Saturday, September 29, 2007

 

RUSSELL PASSES FOR SCHOOL RECORD,

TUSCULUM BEATS NO. 18 WINGATE 31-28 IN SAC FOOTBALL OPENER

 

                GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Corey Russell passed for a school record 438 yards as Tusculum College defeated No. 18 Wingate University 31-28 Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Field.  It was the South Atlantic Conference football opener for both teams.  Tusculum improves to 2-3 overall and 1-0 in the league, while Wingate (4-1, 0-1 SAC) suffers its first loss of the year.  The Pioneers also end a three-game losing streak to the Bulldogs.

                Russell went 26-for-40 for 438 yards and four touchdowns, including two passing scores to Calvin Britt.  Britt finished with six catches for 196 yards, the second most receiving yards in TC history.  Ryan Tallent tallied eight receptions for a career-high 118 yards and a TD, while Brandon Dixon finished with six catches for 68 yards and a score.

                Wingate's JD Moore posted 286 yards passing and two touchdowns as he went 22-for-38.  Shawn Barrett led the Bulldogs with six receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown, while Chris Conklin added four catches for 61 yards and a TD.

                Both teams combined for over 850 yards of total offense as the Pioneers out-gained the Bulldogs by a 477-377 margin, including 438-286 in the passing department.  The contest was a close affair throughout as the game was tied three times and saw two lead changes.

                Wingate drew first blood in the first quarter as the Bulldogs took advantage of a short field as Tusculum fumbled the ball on a high snap to Russelll which he recovered at his own two-yard line.  Wingate took the ensuing punt as Perry Floyd returned the ball to the TC 25.  Two plays later, Moore found Barrett on a 25-yard pass for the score.  Jonathan Beford’s kick made it 7-0 Wingate.

                Tusculum answered with a 14-play, 65-yard drive capped off by a six-yard TD pass from Russell to Dixon.  Justin Higgins’ extra-point tied the game at 7-7 with 1:00 left in the quarter.   The big play of the drive was a 21-yard pass completion to Tallent on fourth down and 14.

                Midway through the second quarter, Tusculum drove to midfield, but Russell was intercepted by Ed Doughty as he sprinted 50 yards down the sideline for a touchdown and a 14-7 Wingate advantage with 6:55 left before halftime.

                Tusculum struck for 14 points in the final 88 seconds of the half.  With Wingate driving, Moore was picked off by TC’s Jeremy Thompson across the middle at the TC 43.  Three plays later Russell found Tallent in the back of the end zone on a 29-yard strike to tie the game at 14-14.

                Wingate looked to break the deadlock, but its drive stalled and was forced to punt as TC took over at its own 43 with 21 seconds remaining.  Russell wasted little time as he connected on a 57-yard touchdown to Britt with 13 seconds left before the intermission as TC took its first lead of the day at 21-14 heading into the locker room.

                The Bulldogs tied the game on its opening possession of the second half as WU marched 68 yards on five plays as Conklin made a diving catch in the back of the end zone to even the fray at 21-21.  The big play of the march was a 26-yard run by Nelson Woods.

                Tusculum responded with a scoring drive itself as Tallent completed a 24-yard pass to Tallent and a 37-yard strike to Britt to move to the WU 12.  The drive stalled as Higgins connected on a 22-yard field to give Tusculum the lead again at 24-21 at the 9:41 mark of the third quarter.

                Following a Wingate punt, TC took its biggest lead of the afternoon as Russell found Britt again on a 44-yard scoring pass at the 6:43 mark and a 31-21 Tusculum advantage.

                Wingate cut the deficit to 31-28 on its next possession as the Bulldogs went 78 yards in six plays including a four-yard touchdown run to the right side by Woods with 4:33 left in the frame.  Woods would finish the day with 17 carries for 77 yards.

                In the fourth quarter, Tusculum turned away two golden scoring opportunities for the Bulldogs.  The first came in the opening moments of the period when Russell was intercepted for the third time on the day at the TC 47.  The Bulldogs got as close as the TC 11, but Thompson recorded his second pick of the day as he intercepted Moore on the goal line and returned the ball to the TC 4 with 11:30 left in the game.

                Tusculum would move only one yard on its next three plays and would be forced to punt.  The Bulldogs were penalized 10 yards for holding on the ensuing return and would start at the TC 48.  Wingate went three and out, including a sack by James Knight and Justin Scott on third down.  Tusculum drove into WU territory but a fourth down conversion at the 29 failed as the Bulldogs took over with 5:33 left.

                Wingate had one last chance to either tie the game or take the lead.  The Bulldogs would get as close as the TC 27, but sacks by Zach Walker and Knight forced the Bulldogs to go for it on fourth and 19 with just over a minute remaining.  Moore threw for the left corner of the end zone, but there waiting was TC’s Darik Gary for the interception to end the threat.

                Scott led Tusculum with 11 tackles, while Jovon Miller added seven stops and a sack.  Wingate’s Aaron Plyler led all tacklers with 14 hits, while Bobby Floyd finished with a dozen stops.  Johnson and Doughty each finished with 10 tackles for the Bulldogs.

                Tusculum will host Lenoir-Rhyne College next Saturday for homecoming, beginning at 2 p.m. at Pioneer Field.  Wingate returns home to host Brevard College at 1:30 p.m. next Saturday.

 

- TC -