GREENEVILLE, Tenn. –- Tusculum quarterback Tedros Gleaton scored the game-winning touchdown with eight seconds remaining as the Pioneers rallied to a 24-17 South Atlantic Conference victory over UVA Wise Saturday at Pioneer Field.
Gleaton ran for two touchdowns and passed for another as Tusculum (4-4, 3-3 SAC) records its first Homecoming win since the last time they hosted the Highland Cavaliers (1-7, 1-5 SAC) in 2023.
TU running back Javon McMahan ran for a season-high 138 yards on 25 carries while Gleaton went 5-for-9 for 126 passing yards and a score.
Tusculum’s Jimi Olarinde led the defense as he tallied a career-high 4.0 tackles for loss with a pair of quarterback hurries and blocked a field goal. The 4.0 tackles for loss are tied for the sixth most by a Pioneer.
UVA Wise got into the redzone on five occasions, but were turned away three times including a goal-line stand in the first half and Judah Knight‘s second interception of the day, this time at the UVA Wise 3 with 3:08 remaining as the Cavs were looking to take the lead.
From there, the Pioneers marched 97 yards in nine plays with Gleaton scoring the go-ahead TD on a three-yard run. Max Turan‘s kick made it 24-17. The key play on the drive was Gleaton’s 45-yard pass to Donovan Jones to get to the WISE 45. McMahan ran for his longest gain of the day with his 15-yard scamper to the 30. Gleaton followed with a five-yard run and McMahan posted a five-yard carry to the WISE 20. On third down and four yards to go, McMahan converted the first down with a run up the middle, but he got seven extra yards as the pile of TU linemen and Wise defenders continued down to the WISE 3 as the Pioneers called timeout with 12 seconds remaining to set-up Gleaton’s game-winning score.
On the ensuing kickoff, with eight seconds left, kicker Quinton Brandon kicked a line drive down the field which caromed off a Cavalier player at the WISE 18. The player would be forced to pick up the football and after a lateral, the final seconds on the clock ticked away to end the contest.
Tusculum finished the game 351 yards offensively including 225 yards on the ground as the Pioneers averaged 4.4 yards per rush attempt.
UVA Wise signal caller McCalan Beason went 22-for-38 for 292 yards with a touchdown. He also rushed for 25 yards with a TD carry. He was also intercepted twice and sacked on two occasions.
The Cavs jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the opening five minutes of the game. The visitors took the opening possession and went 64 yards in 10 plays before being stopped at the TU 4. Aiden Magee would step in and connect on a 21-yard field goal as UVA Wise led 3-0 with 10:25 left in the first quarter.
On the second play of Tusculum’s first possession, UVA Wise’s Connor Pleasants forced a fumble which was recovered by teammate Nehemiah Jones at the TU 24. From there Beason found Thomas McCoy in the left corner of the end zone with for the 24-yard touchdown as the Cavaliers extended the lead to 10-0 at the 9:58 mark of the quarter.
Tusculum’s Anthony Gay III set the Pioneers up with great field position with his 39-yard kickoff return to the WISE 47. TU would get to the WISE 3 thanks to nine rushing plays before the drive stalled. Brandon would hit his 22-yard field goal to put the Pioneers on the board, trailing 10-3 with 3:57 left in the quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Wise took over at its own 11 and methodically moved down the field converted three first downs to get to the TU 2 thanks to an 11-yard completion to Hunter Purdue. A pair of penalties backed up the Cavs to the 17 before Beason connected a 16-yard pass to Jerermiah Augustin as he was stopped short of the goal line at the TU 1. Facing fourth down and goal, Wise elected to go for the end zone, but E. Kennedy was stopped for no gain by Olarinde and Thomas as Tusculum took over with 7:39 left in the half.
