GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- After compiling 1,700 round-trip miles, the Tusculum University football team will play its first home game of the season when they host Catawba College this Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. from the Niswonger Sports Complex and Pioneer Field.
This Saturday will be the 2023 home opener for the Pioneers after playing its first three games of the year away from Greeneville.
Tusculum (1-2, 1-0 SAC) is coming off its first win of the season, while Catawba (2-1, 0-1 SAC) suffered its first setback of 2023.
The Pioneers utilized timely defense, solid special teams play and three key scoring drives orchestrated by sophomore quarterback Matthew Palazzo as TU posted a 23-21 upset win at nationally-ranked Wingate University. Palazzo, a Greene County native and Chuckey-Doak High School alum, ran for two touchdowns and completed a 46-yard touchdown to Tyler Burke with 2:59 left in the game to secure Tusculum's first win at Wingate since 2014.
The Catawba Indians dropped its league-opener last week in a 35-20 loss to defending SAC Mountain Division champion Mars Hill in Salisbury, North Carolina.
Mars Hill generated 461 yards offensively including a 206-rushing yard performance by Jon Gullette. Catawba quarterback Preston Brown passed for 321 yards and three touchdowns including a pair to Bo Pryor. Pryor finished with a career-high 162 receiving yards on his eight catches in the loss.
LAST WEEK
The Pioneers got a badly needed victory, rallying to a 23-21 win at 24th-ranked Wingate, ending a four-game losing streak dating back to last season (all on the road) and also snapping a four-game skid to the Bulldogs who posted an 11-win season last year and advanced to the NCAA Division II national quarterfinal.
Offensively in the Wingate game, Palazzo threw for 202 yards on 15-of-30 passing with a touchdown and zero interceptions. He also rushed for a pair of touchdowns to spot TU to a 14-0 in the first half.
After Wingate tied the game at 14-14, the duo of Davajon White and Gavin Rowell sacked quarterback Noah Bell in the end zone for a safety for a 16-14 lead.
The Bulldogs regained the lead with a touchdown with five minutes to go. With no timeouts, Palazzo orchestrated a six-play, 75-yard drive culminating with his 46-yard TD toss to Burke for the game-winning score with less than three minutes left.
Wingate had one last chance with five seconds left, but Marcel Bowes intercepted Bell at the WU 3 on the final play of the game.
All-SAC linebacker Wesley Scott led the way for the Pioneers defensively as he posted 11 tackles including a SAC. White earned SAC Defensive Player of the Week honors as he finished with six tackles, two sacks and a QB hurry.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
The Tusculum Pioneers return home to begin a stretch of playing three of its next four contests at home when they host the Catawba Indians this week.
Head coach Jerry Odom is in his eighth season at the helm of the Pioneer program, two years removed from winning the South Atlantic Conference title and following last season's runner-up performance in the SAC Mountain Division.
Junior linebacker Earnest Johnson III has made 26 tackles this year in his three starts which leads the team and is second in the conference. He tallied a career-high 11 tackles in the season-opener at Kennesaw State and followed with 10 hits at Virginia State including the 100th of his Tusculum career. He notched five stops last week at Wingate giving the Preseason All-Conference selection 106 tackles in his 27 career games including 18 for loss.
Scott is second on the team with his 25 tackles including two for loss, one sack and a pass break-up. He is coming off an eight-tackle performance last week at Virginia State which included a TFL and pass break-up. He led the Pioneers with his 96 total tackles last year earning him All-Conference first team distinction. Including his two years at Keiser University, he has amassed 240 tackles in his 34-game career.
All-SAC defensive back Ryan Dolce is third with 21 tackles to his credit including nine hits last week at Wingate. He has made 12 solo stops and nine assists including one for loss. The University of New Haven transfer finished third on the team last year 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 in last year's win at Catawba. He added four pass break-ups and four QB hurries to go along with a forced fumble and a recovery. In his three collegiate campaigns he has totaled 120 career tackles.
Redshirt freshman Gavin Rowell continues to be a force on the defensive front. He is fourth on the roster with his 19 tackles including a team-best six for loss (4th in SAC). He tallied seven stops last week at Wingate including a sack for a safety against the Bulldogs.
Senior defensive back Jermaine Witherspoon is coming off an All-SAC season and has been credited with 142 tackles in his collegiate career while his seven interceptions are tied for seventh in TU history. In 2023, he is fifth on the club with 16 tackles and has a team-leading four passes defended (3 pass break-ups, INT). His 18 career passes defended (7 INT, 11 PB) are 13th in school history.
All-SAC defensive lineman Joslyn Mira is sixth on the roster with his 13 total tackles including three for loss with two sacks and a quarterback hurry. Mira has recorded 70 career tackles in his 25 games.
