GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — The Tusculum Pioneers (1-3, 0-3 SAC) are back on the road this week as the Sons of Davy Crockett venture to the Commonwealth to take on the UVA Wise Highland Cavaliers (0-4, 0-3 SAC) this Saturday afternoon at Carl Smith Stadium. Kick-off is slated for 2 p.m.
Both teams are in quest of their first South Atlantic Conference victory of 2025 after dropping its first three league outings.
The Pioneers are coming off a 34-13 home loss to Emory & Henry, while UVA Wise lost a 28-7 battle to 23rd-ranked Wingate at Carl Smith Stadium.
Tusculum enters the contest as the fourth-ranked rushing offense in the league averaging 226.8 rushing yards per game, which is also listed 16th-best in NCAA Division II.
The Tusculum defense vastly improved over last year. This year’s squad is limiting teams to 112.8 rushing yards per game (4th in SAC / 48th in NCAA II) while forcing a SAC best six interceptions (8th in NCAA II). Dayquan Diston added to that tally with a pair of picks against Emory & Henry, tying a TU single-game mark.
Despite being winless, UVA Wise has been posting outstanding offensive numbers posting nearly 400 yards per game with a balanced attack (194.3 rush per game / 203.3 pass per game).
THE SERIES
The 16th renewal of the Tusculum / UVA Wise football series will be held this week at Carl Smith Stadium.
Tusculum holds an 8-7 edge in the series as the Pioneers have won six of the last eight meetings.
September 7, 1991 was a monumental date for both football programs. For Tusculum, it was the program’s first game in 41 years since the University dropped the sport in 1950. For UVA Wise (then Clinch Valley College), it was the first football game in its school’s history. The Cavaliers came away with a 13-8 victory.
Tusculum went 0-10 during that 1991 campaign, but the Pioneers answered in its 1992 season-opener and a rematch with the Highland Cavaliers in Greeneville where TU came away with a 24-13 victory on Sept. 5, the program’s first win since the sport’s reinstatement.
UVA Wise won the 1993 meeting 37-31, before Tusculum answered with a 34-31 win in 1994 at Pioneer Field. The Cavaliers ran a string of three consecutive victories, including back-to-back wins in Greeneville.
TU has won 4 of its last 5 trips to Wise with its 4-game winning streak to the Commonwealth snapped last year in a 35-27 loss to the Highland Cavaliers.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
The Tusculum Pioneers will be looking to get back on the winning track. After winning its season-opener at Bluefield State, TU has dropped its last three games, scoring 20 total points (6.7 ppg) during the drought.
Sophomore running back Lex Dinwiddie is Tusculum’s top rusher where he has totaled 267 yards, which are the seven-most in the conference and 39th-best in the nation. He rushed for a career-high 145 yards at Bluefield State. But since that performance, he has been held to 40.7 rushing yards per contest.
Junior running back John Celestin is second on the squad with his 174 yards (11th in SAC) on 33 carries and a touchdown. Celestin ran for a career-best 128 yards and a score at Bluefield State.
Junior Otasowie Dion is third on the roster in rushing with 147 yards on his 24 carries, which includes a TD rush. He ran for a career-high 63 yards on 10 attempts last week against Emory & Henry.
Redshirt freshman Jerome Newland has rushed for 82 yards on 21 carries including two touchdowns. He also made in a 55-yard reception at Bluefield State.
ETSU transfer Javon Richardson has the team-lead with four receptions for 66 yards and has also been credited with a pair of rushing attempts.
Senior Richard Hunter has been the starting quarterback in the last two games against Anderson and Emory & Henry. He has rushed for 58 yards on 29 carries (2.0 ypc) and has passed for 91 yards with zero interceptions in his 22 pass attempts.
Hunter took over for junior transfer Buddy Taylor, who started against Bluefield State and Lenoir-Rhyne. Taylor was injured in the third quarter of the Lenoir-Rhyne and has not returned to the lineup since.
Sophomore quarterback Lavante Adams made his collegiate debut two weeks ago at Anderson where he saw action in the fourth quarter against the Trojans.
The offensive line is anchored by SAC Player to Watch Gabe McLamb. The 6-3, 295-pound sophomore from Jacksonville, Florida has made 13 career appearances in the offensive trenches including four this season.
Junior Nehemiah Storey is the starting center as the 6-1, 285-pound native of Rockwood, Tennessee has played in 15 career outings as well as four appearances this year.
