GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Barton kicker Bear Huggins connected on a game-winning 30-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to lead the Bulldogs to a thrilling 17-14 South Atlantic Conference victory over Tusculum Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Field.
Barton (4-1, 2-1 SAC) is off to its best start in program history and records its first-ever win over the Pioneers (2-3, 2-1 SAC) who suffers its first league loss of the season and ends a four-game home winning streak.
Huggins, who is also the BC punter, averaged 43.9 yards on his seven punts including four inside the 20-yardline including back-to-back fourth quarter punts downed at the TU 2 as the Pioneers endured poor field position on its final possessions of the game.
BC running back Jordan Terrell rushed for a game-high 147 yards on 32 carries including a 53-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 14-0 lead at halftime.
Tusculum got its first score of the game early in the third quarter as the Pioneers went 90 yards on 12 plays capped off by an eight-yard TD pass from quarterback Matthew Palazzo to Kamani Brown. John Aiden Pittman's extra point hit the upright as TU trailed 14-6.
Later in the third, TU running back Jojo Restall ran off a 54-yard scamper as he got to the BC 34. Palazzo connected with Brown again for a 21-yard completion to the BC 9. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Palazzo would run for a four-yard touchdown to make it a 14-12 game. The Pioneers elected to go for the two-point conversion and Palazzo threw a jump pass to tight end Will Shellenback in the back of the end zone to tie the game at 14-14 with 14:55 left in the contest.
Barton recorded four first downs and got to the TU 40, but quarterback Jaquan Lynch was sacked by Chris Stevenson and the Bulldogs would be forced to punt. Huggins punt died at the two-yard line. The Pioneers would run a pair of short runs and a pass as TU came ups short and would be forced to punt.
The Bulldogs took over at the TU 49 and converted one first down and got to the TU 34 but the drive stalled and Barton would elect to punt. Again Huggins down a second straight punt at the two yard-line with 5:21 remaining.
The Pioneers would get runs of two and six yards to set up third-down and short. Palazzo scrambled and ran 38 yards to the TU 48. But the possession would end their as Nicholas Pope's punt went in the end zone as Barton got the ball at the 20 with 3:13 left on the clock.
Tusculum would be called for a pass interference call on the first play of the drive. Lynch was sacked for a two-yard loss on first down and an incomplete pass set up third down and 12. Lynch completed a 19-yard pass to Terrell for the first down and move the ball into TU territory at the 48. Lynch hit Kameron Johnson on a 19-yard completion to the TU 29 and followed with a six-yard pass to Zakvil Smith and Terrell plunged up the middle for five yards and a first down at the TU 18 with 1:16 remaining following a Tusculum timeout.
Terrell was stopped for no gain on first down and TU stopped the clock with 1:09 left. Terrell ran to the outside and went out of bounds to stop the clock with 57 seconds remaining. Terrell would be stopped on third down for no gain, but Tusculum was flagged for offside and TU would call its final timeout of the game. Terrell ran to the middle of the field at the TU 13 on third down as the clock ticked down and BC called a timeout with eight seconds left.
Huggins came on and drilled the 30-yard field through the uprights as the Bulldogs regained the lead at 17-14 with five seconds left.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Pioneers took over at their 17, but two incomplete passes would end the contest.
Tusculum outgained Barton 308-293 in offensive yards despite the Pioneers being held to 48 yards in the opening half. Lynch went 13-for-23 for 123 yards and was sacked four times. Kameron Johnson was his top target as he finished with 74 yards on six receptions.
Pallazo went 15-for-29 for 170 passing yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 35 yards and a touchdown, his fifth rushing score of the season. Restall ran for 56 yards on his five attempts, while Kemani Brown finished with four receptions for 70 yards and a TD.
TU's Tyler Burke became the 23rd player in program history with 1,000 career receiving yards at Tusculum. He has posted 1,024 yards on his 75 career receptions.
Tusculum's Ryan Dolce led all tacklers with a career-high 11 stops, while John Smith matched a career-best with his 10 tackles including two for loss and a sack. Wesley Scott and Earnest Johnson added nine tackles apiece and Ty'Korian Brown recorded his seventh career interception moving him into a tie for seventh in program history. Brown also had a pass break-up giving him 27 passes defended as a Pioneer which are seventh in the TU record book.
Barton dominated the time of possession, holding onto the football for 37:40 for the game including over 11 minutes in the fourth quarter. BC went 8-of-17 on its third-down conversions while Tusculum went 4-of-14 and 2-of-2 on fourth down.
Tusculum had five penalties for 55 yards, while Barton was flagged twice for 10 yards.
TU punter Nicholas Pope averaged 42.6 yards per kick with a long of 51 and pinned the opposition inside the 20 on three occasions.
The Pioneers will be on the road for three of its next four games to begin SAC Mountain Division play. Tusculum will be at arch-rival Carson-Newman next Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Burke-Tarr Stadium in the second oldest football rivalry in the State of Tennessee (1904).
