GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum Pioneers return to Greeneville this Saturday to host cross-mountain rival Mars Hill for Homecoming 2025 at the Niswonger Sports Complex and Pioneer Field. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

The Pioneers (1-6, 0-6 SAC) will be looking to end a six-game losing streak, as well as record its first South Atlantic Conference victory of the year. Mars Hill (3-5, 2-4 SAC) will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak and record its first road win of 2025.

Tusculum is coming off a 38-3 road loss at Catawba last Saturday. The Catawba Indians scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and also got a 97-yard kickoff return for a TD to take a 28-3 lead at halftime. TU's only points of the game came on a 44-yard field goal by Max Turan, his first field goal try of his collegiate career.

Mars Hill (3-5, 2-4 SAC) suffered a 45-0 homecoming loss at the hands of the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears last week at Meares Stadium. The Lions gave up a pair of special teams touchdowns in the first half to trail 28-0 at the intermission.

The Pioneers continue to lead the conference with their eight interceptions (48th in NCAA II), including three of those which have been brought back for defensive touchdowns (1st in SAC / 5th in NCAA II).    

THE SERIES

The 42nd renewal of the Tusculum / Mars Hill football series will be held this week as the Pioneers host their cross-mountain rival. Tusculum leads the series 23-16-2.

Since 2000, the Pioneers have won 16 of the last 25 meetings with the Lions.  MHU captured a thrilling 23-20 overtime win in the 2012 meeting. In 2010, the Lions outlasted TU in a shootout, 45-39.  Prior to that, TU rattled off seven consecutive wins in the series, including three times at Mars Hill.

Tusculum won seven of the first eight games in the series that started in 1922.   The Lions posted eight consecutive victories from 1936 to 1999 (Teams did not meet on the gridiron from 1939-1993).

From 2000-2009, Tusculum went 9-1 against the Lions, including a stretch of seven in a row from 2003-2009.  MHU won three straight games in the series from 2010-2012.

Twenty-two (22) of the 41 previous meetings have been decided by seven points or less including a 29-27 double-overtime victory by Tusculum to win the 2023 SAC Mountain Division title in their last meeting in Greeneville.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS

The Tusculum Pioneers will be looking for its first South Atlantic Conference win of the season as the Sons of Davy Crockett host the Mars Hill Lions at Pioneer Field for Homecoming.

After winning its season-opener at Bluefield State in August, TU has dropped its last six games, scoring 72 total points (12.0 ppg) during its winless drought.

The defensive leader thru the seven games has been junior linebacker Rashad Watson.  Watson leads the SAC averaging 9.9 total tackles per contest, which ranks 17th in NCAA Division II. He has amassed 69 stops this year including 8.0 for loss (-29 yds) with 2.5 sacks (-21 yds). He has posted double-figure tackles in each of his last three outings against UVA Wise (12) Newberry (12) and Catawba (11). He also been credited with two quarterback hurries and two pass break-ups.

During his 26-game career at Tusculum, Watson has totaled 142 tackles including 14 for loss and 3.5 sacks.

Sophomore defensive back DJ Dailey is tied for second on the club with his 32 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 (8th in SAC) and a forced fumble to his credit.

Senior transfer defensive back Tre Mobley also has 31 tackles which includes 2.5 for loss (-8 yds). Mobley missed the Newberry game due to injury but returned last week with three stops at Catawba including one hit behind the line of scrimmage. In last month's game at UVA Wise, Mobley returned an interception for a 43-yard touchdown. He is second on the club with his five pass break-ups.

Senior defensive lineman Aidan Dark is fourth on the club with his 25 tackles including two for loss (-12 yds) and 0.5 sacks (-9 yds). He also has a break-up and two QB hurries. He;s coming off a four-tackle effort against Catawba.

Xavier Gunn is second in the conference with his nine passes defended (1.29 - 16th in NCAA II) which includes eight pass break-ups and a 34-yard interception return for a touchdown vs Lenoir-Rhyne in the SAC opener. Gunn has posted 24 tackles this year with 19 solos.

Da'Shawn Elder is sixth on the roster with his 22 tackles which includes one tackle for loss and a pass break-up.

