HICKORY, N.C. — Lenoir-Rhyne broke open a scoreless game with two second-quarter touchdowns and never looked back, defeating Tusculum 21–7 in South Atlantic Conference football Saturday afternoon at Moretz Stadium.
After a quiet first quarter, the Bears’ tempo offense found the end zone twice in a span of 5:51 in the second. Shermon Davis capped the first scoring drive at 10:04 with an 8-yard touchdown run to make it 7–0. Later in the quarter, quarterback Wells Bettenhausen hit Mikel McClellan on a short completion that turned into a 14-yard touchdown at 4:13, giving Lenoir-Rhyne a 14–0 halftime lead.
Lenoir-Rhyne delivered the decisive blow early in the third quarter. Bettenhausen connected with Davis on a short throw that Davis turned into a 53-yard catch-and-run touchdown at 10:35, stretching the margin to 21–0.
Tusculum answered later in the third when quarterback Tedros Gleaton powered in from a yard out at 3:48, trimming the deficit to 21–7. For Gleaton, it was his ninth rushing touchdown of the season, which ties him for the eighth-most in a TU single-season.
That TD would be the last scoring of the day, as both defenses tightened in the fourth quarter and Lenoir-Rhyne protected the two-score cushion to the finish.
Lenoir-Rhyne (5-5, 4-4 SAC) finished with a 348–211 advantage in total offense, leaning on efficiency through the air and balance on the ground. Bettenhausen was sharp, going 16-of-21 for 237 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, highlighted by the 53-yard score to Davis. Davis added 69 rushing yards on 11 carries with a rushing touchdown, accounting for two of the Bears’ three TDs.
Tusculum (4-6, 3-5 SAC) struggled to generate consistent rushing production, managing 52 net rushing yards on 43 attempts (1.2 yards per carry). Gleaton finished with 159 passing yards (14-of-27) but threw one interception and was also held to 14 yards on 22 carries. Zion Job provided the biggest spark in the passing game with four catches for 87 yards, including a long of 46.
Tusculum controlled the ball for nearly 35 minutes (34:56 to 25:04), but Lenoir-Rhyne’s defense repeatedly won key downs—holding the Pioneers to 1-for7 on third down. The Bears also brought consistent pressure, recording three sacks for 32 yards and forcing the game’s only interception by Xavier Gunn.
Defensively for Tusculum, the front produced three sacks and several tackles for loss, led by a team-high 11 stops by Greg Williams. Nathan Thomas added eight tackles, including a sack.
The Pioneers will celebrate Senior Day and host Miltary Appreciation Day next Saturday when Carson-Newman visits Pioneer Field for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
