Matthew Palazzo rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another in Tusculum's 23-21 win over No. 24 Wingate (photo by Dom Donnelly)
Posted: Sep 16, 2023
WINGATE, N.C. --- Tusculum sophomore quarterback Matthew Palazzo accounted for three scores including a 46-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Burke with 2:59 remaining as the Pioneers edged 24th-ranked Wingate 23-21 Saturday night at Irwin Belk Stadium in the South Atlantic Conference football opener for both teams.
Tusculum (1-2, 1-0 SAC) snaps a four-game losing streak to the Bulldogs (1-2, 0-1 SAC) and record its first victory at Wingate since 2014. The two-point margin of victory is the narrowest in the 27 meetings in the history of the series.
Wingate out-gained Tusculum offensively 398-253 while running 23 more plays than the visitors. But the Pioneers did not commit a turnover for the first time this season while the TU defense recorded a pair of interceptions and got a third-quarter safety which would prove to be the difference in the game.
The Greeneville, Tennessee native, who was making his first collegiate start, went 15-for-30 for 202 passing yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for a pair of TDs in the first half to spot TU to a 14-0 lead.
Wingate quarterback Noah Bell passed for 227 yards on 25-of-40 passing. He passed for one touchdown and ran for another as he rushed for 99 yards on 23 carries and was sacked four times.
Junior linebacker Wesley Scott recorded a season-high 11 tackles with a sack. Ryan Dolce tallied nine stops, while Jermaine Witherspoon and Adrian Robinson accounted for eight hits apiece.
Wingate's Roe Chitwood made nine tackles, while Daniel Morrison finished with eight tackles in the loss.
Tusculum took the opening kick-off and marched 75 yards on 13 plays and capped off by a three-yard TD scamper by Palazzo. John-Aiden Pittman's kick made it 7-0 at the 9:24 mark of the first quarter. Palazzo went 4-of-6 on the drive and converted on third down three times while completing passes of 19 yards to Kemani Brown and a 14-yard toss to Burke to the WU 3 to set up Palazzo's touchdown.
Wingate drove into TU territory on its first possession, but Ty'Korkian Brown intercepted Bell and returned the pick 61 yards to the WU 11. The Bulldogs forced a pair of incomplete passes and sacked Palazzo. Pittman's 37-yard field goal was wide left to keep it a 7-0 game.
Early in the second quarter, TU took over at its own 47. Jojo Restall posted rushes for 12 and three yards to get to the WU 43. Palazzo completed a 13-yard pass to Tyreik Thorpe and a 25-yard pass to Reginald Hunter to get to the WU 2. Palazzo bulled his way into the end zone on a two-yard TD rush with 10:47 left in the half.
Wingate answered with its first score going 75 yards on 12 plays including a five-yard TD run by Bell. Caleb Bonestreet's kick made it 14-7 with 4:53 left in the quarter.
The Pioneers would go three-and-out on its next possession but Pope punted a 43-yarder which was fair caught at the WU 5 with 3:25 left before halftime. Wingate would get across midfield but Bell was sacked by Joslyn Mira at the WU 42 with 25 seconds on the clock. TU would hold the Bulldogs and force a punt on the final play of the half.
Wingate took the first possession and moved into TU territory but the drive stalled and the Bulldogs pinned the Pioneers at the TU 6. TU would go three-and-out and Pope was forced to punt out of his end zone. The punt bounced and looked to have bounced off a Wingate player and was downed at the TU 41 by Tusculum, but was apparently ruled to have been blocked into the ball and remained Wingate ball.
Bell ran for 20 yards on third down and followed with a 17-yard pass to Trevor Grant to the end zone for the game-tying touchdown with 7:05 in the third quarter.
Tusculum took the ensuing possession to midfield but a TU holding penalty would put the Pioneers behind the chains and would be forced to punt. Pope's punt went 46 yards and would be downed at the WU 1.
Three plays later, Bell would roll to his right but he was met in the end zone by Dajavon White and Gavin Rowell where he was sacked for a safety to put the Pioneers back in the lead at 16-14 at the 3:18 mark of the period.
Wingate would get to its own 30 as the Pioneers stopped the Bulldogs on third down. But after the play, Tusculum was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct to extend the drive heading into the fourth quarter. Wingate moved to TU 28 but Bell was sacked on third down by White to set up a 48-yard field goal try but his kick went wide left.
Tusculum took over at its own 31 and the drive looked promising when Kareem Carswell opened with a 10-yard run. But three straight passes fell incomplete and forced a punt as Wingate took over at the WU 27.
Bell completed a 44-yard pass to Matt Flanders who scurried to the TU 27. Bell found Tremel Jones on a 15-yard gain to the TU 12. After a holding penalty to Wingate, Bell ran 13 yards up the middle to the TU 1. Corey Siemer plunged in from there to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the game at 21-16 with 5:23 to go.
Jalen Hunt ran for three yards and Palazzo completed an eight-yard pass to Hunter for the first down. A 14-yard completion to Thorpe moved TU across midfield and Palazzo pass downfield was deflected by a Wingate defensive back Tre Morrison but Burke hauled in the football with one hand for the 46-yard touchdown as the Pioneers regained the lead with 2:59 remaining. Pittman's extra point made the score 23-21.
Wingate would take over at their own 20. The Bulldogs would get a five-yard play on first down. But a rush for no gain and an incompletion set up a fourth-and-five. Bell's toss downfield fell incomplete as he was hurried by White as TU took over on downs with 1:41 left.
Wingate used its last two timeouts and forced Tusculum to punt. Pope's short punt went out of bounds at the WU 15 with 28 seconds left.
With no timeouts, the Bulldogs got to the TU 49 with five seconds remaining. But Bell's heave to the end zone to the TU 3 and was intercepted by Marcel Bowes to end the game.
The Bulldogs went 9-of-18 on third down, while Tusculum went 6-of-14 on the night.
Pope averaged 37.1 yards on his seven punts including three inside-20 with a one downed at the one-yardline. Wingate's Mason Suber averaged 38.0 yards on his four kicks.
Kemani Brown finished with five receptions for 52 yards, while Burke tallied 80 yards on his three catches.
Tusculum will host Catawba next Saturday at Pioneer Field for TU's home opener. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.