Dayquan Diston has recorded three interceptions this year including his 75-yard pick-six at UVA Wise. Diston also has three break-ups with 17 of his 19 stops being solo hits. His 0.50 interceptions per game average is first in the SAC and fifth in NCAA II. HIs 1.00 passes defended average is fourth in the league and 47th in the country.

Dylan Horne is second on the team with his 7.0 tackles for loss (-36 yds) including a sack (-13 yds). He posted 3.5 TFL against Newberry in his last home outing. His 1.17 TFL per game average is fourth in the SAC.

Sophomore quarterback Lavante Adams made his first collegiate start in TU's last home game against SAC front-runner Newberry (Oct. 11). He was responsible for all four touchdowns in the 35-28 loss to the Wolves. He recorded a pair of one-yard TD runs and tossed TD passes covering 20 and 27 yards.

Adams has rushed for 113 yards on a team-best 51 attempts while posting 119 passing yards, going 8-for-25 (32%) with zero interceptions.

With the season-ending injury to transfer quarterback Buddy Taylor in the SAC-opener against Lenoir-Rhyne, senior Richard Hunter assumed the starting quarterback responsibilities for the next three games against Anderson, Emory & Henry and UVA Wise.  Hunter has rushed for 66 yards on 37 carries (1.8 ypc) including a touchdown. He has passed for 102 yards with zero interceptions in his 28 pass attempts.

Sophomore running back Lex Dinwiddie is Tusculum's leading rusher where he has totaled 304 yards, which are the 11th in the conference. He rushed for a career-high 145 yards at Bluefield State. He did not play in the Catawba game last Saturday.

Junior running back John Celestin is second on the team with his 250 rushing yards on 49 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 207 yards on his 34 carries, which includes a TD rush. He ran for a career-high 63 yards on 10 attempts against Emory & Henry last month at Pioneer Field. He did not record a rush in the Catawba game.

True freshman Teryntino Brown-Freeman made his collegiate debut last week as he rushed for 93 yards on 15 attempts, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. He also hauled in a 31-yard reception to finish the contest with game-high 124 all-purpose yards.

Redshirt freshman Jerome Newland has rushed for 125 yards on 35 carries including two touchdowns. He also has two receptions for 66 yards.

ETSU transfer Javon Richardson is the team leader with eight catches for 123 receiving yards including a game-tying 27-yard TD grab against Newberry with 3:40 left in the fourth quarter. Ashton Hagans has made four catches for 43 yards and leads the team with two touchdown receptions.

Greeneville native Quinton Brandon is Tusculum's starting punter. The ETSU transfer and Greeneville High School alum is averaging 38.2 yards per punt this season which is seventh in the league. He has pinned the opposition inside the 20 on six 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 placekicker for the Pioneers and leads the team in scoring with his 19 points. He has gone 16-of-17 on his extra points and connected on a 44-yard field goal last week at Catawba.

Senior Caleb Swinehart handles the long-snapping duties for Tusculum for a second straight season. He has played in 21 career outings on TU's special teams' unit and has been credited with three tackles this year.

SCOUTING MARS HILL

The Mars Hill Lions provide the opposition for this week's South Atlantic Conference contest at Pioneer Field.

Kevin Barnette is in his first season as head coach at Mars Hill, but his 32nd on the Lions coaching staff. Barnette took the helm in the summer following the retirement of legendary head coach Tim Clifton, who wrapped up a successful 32-year run on the Hill.

Barnette has served as defensive coordinator at MHU the last 32 years including this season.

The Lions opened with a tough 28-25 loss to Winston-Salem State, but bounced back with three straight victories including a 31-24 overtime win over nationally-ranked Carson-Newman and a 21-14 victory against Anderson. MHU also knocked off Mary Hardin-Baylor (21-7) to start the season 3-1.

But four consecutive losses have halted the Lions' momentum including setbacks to Catawba (42-28), Emory & Henry (48-23), Newberry (38-24) and last week's 45-0 homecoming loss to Lenoir-Rhyne.

