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If there was ever an upset brewing, the average college football fan would say Greeneville, Tn. and Tusculum College are in prime position to pull one off today.
Tusculum, who only three years ago, was down on its hands and knees begging the South Atlantic Conference to let it in, has proven to the league it wasn’t a mistake.
Tusculum has a whale of a coaching staff, a large fan base, rich boosters ...
And then, there are the facilities. Oh boy, are there facilities.
Only last week, Tusculum played its first game on the newly-renovated Pioneer Field, giving their fans a thrilling 10-9 win over Lenior-Rhyne.
Before the game, the players practiced in their new indoor practice facility (that’s right, an indoor practice facility) and then dressed in their new field house.
“There’s a lot of excitement there,” said Catawba football coach David Bennett. “Their stadium is one of the nicest in the league. They’re playing a team ranked in the Top 10 in the nation. I’d be excited too.”
Winning has created some excitement too. The Pioneers are 5-1, 2-0 entering today’s 1:30 p.m. tussle against sixth-ranked Catawba (5-0, 2-0) and pose the toughest test yet for Bennett’s club.
Frankie Debusk’s team is off to the school’s best start in 66 years and is riding a four-game winning streak.
Debusk is a former all-Southern Conference quarterback at Furman. His offensive coordinator is Deiter Brock, who once played for the L.A. Rams. So you know Tusculum is going to have a talented quarterback.
And it does. His name is Caleb Slover, a 6-4, 230-pound beast with an arm that can sling it a country mile. His main target is J.R. Wooten, whose touchdown catch last week was his 80th career reception, breaking the school record. If he should get 95 today against Catawba, he’ll lead in all-time receiving yards.
And if the offense stalls against a Catawba defense that has allowed just 27 points in five games? DeBusk will bring on kicker Paul Czerniak, who leads the nation in field goals per game (2.17) and is the SAC’s top kicker with 48 points.
“Idon’t know where they got him from but he’s got a bionic leg,” whewed Bennett. “The guy’s short and thick with big ol’ tree-trunk legs. He’s a weapon.”
Defensively, Tusculum was on the field 77 plays against Lenoir-Rhyne but benefitted from four turnovers. And a lot of tackling by defensive back Alan Slaughter, who won SAC defensive honors for a school record 25 stops.
“Ihope he doesn’t make that many against us,” Bennett said.
Bennett likes to see coaches like DeBusk have success because of the way he runs his program. DeBusk has jump-started football at Tusculum by bringing in many junior college transfers.
“Frankie’s a personal friend of mine,” Bennett said, “and it doesn’t matter whether players come from high school or junior college. If they’re not class people, Frankie won’t keep them in the program.”
Bennett’s team leads in most SACstats. But there will be the most pressure his team has seen this season. Last week, Tusculum’s new showpiece held a school-record 3,592 and with Catawba’s reputation — and fan support on the road — expect a lot of fans and a lot of intensity.
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Ronnie Gallagher will cover the Catawba-Tusculum game for the Post.
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