Wingate, N.C.----The Tusculum University Pioneers used a 46-yard touchdown with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter Saturday night to prevail 23-21 at Wingate University in South Atlantic Conference football action at Irwin Belk Stadium. The Pioneers improve to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in the SAC, while the Bulldogs fall to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in league play.

KEY STATS

- Wingate had 227 passing yards and 171 rushing yards for 398 yards of offense
- Tusculum had 202 passing yards and 51 rushing yards for 253 yards of offense
- The 'Dogs held a 24-15 advantage in third downs
- The Bulldogs had the only two turnovers of the game
- WU was nine-for-18 on third down; TU was six-for-14
- The 'Dogs held onto the ball for nearly 39 minutes

KEY BULLDOGS

- Noah Bell threw for 227 yards and a TD, adding 99 rushing yards and a score
- Tremel Jones had nine receptions for 78 yards
- Trevor Grant had five catches for 44 yards and a touchdown
- Matt Flanders added three grabs for 57 yards
- Evan McCray hauled in eight receptions for 48 yards
- Alex Wilson ran for 54 yards while Corey Siemer added 18 yards and a TD
- Marquise Fleming piled up 4.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and two QB hurries
- Roe Chitwood had nine tackles including a TFL
- Daniel Morrison collected eight tackles with a tackle for loss
- Orinthius Byrd and Tre Morrison had three pass break-ups each

FIRST QUARTER

- Tusculum went 13 plays for 75 yards on the opening drive
- Matthew Palazzo ran it in from three yards out to give TU a 7-0 lead

SECOND QUARTER

- The Pioneers added to their lead early in the second quarter
- Palazzo capped a 53-yard drive with a two-yard TD run to make it 14-0
- The Bulldogs answered with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive
- Bell hit Grant for 17 yards to get the drive started
- Bell hit McCray for a nine-yard first down, while Wilson's 16-yard run got it to the TU 26
- Bel connected with McCray again for 20 yards to get it to the Tusculum five
- Bell ran it in from five yards out to make it 14-7

THIRD QUARTER

- The 'Dogs used a four-play, 41-yard drive to tie it at 14 in the third quarter
- Bell's 20-yard run got it into the red zone
- He hit Grant from 17 yards out to make it 14-14
- A Nicholas Pope punt was downed inside the one yard line to back up the 'Dogs
- Bell was sacked in the end zone by Gavin Rowell to make it 16-14

FOURTH QUARTER

- The Bulldogs went on a seven-play, 73-yard drive to take the lead in the fourth quarter
- Bell connected with Flanders for 44 yards to get it to the Tusculum 27
- He hit Jones for 15 yards on the next play
- Bell's 13-yard run on third-and-12 set up a first and goal at the one
- Siemer punched it in to give WU a 21-16 lead with 5:23 to go
- Tusculum had the answer, going 75 yards on six plays
- Palazzo hit Tyler Burke for a 46-yard TD, going off the hands of a WU defender at the goal line
- The Pioneers took a 23-21 advantage with 2:59 remaining
- Wingate got it to midfield in the final seconds after an 11-yard Bell run
- His desperation heave on the final play was intercepted at the three-yard line

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Saturday, traveling to Emory & Henry for a 1 p.m. start