BLUEFIELD, W.Va. --- Tusculum University piled up 562 yards of total offense, including 468 on the ground, as the Pioneers defeated Bluefield State University 49-23 in the 2025 season opener Saturday night at Mitchell Stadium.
Lex Dinwiddie (14 carries, 145 yards), John Celestin (13 carries, 121 yards) and quarterback Buddy Taylor (23 carries, 105 yards) became the first trio of Pioneers to rush for 100 yards in a game, while the 468 yards rushing were the most in the program's Division II era and the third-most in a game in school history.
Six of the Pioneers' seven touchdowns were on the ground, with Taylor scoring twice and one apiece for Celestin, Jerome Newland, Otasowie Dion and Ike Perry. Taylor also connected with Ashton Hagans on an 11-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter, finishing the game 6-for-7 for 94 yards through the air.
Wesley Thompson hooked up with Brandon Wiley on touchdown passes of 86 and 71 yards in the first half and Samuel Olokeogun returned a fumble 85 yards for a score, but the Big Blue (0-1) managed 261 yards of total offense and controlled the ball for just 21:55. Thompson was 9-for-20 through the air for 205 yards, with two passes intercepted by Tusculum's DJ Dailey.
Tusculum's defense stepped up in the second half after allowing 23 points to Bluefield State in the opening half. The Pioneers shut out the Big Blue after halftime, allowing a total of 49 yards of total offense and 0-for-4 on third-down attempts.
Rashad Watson and Dylan Horne shared the team lead with seven tackles apiece for the Pioneers, with Malachi Jim-Lawson collecting a pair of sacks. Dailey became the first Pioneer with two interceptions in a game since Ryan Dolce against Erskine on Oct. 29, 2022.
The win was the first in a season-opening road game for the Pioneers since 2021 at St. Augustine's, and the first victory for Tusculum in the state of West Virginia since beating Concord in 2004. The game was the first-ever meeting between Tusculum and Bluefield State.
Tusculum took the game's opening kickoff and moved 72 yards on eight plays, with Celestin scoring on a 40-yard run to give the Pioneers a 7-0 lead with 9:24 left in the first quarter. After a Bluefield State punt on its first possession, Tusculum moved the ball to the Big Blue 14 but fumbled the ball away.
One play later, Thompson found Wiley down the middle for an 86-yard catch and score to tie the game at 7-7 with 4:11 to play in the opening quarter. Tusculum bounced right back by going 69 yards in six plays, taking a 14-7 lead on a 23-yard run by Dion with 1:50 to go in the quarter.
A short punt from Bluefield State and a 37-yard run by Dinwiddie set up the Pioneers to take a 21-7 lead on an 11-yard keeper by Taylor on the first play of the second quarter. Bluefield State would respond as Thompson and Wiley hooked up for a second long scoring pass, a 71-yard strike that left the Pioneers with a 21-13 lead after a missed extra point with 13:02 remaining in the half.
The Pioneers looked poised to respond as a 44-yard run from Taylor helped Tusculum move into the red zone. However, a fumble by Taylor was scooped up by Olokeogun and run back 85 yards for a touchdown, with the extra point leaving Tusculum ahead 21-20 with 9:46 to go in the half.
Eight straight runs from the Pioneers pushed the ball deep into Bluefield State territory, and Taylor would hit Hagans at the pylon for an 11-yard touchdown and a 28-20 Pioneer lead with 4:07 remaining in the half. Bluefield State moved into Tusculum territory late in the half but settled for a 28-yard field goal from Danny Dales with 40 seconds left to leave the Pioneers ahead 28-23 at halftime.
Both offenses stagnated in the third quarter, with an exchange of punts followed by a turnover on downs near midfield by the Big Blue. Tusculum forced its first turnover with 3:31 left in the quarter as Dailey hauled in a long pass down the sideline from Thompson to give the Pioneers possession at its own 37. Taylor would convert the drive into points with a four-yard run with 1:01 left for a 35-23 Pioneer lead.
Tusculum put the game out of reach on its first drive of the fourth quarter, marching 69 yards in seven plays with Newland running up the middle for 36 yards and a touchdown with 10:30 left to give the Pioneers a 42-23 lead. After Dailey's second pick of the night, Perry picked up a loose ball in the backfield and went two yards for a score with 4:10 left to cap the scoring.
Kicker Max Turan was a perfect 7-for-7 on extra points in his Tusculum debut, becoming the first Pioneer to make seven or more extra points without a miss since Eli Shepherd did so twice during the 2021 spring season.
The Pioneers controlled the ball for 38:05 and ran 66 plays to 50 for Bluefield State. Tusculum was 8-for-12 on third-down conversions, but the Pioneers hurt themselves with 10 penalties for 110 yards.
Wiley finished with four catches for 167 and the two touchdowns for the Big Blue, while on the ground Gregory Mango had 27 yards on 10 carries and Justin McBean added 26 yards on eight rushes. Mike Riley had a game-high 10 tackles (seven solo) for Bluefield State.
Tusculum will play its home and South Atlantic Conference opener on Saturday, Sept. 7 when the Pioneers welcome Lenoir-Rhyne to Pioneer Field for a 6 p.m. kickoff. The Bears, who opened the season ranked 17th in Division II, fell 48-21 at eighth-ranked West Florida on Friday night.