Junior tackle Chris Sweeney (6-6, 300, West Palm Beach, Fla.) is slated to make his fifth start of the season while seeing action in his 17th career game, while sophomore Ramirez Young (6-3, 285, Smyrna, Tenn.) made his first collegiate start at Anderson two weeks ago.
Redshirt freshman Matt Nunley (6-2, 255, Hixson, Tenn.) will get his fourth straight start at right tackle this week for the Pioneers.
Junior guard Jeff Linton (6-5, 315, Rockingham, N.C.) was hurt against Bluefield State and missed the Lenoir-Rhyne and Anderson games. He returned to the line-up against Emory & Henry and has seen action at both guard and tackle.
Tusculum’s defensive depth chart has included a healthy blend of returners from last year to go along with an infusion of 10 transfers including six Division I players.
Junior linebacker Rashad Watson leads the Pioneers in tackles where he has 35 stops to go along with 5.0 for loss (-18 yds) and two sacks (13 yds). He recorded a season-high 10 tackles last week against Emory & Henry. He has also been credited with two quarterback hurries and a break-up. During his 23-game career, Watson has totaled 107 tackles including 10.5 for loss and 3.0 sacks. Has five career passes defended including an interception which came in 2024.
Senior transfer defensive back Tre Mobley is second on the club in tackles with his 23 stops which include a hit behind the line of scrimmage. He is the tied for the team lead with four passes defended (T6th in SAC) to go along with a QB hurry. The 6-1, 200-pound Ocala, Florida native played the last two seasons at Webber International where he recorded 98 career tackles with a dozen hits for loss, one sack, nine passes defended, one interception, forced two fumbles, recovered a pair of fumbles and blocked a kick.
Sophomore defensive back DJ Dailey has 16 tackles to his credit this season. He tied a TU single-game record with his two interceptions in the season-opener at Bluefield State. His two picks are tied for the third-most in the SAC and 30th in the nation. Dailey, a transfer from Missouri Valley, recorded 19 tackles last year to go along with his two interceptions and two pass break-ups.
Senior free safety Jahaad Scales is fourth on the team with his dozen tackles including a game-high 11 hits at Anderson. The 6-0, 195-pound native of Winston-Salem, N.C. played the previous two seasons at Wofford College and started his playing career at Old Dominion. He did not play last week.
Three players are tied for fifth on the team with 11 stops each including David Alston, Xavier Gunn and Dylan Horne.
Alston’s has a tackle for loss this year giving him 3.5 for his 16-game career. Gunn is tied for the team-lead with four passes defended (6th in SAC) including an interception against Lenoir-Rhyne, which he returned for a touchdown. Horne is second on the squad with his 3.5 tackles for loss (-15 yds) while also tallying two QB hurries. He did not play last week.
The duo of Cameron Garnett and Jayson Graham have 10 tackles each.
Dayquan Diston is the conference leader with his three interceptions (3rd in NCAA II), including his two picks last week against Emory & Henry. HIs 1.33 passes defended average are third in the conference and 30th in DII.
Greeneville native Quinton Brandon is Tusculum’s starting punter. The 6-0, 175-pound sophomore signed with ETSU out of Greeneville High School where he did double-duty at punter and kicker for the Greene Devils. In 2025, Brandon is averaging 37.1 yards per punt (7th in SAC) including a season-long 61-yarder against Lenoir-Rhyne in the SAC opener. He has pinned the opposition inside the 20 on two occasions.
Redshirt freshman Max Turan (Johnson City, Tenn.) is the place kicker for the Pioneers as he has gone 9-of-10 on his extra points and has yet to attempt a field goal this year.
Senior Caleb Swinehart handles the long-snapping duties for Tusculum for a second straight season. The 6-3, 220-pound native of Erwin, Tennessee has recorded 19 career outings on TU’s special teams’ unit.
FOLLOW THE GAME
If you can’t make it to Saturday’s game at Wise, fans can watch the action on-line at www.TusculumPioneers.com on the Pioneer Sports Network and FloCollege.com, the official video stream provider of the South Atlantic Conference.
The “Voice of the Pioneers” Brian Stayton along former Tusculum quarterback Matthew Palazzo ’25 will describe all the action with the radio pre-game show beginning at 1 p.m.
The radio call of the game will be available locally on WSMG Radio on 95.5 FM and 1450 AM, as well as online at https://jewel955.com/listenlive.
