GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum Pioneers (1-4, 0-4 SAC) return to action this Saturday afternoon when they host long-time South Atlantic Conference foe Newberry College at Pioneer Field beginning at 2 p.m. (ET).

The Pioneers are coming of a bye week following a 35-21 road loss two weeks ago at UVA Wise. The Tusculum defense recorded a pair of pick sixes, but TU was unable to overcome three fumbles and some untimely penalties while suffering its fourth consecutive loss.

Newberry (4-1, 3-1 SAC) has played its way into the crowded SAC title chase with last week's thrilling 43-42 overtime win over Wingate at historic Setzler Field. Two weeks ago, the Wolves posted an impressive 20-17 road win at preseason SAC favorite Lenoir-Rhyne to capture the Bishop's Trophy.

Despite win drought, the Tusculum defensive unit has been a bright spot so far this year. The Pioneers lead the conference with their eight interceptions (12th in NCAA II), including three of those which have been brought back for defensive touchdowns (1st in SAC / 2nd in NCAA II).

Newberry is a balanced team where they are nationally-ranked in 20 statistical categories. The Wolves lead the SAC in passing offense posting 257.2 yards per game and have only turned the ball over an amazing two times in five games.

THE SERIES

The 26th renewal of the Tusculum/Newberry football rivalry will be held this Saturday. The series, which began in 1998, has the Wolves holding a 14-11 edge.

Tusculum won six of the first seven meetings of the series, including five in a row from 2000-2004. Newberry answered with three consecutive wins from 2005-2007, before TU followed with back-to-back victories in 2008 and 2009.

Since 2009, the Wolves have won 11 of the last 13 meetings including four in a row.

Eleven of the 25 previous meetings have been decided by seven points or less and five by at least a field goal including a 16-14 Tusculum win over Newberry in 2014 at Pioneer Field. The Pioneers trailed 14-3 before rallying with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.

But there have been blowouts in the series as well with four decisions being decided by 30 or more points including last year's 50-20 Newberry victory in Greeneville.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS

The Tusculum Pioneers enter the second half of the season and will play three of its next four contests at home, beginning with this week's clash with the Newberry Wolves.

After winning its season-opener at Bluefield State in August, TU has dropped its last four games, scoring 41 total points (10.3 ppg) during its winless drought.

The defensive leader thru the first half of the season has been junior linebacker Rashad Watson. He leads the Pioneers in tackles with 46 stops to go along with 6.5 for loss (-19 yds) and two sacks (13 yds). He recorded a season-high 12 tackles at UVA Wise two weeks ago which included 1.5 tackles for loss. He has also been credited with two quarterback hurries and a pass break-up.

During his 24-game career at Tusculum, Watson has totaled 119 tackles including 12 for loss and 3.0 sacks.

Senior transfer defensive back Tre Mobley is second on the roster with his 28 tackles which includes 1.5 for loss (-5 yds). Mobley returned an interception for a 43-yard touchdown at UVA Wise. He is also second on the club with his five pass break-ups. Mobley 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 is third on the club with his 22 tackles. He tied a TU single-game record with his two interceptions in the season-opener at Bluefield State. His three interceptions are tied for the team-lead and he also has three pass break-ups and a forced fumble to his credit.

Senior defensive lineman Aidan Dark is fourth with 17 tackles including 1.5 for loss. Da'Shawn Elder has notched 16 stops, while the duo of Dayquan Diston and Xavier Gunn have made 15 hits apiece.

Diston has recorded three interceptions this year including his 75-yard pick-six at UVA Wise. Diston also has three break-ups with 13 of his 15 stops being solo hits.

Gunn leads the team with his seven passes defended which includes six pass break-ups and a 34-yard pick-six against Lenoir-Rhyne last month.

Sophomore running back Lex Dinwiddie is Tusculum's leading rusher where he has totaled 270 yards, which are the 10th in the conference. He rushed for a career-high 145 yards at Bluefield State.

Junior running back John Celestin is second on the team with his 200 rushing yards on 35 carries and two touchdowns. 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 180 yards on his 31 carries, which includes a TD rush. He ran for a career-high 63 yards on 10 attempts in his last home game against Emory & Henry three weeks ago.

Redshirt freshman Jerome Newland has rushed for 93 yards on 27 carries including two touchdowns. He also made in a 55-yard reception at Bluefield State.

ETSU transfer Javon Richardson is the team leader with five receptions for 84 yards and has also been credited with a pair of rushing attempts.

Senior Richard Hunter has been the starting quarterback in the last three games against Anderson, Emory & Henry and UVA Wise.  He has rushed for 64 yards on 36 carries (1.8 ypc) and has passed for 102 yards with zero interceptions in his 28 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 at Anderson and has played under center against Emory & Henry and UVA Wise. Adams has ran for 46 yards on 16 carries while posting 18 passing yards on his lone completion in six attempts with zero interceptions.

Greeneville native Quinton Brandon is Tusculum's starting punter. The ETSU transfer and Greeneville High School alum is averaging 39.2 per punt this season which is eighth in the SAC and 57th nationally. He has pinned the opposition inside the 20 on five occasions and has recorded a pair punts over 60 yards including a career-high 69-yard boot at UVA Wise, which is the ninth-longest in program history.

Redshirt freshman Max Turan is the place kicker for the Pioneers as he has gone 12-of-13 on his extra points, but has yet to attempt a field goal this year.

Senior Caleb Swinehart handles the long-snapping duties for Tusculum for a second straight season. He has played in 19 career outings on TU's special teams' unit and has been credited with three tackles this season.