White, the 2022 All-SAC first team selection has made 11 tackles this year with four behind the line of scrimmage and two sacks. His 13 career sacks are already tied for the eighth-most by a Pioneer.
Twin brothers Adrian and Andrae Robinson continue to patrol the secondary and are eighth and ninth, respectively on the team in tackles this year. Adrian has made 10 hits, while Andrae is second with nine. The Robinsons had quite a performance in last year's meeting at Catawba as the twins each had an interception. Andrae returned his pick for a school-record 97-yard touchdown while also making five stops and recovering a fumble to earn SAC Player of the Week plaudits. The Robinsons both shine in the classroom where they are honor student and were named to the NCAA II Academic All-District first team in each of the last two seasons.
At 6-3, 325 pounds, defensive lineman Jamichael Wilson is a dominating presence up front where he has made two tackles for loss with a sack and a pass break-up to go along with his eight total hits.
Defensive lineman Trejen Fox-Birdwell has made seven tackles including one for loss and has a pass break-up. Last year, he made 34 tackles including 10 for loss with four sacks and five QB hurries. The two-sport standout has shined as a pitcher out of the Tusculum bullpen the last two seasons.
Fellow defensive lineman Jahari Clemons has three tackles for loss, including two at Virginia State where he also forced a fumble. Clemons has seven tackles in his defensive ledger.
Senior cornerback Ty'Korian Brown has seven tackles to his credit which includes a sack. Last week, he stopped a Wingate scoring drive with his interception which he returned 64 yards before being stopped. Brown's 23 career passes defended are the ninth-most in school history. In his 30 career outings, he has been credited with 92 total tackles.
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 25 career outings, he has totaled 64 tackles with four interceptions and nine pass break-ups.
Veteran defensive back John Smith has recorded 110 tackles in his 33-game collegiate career for the Pioneers. He missed last week's game at Wingate due to injury but is expected to be available this week against Catawba.
On offensive, Palazzo is poised to take the field this week in his home debut, just 2.4 miles away from where he starred on the prep gridiron at Chuckey-Doak High School. In his first collegiate start last week at Wingate, he went 4-for-6 on his first possession as the Pioneers posted five first downs including three 3rd down conversions. He capped the 13-play, 75-yard drive with his three-yard TD run.
The top target for the Pioneers this season continues to be junior Tyler Burke. In 2023, he has made 12 catches for 165 yards including a 33-yard touchdown at Virginia State and a 46-yard TD grab for the game-winner at Wingate. 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. In his 24 career games, he has made 70 catches for 948 yards with 10 touchdowns. For his career on special teams, he is averaging 26.9 yards per kickoff return and posted a school-record 100-yarder in his 2021 rookie campaign.
Running back Jalen Hunt has rushed for 88 yards on his 28 carries for a 3.1 average. Converted receiver Lanadrick Bradley is second on the club with 18 rushes for 70 yards (3.9 ypc). Freshman Jojo Restall, has gained 19 yards on six carries.
All-Conference tackle Ben Shellenback anchors the offensive line for the Black and Orange. The 6-5, 300-pound graduate student has been a starter in the TU trenches for the past three years.
Sophomore Levi Gould has been the starting center for the Pioneers in the season's first two outings. The 6-2, 280-pound product has made 12 appearances on the line with 10 career starts.
Adrian Gumm (6-5, 295), Chris Sweeney (6-6, 300) and Reggie Jackson (6-5, 280) are set to make their third straight starts this week. Senior Tyrone Kelsey (6-5, 340) played in seven contests last year including a pair of starts in wins over St. Augustine's and Carson-Newman. Also set to see action on the line are freshmen Jeff Linton (6-5, 305) and Nehemiah Storey (6-1, 285).
Veteran tight end Will Shellenback returns for his final Tusculum campaign. The 6-6, 250-pounder has 30 games under his collegiate belt where he has made 23 receptions for 249 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. In 2023, he has posted four receptions for 46 yards including last week's 39-yard performance at Wingate including his 25-yard reception to set up a short TD run for Palazzo in Tusculum's second touchdown.
Shorter University transfer Nicholas Pope gets his fourth start at punter this week and is averaging 38.4 yards per boot which is eighth in the league. His five punts inside the 20 are second in the SAC while is nine fair catches are tied for first in the conference. Pope played four seasons for the Shorter Hawks where he did double-duty as placekicker and punter. In his 34 games as a kicker, he totaled 122 points including 19 field goals and 65 extra points.
Junior placekicker John-Aiden Pittman has made 48-of-51 of his career extra points for a school-record .940 PAT percentage which is the third-best in program history. Last season, he was a perfect 15-of-15 on extra points and has made 24 in a row dating back to 2021. He scored five points two weeks ago including a career-long 35-yard field goal at Virginia State.