After the Wise defense stopped Tusculum on three plays and forced a punt the Cavaliers took over at their own 42. UVA Wise would get to the TU 33 thanks to a Beason 14-yard scramble. He would be sacked on the next play by Malachi Jefferson. On second and long, Beason would be pressured by Olarinde as he attempted to heave the ball out of bounds. But the pass fluttered as Knight tripped and fell to the ground. But he was able to haul in the errant toss for his first interception of the afternoon and third of the season.
Tusculum took over from the TU 33 with 3:23 left on the clock before the intermission. TU converted four downs on the ensuing drive including a key fourth-and-one with Gleaton’s four-yard keeper up the middle to the WISE 18 with 10 seconds remaining. Tusculum elected to go for the end zone but Gleaton would be sacked for a nine-yard loss back to the Wise 27. TU called its final timeout with two seconds left.
The Pioneers elected not to go for the field goal as Gleaton scrambled and heaved a pass to the left corner of the end zone where running back Cam Ferguson caught the 27-yard touchdown on the final play of the half, despite only having 10 players on the field on the score. Turan’s kick tied the game at 10-10 as the teams headed to the locker room.
After only committing one penalty in the entire first half, the Pioneers would be plagued with flags to start the third quarter. TU was called for a pair of unsportsmanlike penalties, once on the kickoff and another on the first play from scrimmage. After a Tusculum punt, the Cavaliers took its first offensive possession of the second half and drove to the TU 18 thanks to a 19-yard completion to Purdue. But a pair runs that went for negative yards and an incomplete pass, UVA Wise would be forced to kick a 38-yard field goal. But the try was blocked by Olarinde as the score remained tied at 10-10.
But three plays later, Tusculum would fumble the ball for a second time as Pickens stripped the ball out of the hands of the TU ball carrier as the TU 47. But the Tusculum defense would hold and force a punt.
Gleaton would go to the air on two of his first three plays of the next possession. He found Zion Job for completions of 24 and 15 yards to move to the WISE 36. On third down and six, Jones ran for a nine-yard gain for the first down. After the play, 15-yards was tacked on for an unsportsmanlike penalty on the Cavs moving the ball to the 11. Four plays later, Gleaton would plunge in from one-yard out for the go-ahead touchdown as TU scored 17 unanswered points to take a 17-10 lead with 29 seconds left in the quarter.
UVA Wise would answer on the ensuing drive as they took advantage of four TU penalties including two that came on third down to extend the drive. On fourth down and one-yard to go from the TU 1, Beason would call his own number on the keeper to tie the game at 17-17 with 7:57 left in the game. On the 15-play, 75-yard drive, 69 yards came via Tusculum penalties.
The momentum shifted to the visitors as Tusculum was held to three yards on the next possession and were forced to punt.
The Cavs took over at their own 20 with 6:25 on the clock. UVA Wise would drive down the field, converting on third down twice including a 16-yard toss to Purdue to the TU 37. Beason found Purdue again on a 17-yard pass to move the ball to the TU 20 with under five minutes left in the contest. Beason scrambled for a seven-yard gain, but Kennedy would be stopped for a two-yard loss by Cameron Garnett at the TU 15. On third down and five, Beason went for the left corner of the end zone, but Knight leaped up and made an acrobatic catch for his second pick of the day and team-leading fourth of the year.
UVA Wise finished the game with 333 yards, but only 40 rushing yards as the TU defense finished the day with 11 tackles for loss.
Pickens led all players with his 16 tackles for the Cavs including 11 solo hits. Pleasants added 11 tackles, while Landon Goeller tallied nine stops. Purdue led all receivers with his 10 catches for 138 yards.
The Tusculum trio of Knight, Justin Thomas and Kevin Jordan each had nine tackles in the fray. Olarinde added seven hits, while Thomas also had seven tackles, one shy of matching his career-high. Garnett had six tackles including 1.5 for loss and a pass break-up, while Kuapwashe Zvandaziva had a season-best five stops with one behind the line of scrimmage.
The Pioneers will have an open date next weekend and return to action Halloween Night for a 6 p.m. battle at defending SAC and Region Champion Newberry.