SCOUTING NEWBERRY

The Newberry Wolves provide the opposition for this week's South Atlantic Conference contest at Pioneer Field.

Veteran head coach Todd Knight is in his 17th season leading the Wolves. He achieved a personal milestone last week as he recorded his 100th career victory in Newberry's wild 43-42 overtime win over Wingate. In that game, the Wolves rallied from a 21-0 first half deficit and scored a game-tying TD with 54 seconds left in regulation.

The Wolves (4-1, 3-1 SAC) opened the season with back-to-back victory over UVA Wise and Point University. Newberry stumbled in a 21-10 home loss to Catawba, but bounced back with nail-biting wins at Lenoir-Rhyne (20-17) and last week's triumph over Wingate.

The Wolves have been getting down offensively with former Tusculum assistant coach Cole Watson serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks' coach. Newberry boasts the top passing attack in the league averaging 257.2 yards per game (29th in NCAA II). Leading the offense is quarterback Reed Charpia.

Charpia has passed for 1,256 yards (3rd in SAC / 32nd in NCAA II). He has completed 70.2 percent of his pass which is the second-highest average in the league and eighth-best in NCAA II. He has gone 106-for-151 through the air with a SAC-best 13 touchdowns and only one interception. Last week, he went 34-for-46 for 413 yards and six touchdowns. He also completed a successful two-point conversion pass for the game-winner in overtime.

In last year's meeting with Tusculum, Charpia went 13-of-17 for 207 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for a one-yard score in the 50-20 win over the Pioneers.

Charpia's top target in 2025 is Keith Desaussure who leads the conference averaging 7.00 receptions per game (8th in NCAA II) including a SAC-best six touchdown catches (11th in NCAA II). Desaussure has made 35 receptions for 389 yards (6th in SAC / 42nd in NCAA II) averaging 11.1 yards per grab.

De'Andre Coleman is second on the team with 19 receptions for 268 yards, while Rico Dorsey, Jr. is third with 17 catches for 243 yards and three touchdowns.

Kenmane Brunson leads the Newberry ground attack with his 164 yards on 45 carries which includes a pair of touchdowns.

Defensively, Jamar Blandin leads the way with his 51 tackles (2nd in SAC / 15th in NCAA II) including 5.0 for loss (-16 yds) and one sack (-6 yds). He also has two pass break-ups, one fumble recovery and four quarterback hurries.

Devron Williams is second with 29 stops including 1.5 for loss and a forced fumble. Jaydon Eason and Jaden Kinard are tied for third with 23 tackles apiece. Avery McFadden and Charles Smith are tied for fifth defensively with 18 tackles.

Burke Nettles handles the punting and kicking duties for the Wolves. His 41.5 punting average is third in the league (23rd in NCAA II) which includes six punts inside the 20, five punts over 50 yards including a season-long 66-yarder. Eleven of his punts have resulted in fair catches with only three being touchbacks. He has gone 4-of-5 on field goals including his game-winning, walk-off 27-yard field goal in Newberry's 20-17 win at Lenoir-Rhyne two weeks ago. He is also a perfect 17-of-17 on his extra points.

WHAT'S GOING ON OUTSIDE THE GAME

This Saturday is Family Weekend as well as Breast Cancer Awareness Day. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and fans are asked to wear PINK in honor of those who have lost the battle against this disease as well as all Cancer Survivors in attendance at Saturday's game.

The Pioneer Club Tailgate is located under the big tent at the corner of Shiloh Road and Pioneer Way on the outdoor basketball courts. Pioneer Club Tailgate starts at 12 p.m. and for more information, please contact Rasmus Nylander, Director of Athletic Development & Revenue Generation at (423) 636-7331 or email: pioneerclub@tusculum.edu. The official meal provider for all Pioneer Club Football Tailgates is Texas Roadhouse of Greeneville.

The "Pioneer Walk" will start in front of the Niswonger Student Commons and proceed down Pioneer Way, crossing Shiloh Road and will turn right at the service road between Pioneer Field and the Nichols Tennis Complex. The Pioneer Walk will begin at 12 p.m.

At halftime, we will have the Jersey Mike's Field Goal Challenge. One lucky fan will have a chance to win some prizes, courtesy of Jersey Mike's of Greeneville.

TICKETS

Fans may purchase tickets on-line through HomeTown Ticketing on the Tusculum Athletic web site at: www.TusculumPioneers.com/Tickets.

All ticket purchases (on-line and in-person) are CREDIT CARD ONLY. Cash WILL NOT be accepted at the gate. Gates open this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Admission for Tusculum home football games is $15 for all entrants. Admission is $10 for adults 65 and older and for children ages 6-12. Children 5 and under will be admitted free. Tusculum students will be admitted free and valid Tusculum ID is required.

Spectators using HomeTown Ticketing can choose to print tickets at home or use mobile entry tickets at the gate.

PARKING

Parking for Tusculum football games is FREE and on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Tusculum students and fans are asked to utilize the main stadium parking lot behind Pioneer Field and Pioneer Park as well as other available parking lots on campus.

VISITING FANS are asked to utilize the South parking lot by the Indoor Practice Facility. Visiting fans will have easier access to the South Entrance and the visiting grandstand area.

Fans are asked to utilize the clearly marked spots in the parking lot. Parking is not permitted at curbside or in grass areas.

FOLLOW THE GAME

If you can't make it to Saturday's game, fans can watch the action on-line at www.TusculumPioneers.com on the Pioneer Sports Network and FloSports.com, the official video stream provider of the South Atlantic Conference.

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.