 96 total tackles including a TU-best 15 for loss. He averaged 8.7 tackles per game which were third in the league and 39th in Division II. Scott recorded 10 or more stops on three occasions and also finished with six quarterback hurries, two pass break-ups and an interception against Emory & Henry which he returned for a 35-yard touchdown.

Johnson III finished second on the team with his 56 tackles a year ago. He also posted 11 tackles for loss, one sack, three QB hurries, forced two fumbles and recovered another. He enters this week's game with 91 tackles in his 25 career games, including 18 stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Dolce returns to the TU secondary after earning All-SAC laurels in his inaugural TU campaign. The University of New Haven transfer finished third for the Pioneers with 55 tackles including six for loss and a sack. He tied for the team lead with three interceptions including a 72-yard pick-six at Catawba. He added four pass break-ups and four QB hurries to go along with a forced fumble and a recovery. In his two-plus collegiate seasons, he has totaled 104 career tackles.

Witherspoon is coming off an All-SAC season where he made 48 tackles and recorded a pair of interceptions. He has been credited with 131 tackles in his collegiate career while his six interceptions for 104 return yards are both tied for the ninth-most in TU history.

Anchoring the defensive front is All-SAC first teamer Dajavon White. The 5-10, 295-pound junior accounted for 37 stops including 12 behind the line of scrimmage which included a team-best six sacks (7th in SAC). He also recorded four QB hurries and blocked an extra point which proved to be the difference in a 14-13 road win at Barton. In his 24 career games, he has 25 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.

Also returning up front for the Black and Orange is All-SAC standout Joslyn Mira. The 6-2, 250-pound graduate student accounted for 34 tackles in 2022 including nine for loss, two sacks and tied for the team-lead with six QB hurries. He blocked a last minute field goal to preserve TU's 10-9 road win at UVA Wise last October. In last Thursday's game at Kennesaw, Mira posted four stops including two for loss, one sack and a quarterback hurry.

Two-sport standout Trejen Fox-Birdwell posted 34 tackles a year ago, while also making 10 tackles for loss with four sacks and five QB hurries from his defensive line position. In this year's opener, he posted four tackles including one for loss.He has also shined as a pitcher for the past two springs on the TU baseball team.

The Robinson brothers are back in the Tusculum secondary once again. Andrae and Adrian Robinson, one of three sets of twin brothers on this year's roster, each recorded three interceptions in 2022 for the Pioneers. Andrae earned All-SAC accolades while recording 26 tackles including 24 solo hits. One of his picks was returned for a school-record 97-yard touchdown at Catawba, earning him SAC Defensive Player of the Week plaudits. Adrian had 21 tackles last year including one for loss. The Robinsons have also shined in the classroom and both are two-time Academic All-District honorees.

Veteran defensive back John Smith has recorded 110 tackles in his 32-game collegiate career for the Pioneers. In 2022, he finished with 31 stops including one for loss, two pass break-up and an interception.

Senior defensive lineman Jamichael Wilson was a steady force in the trenches for the Pioneers last season. He started in every game and totaled 27 tackles including eight for loss, two sacks and a QB hurry.

All-SAC defensive back Jordan Taylor was limited to eight games in 2022 where he posted 11 tackles including three for loss, two interceptions and two pass deflections. In his 23 career outings, he has totaled 59 tackles with three interceptions and nine pass break-ups.

Senior cornerback Ty'Korian Brown made two interceptions last season to give him four for his career. Brown's 21 career passes defended are the 10th most in school history. In his 29 career outings, he has been credited with 91 total tackles.

Senior cornerback Marquel Pittman saw action in 10 games in his debut season on the TU football team where he played in the secondary as well as the kickoff return unit. He averaged a whopping 45.5 yards on his four kickoff returns including a 96-yarder for a touchdown against Erskine. He has been showcasing his speed on the Tusculum track team where he has earned All-America, All-Region and All-Conference distinction as a sprinter.

Back in the Tusculum lineup is veteran defensive back Raynell Killian. Killian missed the 2022 season due to injury and has already posted 76 tackles in his 16 games with the Pioneers. In 2021, he finished second on the roster with 56 tackles including six for loss with two sacks, two pass break-ups and an interception. He has been a part of three championship runs in his four collegiate seasons. He helped Valdosta State to a 2018 NCAA II National Championship to go along with a pair of Gulf South Conference titles. He was also instrumental in Tusculum's SAC Championship in the spring of 2021.

Also returning up front for the Pioneers are Chris Smith, Ryshawn Glinton, Jahari Clemons and Gavin Rowell. In the linebacker corps, senior Chris Stevenson has also returned.

Seven starters are back from last year's offense which averaged 30.5 points (2nd in SAC / 50th in NCAA II) and 396.5 yards per game (2nd in SAC / 49th in NCAA II).

Williams is slated to get his second start in the offensive backfield. He earned All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference accolades at Edinboro and ran for 1,351 yards and 11 touchdowns in his 25 games with the Fighting Scots.

Bradley, who played in 11 games at receiver last year for the Pioneers, made his debut at running back last week. In 2022, he posted 14 receptions for 195 yards and a touchdown.