Junior Josh Curray is in his third season as Tusculum's long-snapper. He earned All-SAC Mountain Division recognition last year 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).
Eddie Watson is Tusculum's punt returner 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 home-opener. This season, he has returned two punts for a 9.0 average.
Senior Marquel Pittman has been Tusculum's leading kickoff returner this season. He is averaging 21.3 yards on his six returns in 2023 with a long of 36 yards. In his last appearance at Pioneer Field, Pittman returned a 96-yarder for a touchdown against Erskine last October. He has been showcasing his speed on the Tusculum track team where he earned All-America, All-Region and All-Conference distinction as a sprinter.
SCOUTING THE CATAWBA INDIANS
The start of the Coach Tyler Haines era at Catawba has been promising as the Indians have won two of its first three games. Catawba opened with wins over Elizabeth City State (31-23) and Livingstone (55-15) before dropping a 35-20 home decision to Mars Hill in their SAC opener.
Coach Haines was named the 22nd head football coach at Catawba following the 2022 campaign which saw the Tribe go 1-10 and winless in the conference including a 50-17 home loss to Tusculum. Haines served as offensive coordinator at Shepherd University in 2022 as the Rams went 13-2, won the PSAC Eastern Division title and advanced to the NCAA II national semifinal. Haines previously served as head coach at Urbana University for five years before the school closed at the end of the 2019-20 academic year.
His Catawba team this year leads the SAC in three offensive categories and is 32nd in the nation in scoring offense (35.3 ppg – 2nd in SAC) and 18th in total offense (452.3 ypg – 2nd in SAC).
Sophomore quarterback Preston Brown leads the SAC in nine offensive categories including: total offense (308.3 ypg – 19th in NCAA II), passing offense (301.7 ypg – 9th in NCAA II), completions per game (21.33 cpg – 21st in SAC), passing TDs (12 – 2nd in NCAA II), passing yards (905 – 8th in NCAA II) and points responsible for per game (24.0 ppg – 3rd in NCAA II). Brown has gone 63-for-100 with one interception.
In the win over Livingstone, Brown passed for 372 yards and a school-record six touchdowns to earn D2Football.com National Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Junior receiver Bo Pryor is second in the nation with his five touchdown receptions while his 106.7 receiving yards per game average is tops in the SAC and 15th in NCAA II. For his 17 catches this year, he is averaging 25.7 yards per reception (2nd in SAC / 14th in NCAA II).
THE SERIES
The 27th renewal of one of the more entertaining football rivalries in the South Atlantic Conference takes place this week as the Tusculum Pioneers host the Catawba Indians.
Thirteen (13) of the last 22 encounters between Tusculum and Catawba have been decided by 10 points or less. In the 26 previous meetings, 12 have been decided by a single possession, including five by three points or fewer.
Catawba leads the all-time series 17-9 and has won seven of the last 11 encounters.
Tusculum's first game against a nationally-ranked NCAA Division II opponent was No. 7 Catawba in 1997. TU's first win over a nationally-ranked DII foe was Catawba the following year as the Pioneers upset the Tribe 23-21 at Shuford Stadium. In fact, three of TU's 13 wins against nationally-ranked teams have been against Catawba in 1998, 2004 and 2007.
That 2004 win came during TU's Homecoming in a 42-35 victory as Fredd Staton rushed for the winning TD with 36 seconds left. Catawba still had enough time to get off a 20-yard pass to the end zone on the game's final play but TU's Eric McIntyre intercepted Catawba All-American Luke Samples as the Pioneers knocked off the 12th-ranked Indians.
Catawba won the first two meetings in 1996 and 1997, before TU posted the 1998 upset in Salisbury. The Indians followed with five straight victories from 1999-2003. TU won three of the next four meetings from 2004-2007 and Catawba followed with back-to-back wins in 2008 and 2009.
Tusculum and Catawba met on the gridiron every season from 1996-2019 with the string ending at 24 in a row when the two did not meet in the 2021 COVID abbreviated spring campaign.
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 2:30 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.
GAME PROMOTIONS
This week's game is School Spirit Day as Tusculum fans are encouraged to wear their Black & Orange. The fan which shows the most School Spirit will receive a Tusculum Fan Gift Package.
Saturday's game is also part of the South Atlantic Conference's Mental Health Empowerment Week. The theme surrounding the week-long event is to stress that everyone's mental health and wellness are just as important as their physical health and wellness.
Tusculum student-athletes and staff took part in webinars this week, provided by Morgan's Message®. Morgan's Message® "strives to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community and equalize the treatment of physical and mental health in athletics. We aim to expand the dialogue on mental health by normalizing conversations, empowering those who suffer in silence, and supporting those who feel alone." Morgan Rodgers, a former Duke University Lacrosse student-athlete died tragically in July 2019 after battling mental health struggles.
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.
