LIVINGSTON, Ala. --- Spencer Arceneaux threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns and ran 67 yards for a score to help the University of West Alabama to a 45-9 victory over Tusculum University Saturday night at Tiger Stadium.
The Tigers (2-0) scored 31 unanswered points in the second half after leading the Pioneers (0-1) 14-9 at halftime. Arceneaux, who was 2-for-8 for 37 yards through the air in UWA's season opener against Miles, was 17-for-24 against Tusculum with touchdowns of 38-yards to Tyler Walker and 30 yards to Caeleb Bass. Walker finished with 109 receiving yards on three catches.
The Pioneers, playing the first game for head coach Billy Taylor, opened the scoring on a 50-yard touchdown run by wide receiver Zaron Collins and added a 25-yard field goal by John Aiden Pittman just before halftime. Tusculum had 246 yards of total offense but went 4-for-16 on third downs and turned the ball over twice on interceptions.
The Tigers piled up 456 yards in the game, gaining 207 yards on the ground, despite controlling the ball for just 24:07. West Alabama converted all four of its red-zone trips into 24 points and scored 10 points off of Tusculum's turnovers.
Tusculum used three quarterbacks in the game, with starter Matthew Palazzo going 7-for-10 for 42 yards. Brayden Phillips was 7-for-15 through the air for 87 yards, and Richard Hunter completed one pass for two yards to his brother, Reginald.
Collins was both the leading rusher and receiver for the Pioneers, catching four passes for 64 yards in addition to his 50-yard touchdown scamper. Tusculum gained 115 yards on the ground while using 12 different ball carriers in the game. Otasowie Dion was the Pioneers' top running back with 22 yards on five carries.
Both teams punted on their opening possessions, and Tusculum would get its first touchdown on its second possession as Collins went around the left side on third down and went 50 yards for the score. The two-point pass attempt was no good, leaving Tusculum up 6-0 with 9:23 left in the first quarter.
West Alabama drove 86 yards on seven plays to take the lead on a 38-yard pass from Arceneaux to Walker with 6:44 left in the opening quarter. Neither team would threaten the remainder of the period, leaving the Tigers with a 7-6 lead entering the second stanza.
A 40-yard punt from Tusculum's Stefaan Forbes pinned West Alabama at its own 5 early in the second quarter, and the Pioneers got the ball back at the Tigers 32 after a short punt and an 8-yard return by Carlton Terry. A penalty put the Pioneers behind the sticks, and a pass on fourth-and-11 by Phillips was incomplete to give the ball back to the Tigers with 7:16 to play in the half.
West Alabama wasted little time adding to its lead, moving 67 yards in five plays with a two-yard run by Bry Webb giving the Tigers a 14-6 lead with 5:16 left in the first half.
Tusculum would close the half with its best drive of the game, moving 64 yards in 10 plays before being stopped on third-and-goal at the 5. The Pioneers would settle for a 25-yard field goal from Pittman to pull within 14-9 with 29 seconds remaining in the half.
The Pioneers would catch a break early in the third quarter as Silas Thompson fumbled after being hit by Quinn Smith following a reception, and Deven Brantley recovered for Tusculum at the Pioneer 48. However, the Pioneers were forced to punt and three passes later the Tigers were in the end zone as Arceneaux hooked up on a 30-yard score to Bass with 8:57 to go in the third.
West Alabama added another score after an interception by Uriah Ratliff and a return to the Tusculum 8, as Brayden Jenkins scored on the first play from scrimmage to stretch the Tigers' lead to 28-9 with 6:45 remaining in the period.
Tusculum would move into the red zone on the next trip downfield, but a sack forced the Pioneers into a 43-yard field goal attempt from Pittman thatwas blocked by Cody Sigler and recovered at the Tusculum 40. Tyler Smith would punch the ball in from the 1 for a 35-9 Tigers lead with 42 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Arceneaux would stretch the West Alabama lead to 42-9 as he kept the ball on third and 2 from his own 33 and race 67 yards for the Tigers' fourth straight touchdown. Elijah Guyton added a 26-yard field goal with 9:48 left to close the scoring.
Forbes averaged 43.6 yards on seven punts for the Pioneers, with a long of 52 yards and four inside the 20-yard line. It is the ninth time in program history that a Tusculum punter dropped four inside the 20 in a game, which is tied for the fourth-most in program history.
Reginald Hunter finished with three catches for 25 yards for the Pioneers, with three catches for 19 yards by Corey Moraux. Khris Binion led the Tigers with five receptions for 63 yards.
Earnest Johnson III led the Tusculum defense with eight tackles (six solo), while Corey Radcliff had seven stops. Ishmael Naylor paced the Tigers' defense with eight tackles, while Devonte Harris had six solo tackles among his seven stops and also had an interception.
The Pioneers will have an off week next Saturday, then Tusculum hosts Newberry in its South Atlantic Conference opener on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Pioneer Field. The Wolves lost their season opener at home on Saturday to seventh-ranked Valdosta State by a 27-14 score.