Mars Hill (3-5, 2-4 SAC) boasts the No. 2 passing offense in the conference averaging 237.4 yards per game (44th in NCAA II). Veteran quarterback JR Martin continues to lead the MHU attack where is has passed for 1,828 yards (5th in SAC / 30th in NCAA II) with 14 touchdowns (5th in SAC / 41st in NCAA II). He has a 58.8 completion percentage (5th in SAC) where he has gone 150-for-255 with 10 interceptions. Martin has also rushed for 215 yards on 85 carries with a team-best five TDs (8th in SAC).

During his three seasons at Mars Hill, Martin has passed for 5,868 yards with 41 touchdowns and 19 interceptions in his 27-game career. He has completed 445 of his 754 pass attempts. He has rushed for 1,143 yards on 317 carries with 23 touchdowns.

In his two previous starts against Tusculum, Martin has rushed for 117 yards and five touchdowns. He has passed for 473 yards goings 32-of-63 with one touchdown and three interceptions.

Charlie Guinade has been the Lions top aerial target where he has made 38 receptions for 481 yards and four touchdowns. Edward Louis Jr. is second with 406 receiving yards on 25 catches including four touchdowns.

Junior running back Jon Gullette leads the team in rushing with 677 yards on 138 attempts and three touchdowns. He has also made 37 receptions for 297 yards and a score.

In his 27-game career at MHU, Gullette has rushed for 2,103 yards on 461 carries with 13 touchdowns. He did not play in last year's game at Mars Hill, but during his 2023 freshman year, he ran for 65 yards and a touchdown in his last trip to Greeneville.

Linebacker Steven Reid leads the MHU defense with his 73 tackles including 6.0 for loss (-17 yds) and a sack (-7 yds.). He has recovered a fumble and posted two pass break-ups.

Linebacker Isaac Weaver is second with 59 stops including 4.5 for loss (-24 yds) and two sacks (-15 yds).

Defensive end Sakarri Morrison is third with 49 tackles and leads the team with his 7.0 tackles for loss (-25 yds) including 2.5 sacks (-6 yds).

Senior punter Lon Teachey is sixth in the conference averaging 40.1 yards per boot. He has pinned the opposition inside the 20 on 13 occasions. Of his 39 punts, 11 have resulted in fair catches with two resulting in touchbacks.

Teachey also handles the placekicking duties where he has connected on 20 of his 21 extra-point tries. He has also going 3-of-6 on field goals with a long of 43 yards.

PIONEER SHOTS

•     Tusculum and Mars Hill have played every season since 1997. Including this week, the 29 consecutive meetings are the longest active streak for the Pioneers against an opponent.

•     TU's 23 wins against Mars Hill are the most against one opponent and the 41 previous meetings are the second-most against one school (53 games vs Carson-Newman are the most).

•     Since 2000, the Pioneers have won 16 of the last 25 encounters with Mars Hill.

•     Of the 41 meetings, 22 have been decided by seven points or less including two ties.

•     Eight games in the series have been decided by 3 points or less including 3 overtime games.

•     Tusculum's 3 overtime games vs Mars Hill are the most against one opponent in TU history including the 29-27 double-overtime victory to win the 2023 SAC Mountain Division title.

•     Since 1936, Tusculum has posted an 18-23 record during its Homecoming games but TU has won six of its last nine when playing in front of the "old grads." Mars Hill has been Tusculum's homecoming opponent only once, that coming in 2009 in a 38-28 TU victory.

•     The Pioneers lead the SAC in three statistical categories including defensive TDs (3 - 5th in NCAA II), interceptions (8 - 48th in NCAA II) and fewest interceptions thrown (0 - T1st in DII).

•     Tusculum is one of four teams in the nation to not have thrown an interception this season.

WHAT'S GOING ON OUTSIDE THE GAME

This Saturday is Homecoming at Tusculum University with many events going on around the football game with Mars Hill

Lots of alumni events on tap including Saturday's Homecoming Parade, tailgates, the Homecoming Court and of course the football game against Mars Hill.

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. as part of the Homecoming Parade.

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.

The Homecoming Court will be introduced at halftime along with the announcement of the King and Queen.

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.