Monday, August 20, 2007

 

TUSCULUM OPENS FOOTBALL SEASON SATURDAY

 

                GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College football team will kick-off the 2007 campaign this Saturday when the Pioneers travel to West Virginia to face the University of Charleston.  The game is slated to begin at 1 p.m. at the University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field.

 

                This year’s season-opener will be the first of three straight road games for Tusculum, who will travel to Liberty University next week and the University of North Alabama on Sep. 8.

 

                Saturday’s contest at Charleston will also be the first-ever meeting against the Golden Eagles, who are entering their third year of football existence.

 

                A strong veteran corps on defense and a revitalized offensive attack will be the focal points for the Pioneers this fall.  Seventeen starters, including eight on one of the toughest defenses in the nation are back for head coach Frankie DeBusk,   DeBusk, who is entering his 10th season at the Greeneville, Tenn. school, is also bringing back Tusculum’s vaulted passing attack that smashed several school records in the opening half of this decade.

 

                The Tusculum defense, under the direction of coordinator Lance Royal, has developed a reputation as an aggressive, attacking group that boasted the No. 2 rushing defense in the nation (NCAA Division II) in 2006.  The Pioneers limited the opposition to 54.6 yards rushing per game, which was also seventh amongst all NCAA divisions.  The Tusculum “D” was also 17th in total defense allowing 251.2 yards per game and 30th in scoring defense (16.4 points per game).

 

                On the offensive side of the football, Marc Kolb has assumed the coordinator duties.  Kolb was the offensive coordinator at the University of Missouri-Rolla, where he was the architect of one of the most prolific aerial attacks in the country. Kolb’s offense led the nation (NCAA II) in passing offense last season, averaging 350.9 yards per game.  UMR was also eighth in the country in total offense (415.7 ypg) and 16th in scoring offense (31.8 ppg).

 

Tusculum returns a wealth of experience on defense, especially in the secondary, led by Preseason All-South Atlantic Conference standouts Octavius Love (Wellford, S.C.) and Tagon Richard (Laurens, S.C.).  Love, a 5-11, 195-pound senior, garnered All-South Atlantic Conference Second Team honors in 2006 while making 23 tackles and a pair of interceptions.  Richard, a 6-0, 210-pound junior, accounted for 33 stops, including nine for loss (-22 yards) and a pair of sacks.  Richard also finished with an interception, broke up a pair of passes and recovered a fumble. 

 

Senior Pharis Baldwin (Moore, S.C.) and junior Antrez McDaniel (Fountain Inn, S.C.) return to the secondary for the Pioneers.  Baldwin made 34 tackles and broke up a team-best five passes.  He also tallied two interceptions and posted a sack.  McDaniel tallied 41 hits, including four behind the line of scrimmage (-10 yds.).  He recovered a pair of fumbles and added a sack.  Jeremy Thompson (Rome, Ga.) rounds out a talented group of defensive veterans and will be the starting free safety for the Pioneers.  Thompson, a 6-0, 200-pound junior, finished with 43 tackles, seven for loss (-27 yds.) and two sacks.

 

                Sophomore Darik Gary (Kings Mountain, N.C.) also returns at cornerback after making 11 tackles and a pass break-up in 2006.

 

                Junior Justin Scott (Jamestown, S.C.) will anchor the linebacker corps.  Gone are All-SAC linebackers Kenny Wells, Rodney Peebles and Derrick Jones.  Scott is Tusculum’s top-returning tackler from 2006.  The 6-3, 235-pound Scott made 54 tackles, including a dozen for loss (-24 yds.).  He added three sacks and forced a pair of fumbles.  Junior Scott Harris (Statham, Ga.) returns, following last season that saw him make 27 tackles, including seven behind the line of scrimmage (-41 yds.) and four sacks.  Junior Jarvis Littlejohn (Gaffney, S.C.) is also expected to hold down one of the linebacker slots.  Littlejohn tallied a dozen tackles in his 10 outings last year, including five solo stops.  Robbee Woodard (Theodore, Ala.), Jeremy Jones (Marietta, Ga.) and Zach Walker (Gaston, S.C.) are all slated to see action at linebacker.

 

                Senior Adrian Samples (Rome, Ga.) will be one of the forces in the defensive front.  Samples, a two-time All-SAC defensive end, recorded 35 tackles in 2006, including a dozen for loss and five sacks (-17 yds.).  Junior Rynel Butler (Virginia Beach, Va.) is back in the defensive trenches.  Butler accounted for 29 tackles, including nine for loss (-23 yds.) and three sacks.  He also recovered two fumbles and forced another.  Sophomore Brandon Kelley (LaGrange, Ga.) will be getting a big increase in playing time and should compete for the starting defensive end slot, opposite Samples.  Juniors Dustin Noe (Louisville, Ky.), James Knight (Chatsworth, Ga.) and redshirt freshman Jermaine Jennings (Duncan, S.C.) will also see action on the defensive front.

