Greeneville, Tenn.----A fourth down pass break-up by Wingate University redshirt junior defensive back Jon Jimenez (Scottsdale, Ariz.) ended a wild fourth quarter and clinched a 41-33 South Atlantic Conference football victory for the Bulldogs over Tusculum College at Pioneer Field. Wingate (4-3 overall, 3-2 SAC) wins its third consecutive game. The host Tusculum Pioneers (3-5 overall, 1-4 SAC) have lost three straight contests.

Wingate junior running back Nestor Lantigua (Wellington, Fla.) rushed 27 times for 144 yards (both career-highs) and two touchdowns. Bulldog redshirt senior quarterback Robbie Nallenweg (Asheville, N.C.) completed 22-of-33 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns. Junior running back Josh Covington (Charlotte, N.C.) had a rushing TD and a receiving score for the visitors.

"I think the lesson for our team…is we have to believe the progress we're making in practice is working," Wingate head coach Joe Reich says. "There has been a sense of urgency in practice the last few weeks. You can feel we are going to perform well as a result."

The fans got their money's worth in the final 2:15, as Tusculum almost erased a 16-point deficit. The Pioneers trailed 41-25 when TC quarterback Bo Cordell (Cincinnati, Ohio) engineered a six-play, 76-yard drive in 113 seconds to cut the deficit in half. Cordell found freshman running back Isaac Robinson (Palmyra, Va.) with a five-yard TD pass (2:15) and hit junior wide receiver Matt Levine (Anderson, S.C.) with the two-point conversion pass to make the score 41-33 Bulldogs.

Tusculum recovered the on-side kick and started a potential game-tying drive at the Wingate 45-yard line. Cordell found junior wide receiver Deon Hicks (Fresno, Calif.) for a 37-yard completion on the drive's first play. Robinson rushed for four yards and two yards, then Cordell was stopped for no gain to set the stage for the Pioneers' final play. Jimenez was in the right place at the right time, as he knocked down Cordell's pass intended for junior tight end Wesley Powell (Eclectic, Ala.) in the end zone.

Wingate took the second half's opening kick-off and took the lead for the first time five plays and 74 yards later. Nallenweg found redshirt freshman wide receiver Angelo Crawford-Reid (Gastonia, N.C.) in the middle of the field and the speedster raced 43 yards for a touchdown. Smith's PAT made the score 27-25 Bulldogs with 13:09 to play in the third frame.

The Crawford-Reid score started a 21-0 run for the visitors. Lantigua gave the 'Dogs a 34-25 lead when he scored on a two-yard run five seconds into the fourth quarter. A four-yard punt gave Wingate a short field, as the Bulldogs moved the ball 29 yards on eight plays.

Covington found the end zone on a 17-yard pass from Nallenweg to conclude the streak. The Bulldog drive covered 80 yards, eight plays and four minutes. Redshirt junior placekicker/punter Patrick Smith (Hickory, N.C.) added the PAT on both the Lantigua and Covington scores, giving Wingate a 41-25 lead with 8:28 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The late arrivals missed the first score of the afternoon, as Tusculum sophomore wide receiver Justin Houston (Cleveland, Tenn.) took the opening kick-off 99 yards to pay dirt. Pioneer junior placekicker Logan Cornelius (Chattanooga, Tenn.) nailed the PAT with 18 seconds elapsed in the first quarter.

Wingate answered, as Nallenweg and the Bulldogs drove 71 yards on seven plays. Redshirt junior Brandon Ellington (Wilmington, N.C.) did the honors, scoring on a 12-yard TD pass from Nallenweg. Smith's extra point tied the game 7-7 at the 12:19 mark.

Cordell set the NCAA Division II passing yardage record during Tusculum's next scoring drive. He found Houston on a 30-yard touchdown connection (7:38), concluding an eight-play, 73-yard march. TC sophomore quarterback Cameron Tallent (Dayton, Tenn.) completed the two-point conversion pass to Powell to give the hosts a 15-7 lead. Cordell has 15,049 yards in his TC career.

The Bulldogs continued the trading-scores pattern with a TD on their next drive. Crawford-Reid set the tone with a 33-yard kick-off return. Six plays later, Covington scored on a one-yard plunge to cut the Wingate deficit to 15-13.Tusculum responded on its next possession with Cordell's 35-yard scoring strike to Houston (1:31), concluding a nine-play, 77-yard march and making the score 22-13 Pioneers.
 
Lantigua's three-yard TD run was the climax of a nine-play, 80-yard drive early in the second quarter. Smith's extra point cut Wingate's deficit to 22-20 at the 10:01 mark. A Cornelius field goal finished the first half scoring as the Pioneers took a 25-20 advantage to the halftime locker room.

Cordell completed 32-of-55 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns. Wingate sacked Cordell four times. Bulldog redshirt junior defensive end Nick Napolitano (Shallotte, N.C.) had two QB sacks, three tackles for loss and four quarterback hurries. Redshirt junior defensive end Steven Jacobs (Pembroke, N.C.) had 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss.

Wingate freshman linebacker Sterling Brooks (Greensboro, N.C.) led the Bulldogs with 11 tackles. Both Napolitano and sophomore linebacker Eric Mapoles (Snellville, Ga.) had 10 tackles each. Tusculum junior defensive lineman Caushaud Lyons (Ellenwood, Ga.) had eight tackles, two quarterback hurries and two tackles for loss for the hosts.