Tusculum returns its top receiver from a year ago in Tyler Burke. He earned All-Conference honors in 2022 as he led the Pioneers with his 36 receptions for 578 yards, which were both fifth in the league. He accounted for five touchdown receptions as well and saw action on TU's kickoff return unit. He is averaging 26.9 yards per kickoff return and posted a school-record 100-yarder in his 2021 rookie season.

Junior Kemani Brown finished third on the team with 17 catches last season for 215 yards and three touchdowns, while sophomore Eddie Watson hauled in a 19-yard reception last week at Kennesaw.

Roberts is set to get his second start at quarterback this week. He passed for over 6,000 yards during his prep career at Flagler Palm Coast High School in Florida where he was a two-time All-Area selection and led his team to three State Playoff appearances. In his senior season, he tossed for 1,800 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Three starters return on the offensive line for Pioneers including 2022 All-SAC selections Ben Shellenback and Joe Lock. Shellenback, 6-5, 300-pound graduate student has been a starter in the TU offensive trenches for the past two-plus seasons at left tackle, while Lock, a 6-3, 300-pound senior, was the starting right tackle a year ago. Sophomore Levi Gould (6-2, 280) made 10 appearances as a true freshman last year including seven starts.

Senior Taylor Williams will start at one of the guard positions for the Pioneers after battling injuries the past two campaigns. He got injured in last year's SAC opener vs Wingate, but returned to the line-up for the final two divisional contests. Williams, who came to Tusculum via Valdosta State, was a part of the Blazers' 2018 national championship team as a freshman.

Senior Tyrone Kelsey played in seven contests last year including a pair of starts in wins over St. Augustine's in last year's opener and against Carson-Newman. The 6-4, 300-pound veteran has been tapped to start at the other guard position.

The veteran group of Jordon Harmon (6-3, 290, Sr.), Colton Edwards (6-1, 300, Gr.) and Bryson Ridge will be looking to contribute for the Pioneers.

Newcomers Reggie Jackson (6-5, 280, Fr.), Jeff Linton (6-5, 305, Fr.) and Chris Sweeney (6-6, 300, Fr.) all saw action last week on the offensive line.

Veteran tight end Will Shellenback returns for his final Tusculum campaign. The 6-6, 250-pounder has 29 games under his collegiate belt where he has made 22 receptions for 243 yards and four touchdowns. In 2022, he posted nine grabs for 73 yards and two scores.

Sophomore Reginald Hunter appeared in nine games at tight end in 2022 as he posted four receptions for 52 yards. He posted a seven-yard catch last week at Kennesaw State.

Shorter University transfer Nicholas Pope gets his second start at punter when TU travels to Virginia State. In his TU debut, he averaged 36.6 yards on his seven punts including a long of 46 yards and pinned the Owls at the one-yard line.  Pope played the last four seasons for the Hawks where he did double-duty as placekicker and punter. In his 101 career punts, he averaged 38.5 yards per boot with 25 punts inside the 20 and five touchbacks. In his 34 games as a kicker, he totaled 122 points including 19 field goals and 65 extra points.

Junior placekicker John Aiden Pittman returns and has 18 career games of college kicking experience. He has made 43-of-46 of his career extra points for a .935 PAT percentage which is the third-best in program history. Last season, he was a perfect 15-of-15 on extra points and handled 56 of Tusculum's kickoffs.

Junior Josh Curray is in his third season as Tusculum's long-snapper. He earned All-SAC Mountain Division recognition last season and earned a spot on the Academic All-District team. None of his long snaps resulted in a blocked punt last year as Tusculum boasted the No. 20 net punting team in the country (37.75) and were 37th nationally in punt return defense (5.19 ypr).

Watson will be Tusculum's punt returner once again as he established a single-season record with 32 return attempts, which were the most in the country (NCAA II) in 2022. The 2023 Preseason All-SAC Mountain Division honoree averaged 9.47 yards per punt return (3rd in SAC / 21st in NCAA II) including a 61-yarder for a touchdown in last year's season-opener.

MORE ABOUT VIRGINIA STATE

The Virginia State Trojans stunned NCAA FCS Norfolk State with a 33-24 win over the Spartans.

Central Connecticut State transfer Steve Williams spearheaded the offense completing 13-of-19 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. Williams also rushed 12 times for 21 yards with a TD run. Upton Bailey was a force at running back where he ran for 187 yards on 18 attempts including an 80-yard touchdown.

The Trojans amassed 487 yards while limiting NSU to 304 yards on the afternoon.

Dr. Henry Frazier is in his second season as head coach at Virginia State. He guided the Trojans to a 6-4 record that featured five All-CIAA selections while the offense averaged 30.5 points and 416.6 yards per game.

Coach Frazier is a 17-year head coaching veteran which includes Bowie State (1999-2003), Prairie View A&M (2004-2010), N.C. Central (2011-2013) and now Virginia State (2022-present).

FOLLOW THE GAME

The Tusculum radio call of Saturday's contest with Virginia State will be available on the Pioneer Sports Network with the "Voice of the Pioneers" Brian Stayton and Joe Byrd calling the action on WSMG Radio (95.5 FM and 1450 AM). The Tusculum broadcast is also available online at: www.TusculumPioneers.com.

Live statistics links will be available on-line at: www.TusculumPioneers.com.