 

                Five starters return on offense for the Pioneers, led by two-time All-Conference receiver Jamichael Caldwell (Chattanooga, Tenn.).  Caldwell, a 6-2, 210-pound senior, led the Pioneers in receiving for a second straight year making 43 catches for 647 yards and seven touchdowns.  Caldwell enters his final TC campaign needing one TD reception to become the school’s all-time leader (currently has 13).

 

                Joining Caldwell in the receiving corps are Ryan Tallent (Maryville, Tenn.), Jarrell NeSmith (Russellville, Ala.) and Charles Cornelius (Orlando, Fla.).  Tallent, a 5-10, 210 sophomore, shined in the Tusculum offensive backfield as a true freshman in 2006, where he rushed for 38 yards on 15 attempts and a touchdown.  He moves to the receiver slot after making four receptions for 33 yards last season.  NeSmith, a 6-2, 215-pound sophomore, was used primarily at tight end last year where he made four catches for 32 yards.  Cornelius, a speedy 5-6, 155-pounder, is slated to start at one of the receiver spots for Tusculum.

 

The Pioneers also bring back Sandarvis Duffie (Orlando, Fla.) and Darrell Hayes (Kingsport, Tenn.), who made seven and four receptions respectively.

 

                One of the most highly touted recruits in recent memory to hit the Tusculum gridiron is true freshman Cameron Harris (Titusville, Fla.).  The 5-8, 185-pound Astronaut High School graduate was named the 2006 Florida 3A Player of the Year and was listed as the No. 16 running back in the nation by Rivals.com.  Harris rushed for 2,088 yards last season on 247 carries, including an amazing 26 touchdowns.

 

                Also new to the Tusculum receiving corps is junior Brandon Dixon.  The 6-4, 210-pound Brunswick, Ga. native played last year at Highland Community College in Kansas where he was an All-Conference pick after posting six touchdowns and 600 receiving yards.  Junior Kurt Napier (Chatsworth, Ga.), who transferred to Tusculum from Truman State University as a quarterback, is also expected to see action at receiver this year. 

 

                Two-year starting quarterback Corey Russell (Speedwell, Tenn.) returns for this junior season.  Russell passed for 1,575 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2006.  He also rushed for 239 yards and three scores.  In just 19 career outings, Russell has climbed into the Tusculum record book and is already listed in the top five in several offensive categories, including his 2,973 career passing yards.  Napier and the red-shirt freshmen duo of Garrett Sutphen (Banner Elk, N.C.) and Brandon Behenna (Sharpsburg, Ga.) will be competing for playing time under center.

 

                All-SAC First Team running back Patrick King (Warner Robins, Ga.) is set for his senior campaign after leading the Pioneers with 512 yards and two touchdowns last year.  Randy Williams (Daleville, Ala.), TC’s No. 1 rusher in 2005, is also back.  Williams rushed for 239 yards and three touchdowns last season.  Tusculum will also have the services of Arkansas State University transfer Jerime Henderson (Memphis, Tenn.).  The 6-0, 190-pounder made the transition from defensive back to running back this past spring with the Indians.

 

                Gone from the offensive line are the All-SAC tandem of Michael Bujnak and Gavin Mauldin.  Preseason All-SAC picks Manuel Dickson (Greeneville, Tenn.) and Matt Lawrie (Norco, Calif.) return up front, along with senior Drew Noe (Bushnell, Fla.) and junior Billy Haney (Easley, S.C.).  True freshman Hannibal Ruiz (Peachtree City, Ga.) is slated to be one of the starting guards for the Pioneers.  Also expected to see playing time in the trenches for the Pioneers are Casey Sivert (Rogersville, Tenn.), Aubrey Fortson (Elberton, Ga.), Josh Adams (Grovetown, Ga.), Danny Partida (Tujunga, Calif.) and Eric Jefferson (Atlanta, Ga.).

 

                Special teams return a majority of its veteran leadership including three-time All-SAC long-snapper Robby Kelly (Thomaston, Ga.).  Sophomore John Gregory (Ooltewah, Tenn.) is back after leading the conference in punting averaging 40.9 yards per punt.  Gregory earned All-SAC and All-Region honors in 2006 as he established several school marks and pinned the opposition inside the 20-yard line 14 times.  He is a preseason All-America choice this year.

 

                Love is slated to be back at punt returner.  He averaged five yards per return in 2006, 15 yards per return lower than 2005 when he garnered All-America distinction and led the nation in punt returns.

 

                Senior Justin Higgins (Pelzer, S.C.) will be replacing All-SAC kicker Glen Black.  Higgins is the only place kicker on the roster with collegiate experience.  Gareth Rowlands, a freshman from Great Britain, will back-up Higgins and will also handle the kickoff duties for the Pioneers.

 

- TC -