WINGATE, N.C. — Wingate quarterback Brooks Brien passed for 211 yards and two touchdowns while running back Jayshawn Appling rushed for 109 yards to lead the Bulldogs to a 31-14 win over visiting Tusculum on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Irwin Belk Stadium in South Atlantic Conference football action.
Wingate (3-4, 2-3 SAC) accounted for 384 total offensive yards on the day, while the defense held Tusculum (3-4, 2-3 SAC) to 122 yards offensively including 50 rushing yards by the league’s No. 2 rushing offense.
The Bulldogs ran 32 more offensive plays than the Pioneers and held onto the football for 37:11 to 22:49 which is a season-low by Tusculum.
The TU defense was able to force three turnovers (2 interceptions, 1 fumble) led by Greg Williams who posted a career-high 17 tackles including a sack and a forced fumble. Judah Knight followed with 11 stops including one for loss and a fumble recovery and return for a touchdown.
TU’s Jimi Olarinde tallied 10 tackles including 1.5 for loss with a sack and his second career interception.
Tusculum took the opening possession and got near midfield but on third down, but Gevianunta Walker forced and recovered a fumble at the TU 42. Five plays later, Brien completed a 28-yard pass to Aaron Griffin for his second touchdown of the season. Gunner Hilsinger’s kick made it 7-0 Wingate at the 9:25 mark of the first quarter.
TU would be forced to punt after three plays as Wingate took over at its own 33. But four play later Brien would be intercepted by Kevin Jordan at the TU 46 for his second pick of the season. Tusculum could only manage five yards on its next series and would be forced to punt again, starting at its own 15.
The Bulldogs would march 85 yards in 12 plays and would covert a third-down and 18 play with a 21-yard TD toss from Brien to Xavier Jackson as Wingate extended the lead to 14-0 with 11:55 left before halftime.
The teams would exchange possessions before Tusculum answered with Tedros Gleaton‘s 54-yard touchdown pass to Ashton Hagans for his third TD catch of the year. Max Turan‘s extra-point trimmed the deficit to 14-7 with 1:49 left in the half.
Wingate would start the ensuing possession at its own 31. Brien completed an 11-yard pass to Ethan Wallace and two plays later Tusculum would be called for a roughing the passer penalty to move the ball to the TU 38. The Bulldogs would get to the TU 16 before Hilsinger ended the half with a 33-yard field goal as Wingate took a 17-7 lead into the locker room.
At the start of the third quarter, Brien would be pressured by Nathan Thomas and forced into an errant pass which was intercepted by Olarinde at the WU 40. But TU would lose three yards on its next series before punting.
Taking over at its 20-yardline, Wingate would go two plays before the TU defense stepped up again as Wallace got a short pass but the football would be jarred loose by Greg Williams. The ball was picked up by Knight as he scampered 20 yards to the end zone for the touchdown as the Pioneers cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 17-14.
The score remained that way until later in the third quarter as Brien and the Bulldogs started a possession at the WU 15. Brien connected with Griffin on a 38-yard completion to the TU 47. Appling would later follow with a 12 run up the middle and Brien found Kelson Tate on a 16-yard reception to get to the TU 9. Three plays later, Wallace would punch it in from three two yards on for a touchdown with 20 seconds left in the quarter as the Bulldogs extended the lead to 24-14.
After a Tusculum punt, Wingate took over at the WU 27 and would take 7:50 off the clock and march into TU territory. But the Pioneer defense would come up with a stop on fourth down and one yard to go from the 15 as Wallace was tackled in the backfield by Nathan Thomas and Malachi Jefferson for a five-yard loss.
But the Wingate defense was too much and on third down, Chris Harris sacked Gleaton for an eight-yard loss and force a ninth punt by the Pioneers.
Appling real off a 49-yard carry before he was stripped of the football by TU’s Zavien Bryant, but Wingate’s Zymill Patterson would recover the football end zone for the touchdown with 2:55 remaining to seal the victory for the Bulldogs.
Tusculum’s top rusher on the day was Javon McMahan as he was held to 18 yards on nine carries, while Gleaton was held to a season-low six rushing yards in the contest. Gleaton would go 3-of-9 for 72 passing yards.
Brien went 15-of-25 passing as he was intercepted twice and sacked on two occasions.
Tusculum punter Nathan Holbrook averaged 42.9 yards on his eight punt attempts including a 59-yarder. He also pinned the Bulldogs inside the 20 on three occasions.
Wingate went 10-of-19 on its third down conversions, while Tusculum went 4-of-14. The Pioneers were penalized seven times for 63 yards, while WU was flagged five times for 30 yards.
The Pioneers return home next Saturday (Oct. 17) when they host UVA Wise for Homecoming. Kickoff from Pioneer Field is set for 2 p.m.
