GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Dwayne Wright rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown, while Reed Charpia passed for 207 yards and a score to pace Newberry to a 50-20 South Atlantic Conference victory over host Tusculum Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Field.
The Wolves (1-2, 1-0 SAC) scored the first 19 points of the contest, all coming in the first quarter, to record its fourth consecutive victory over the Pioneers (0-2, 0-1 SAC).
Newberry amassed 451 yards offensively, including 244 on the ground as Wright averaged 20.3 yards on his seven carries including explosive runs 29, 46 and 62 yards. Quez Spells and Keith Desaussure accounted for two touchdowns apiece.
Tusculum finished the game with 251 yards offensively including 180 rushing yards as 12 different Pioneers recorded a rushing attempt. Joseph Goho was TU's top rusher with 69 yards on four attempts including a 58-yard touchdown to put the Pioneers on the scoreboard in the second quarter.
Charpia was very efficient in the passing game as he went 13-of-17, completing passes to seven different receivers.
The 50 points scored by Newberry are the most against Tusculum in the series since the Scarlet & Gray won a 63-56 shootout in Greeneville in 2010.
TU defensive back Daryl Smith led all tacklers with a career-high 10 stops including seven solo hits to go along with a pair of pass break-ups. TJ Jingozian added a career-best seven tackles including one for loss, while Earnest Johnson III made six tackles including one behind the line of scrimmage. The TU trio of Marquel Pittman, Dylan Horne and Rashad Watson finished with four tackles each.
Tusculum punter Stefaan Forbes established a new school-record as he averaged 59.0 yards on his three punts covering 50, 62 and 65 yards. Two of his punts were downed inside the 20 and his 65-yarder is the 10th-longest in program history. Forbes 59.0 average surpassed the previous mark of 53.5 by Cory Newton against Lenoir-Rhyne in 2004.
Newberry kicker Bryce Earley had a superb day as he scored 12 points including two field goals and went 6-of-6 on his extra points. He also recorded eight touchbacks on his nine kickoffs.
The Wolves took the opening drive and marched 77 yards on five plays, capped off by Wright's 29-yard touchdown run. Earley's kick made it 7-0 at the 12:54 mark of the quarter.
Disaster hit the Pioneers on their first offensive play as the snap went over the head of quarterback Matthew Palazzo into the TU end zone. Palazzo kicked the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety and a 9-0 Newberry lead.
After the free kick, Charpia completed a 47-yard pass to Tommy Washington to the TU 12. But two plays later, Tusculum's Terrick Ponds recovered a Newberry fumble at the TU 14 to stop the drive.
The Pioneers would go three-and-out including a sack by Colby Taylor on third down as the Pioneers were forced to punt.
Taking over at its own 33, Wright got Newberry in business again as he ran into the second level and rumbled 46 yards to the TU 21. Three plays later, Desaussure scored on a six-yard run to make it a 16-0 contest.
The Pioneers took over at its 25 and got to the TU 34 facing a fourth-and-one from there. Tusculum went for it, but the pass fell incomplete, turning the ball over on downs. The Wolves got to the TU 8 but the drive stalled as Tusculum's Aidan Dark forced an incomplete pass as Newberry settled for an Earley 25-yard field goal as the Wolves led 19-0 with eight seconds remaining in the quarter.
Newberry out-gained Tusculum 214-8 in total yards, converting nine first downs and limiting the Pioneers to zero in the opening 15 minutes.
The Pioneers advanced the ball to near midfield before Goho got into the secondary and sprinted down the field for a 58-yard touchdown, the first of his collegiate career. John-Aiden Pittman's kick was blocked as the score stayed at 19-6 with 13:32 on the clock.
The Wolves answered with a seven-play, 67-yard drive culminating with a 34-yard completion from Charpia to Desaussure, his second touchdown of the half as Newberry extended the lead to 26-6 with 9:17 remaining before halftime.
On Tusculum's ensuing possession, quarterback Brayden Phillips converted on third down with an 11-yard completion to Zaron Collins to the TU 41. Jalen Hunt ran up the middle for a 15-yard gain into Newberry territory, followed by scrambles of six and 11 yards from Phillips to get to the NBY 27. But the drive would stall there and John-Aiden Pittman's 46-yard field goal try came up short with 4:49 on the clock.
Wright got loose again on a 62-yard run to the TU 9 where Spells sprinted in from there for his first touchdown of the game as Newberry took a 33-6 lead into the locker room.
Tusculum opened the second half with a 12-play, 75-yard drive with Palazzo completing a 22-yard touchdown pass to Hunt. Pittman's kick made it 33-13 at the 8:33 mark of the third period.
But the Wolves answered with an 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive which took 6:44 off the clock. Spells accounted for the final 39 yards on the drive including 21-yard rush to the one-yard line. He would punch it in from there to extend the lead to 40-13 with 1:42 left in the third.
On the next offensive play, Palazzo fumbled the ball and was recovered by Newberry's Rodney Wright at the TU 23. Jonah Norris would close out the quarter with three straight carries spanning 22 yards to get to the one. Charpia would plunge in on the first play of the fourth for a 47-13 lead.
Tusculum would turn the ball over for a second time when Ja Stevens intercepted Palazzo and returned the pick 27-yards to the TU 27. Newberry would convert the turnover into points as Early converted his second field goal of the afternoon, this one from 32 yards out and a 50-13 lead.
Later in the quarter, Tusculum would put in freshman quarterback Kamden Wellington as he orchestrated a scoring drive with freshman Lex Dinwiddie scoring his first collegiate touchdown on a six-yard run.
Newberry's Chucky Roach led the Wolves defensively with his six tackles, while teammate Luke Taylor finished with five stops.
Tusculum returns to action next Saturday when they travel to Hickory, North Carolina to face nationally-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne University for a 1 p.m. kickoff. It will be rematch of last year's SAC Championship Game.
