HICKORY, N.C. --- Lenoir-Rhyne's Dwayne McGee rushed for 188 yards and three touchdowns, including his game-winning 25-yard run with 1:11 remaining as the Bears edged Tusculum 38-31 Saturday afternoon at Moretz Stadium.
Lenoir-Rhyne scored 17 points off of three Tusculum turnovers including 10 points in the final 5:48 on a pair of TU fumbles to overcome a 31-28 deficit. Saturday was rematch of last spring's South Atlantic Conference Championship Game where TU won its third title 28-23.
The game was a thriller as the lead exchanged hands four times and was tied on three occasions. Tusculum's last five games have been decided by eight points or less.
McGee, the SAC's leading rusher, eclipsed 100 yards for a fifth consecutive game, on a season-high 29 carries. He scored on TD runs spanning 28, 52 and 25 yards. The Bears (3-2, 2-2 SAC) churned out 284 yards on the ground while quarterback Grayson Willingham was limited to 122 passing yards going 11-for-30 with one touchdown and one interception.
The Pioneers (2-4, 1-3 SAC) out-gained L-R in total yardage, 452-406 as quarterback Ivan Corbin passed for a career-best 339 yards and accounted for two touchdowns (1 pass, 1 rush).
L-R kicker Chase Allbaugh established a new NCAA Division II record as he went 5-for-5 on his extra points as he has connected on 131 in a row.
Both teams finished with three turnovers each on the day as TU posted 10 points off of L-R mistakes.
Tusculum took advantage of the first gaff as Jordan Taylor forced a fumble and was recovered by TU's Quaheim Glasgow at the TU 33. The Pioneers followed with a nine-play, 67-yard drive which was capped off by a Corbin five-yard TD toss to Will Sweeper. Eli Shepherd's extra point was good as TU led 7-0 at the 10:59 mark of the first quarter.
Lenoir-Rhyne answered with an eight-play, 66-yard scoring drive as McGee ran 28 yards to the end zone at the 7:45 mark of the period. Allbaugh's extra point tied the game at 7-7, which was his 127th consecutive made PAT, tying the D-II record.
The Pioneers regained the lead quickly as Corbin completed a 72-yard strike to Jarvis Jones to the LR 16. Two players later, Corbin ran it in from nine yards out as TU went back on top 14-7 with 6:14 left in the quarter.
The defenses stepped for the rest of the quarter as the next five possessions would result into punts.
Early in the second quarter, Tusculum drove deep into Lenoir-Rhyne territory thanks to a 41-yard completion from Corbin to Darion Anderson. The drive would stall and the 34-yard field goal would be missed.
L-R took the momentum and moved into Tusculum territory. On fourth-down and 10 from the TU 35, the Bears went for it and Willingham completed a 35-yard pass to Jordan Payne. Allbaugh's record-breaking 128th straight PAT tied the game at 14-14 with 5:56 remaining before halftime.
In the final minutes of the half, Willingham was intercepted by Raynell Killian who returned the pick 52 yards to the LR 38 with 42 seconds on the clock. Corbin completed a 13-yard pass to Justice Parham and a six-yard completion to Maurice Gomillion to move to the LR 9. Two incomplete passes left the clock with five seconds on it as TU brought on freshman John Aiden Pittman who connected on a 26-yard field goal on the half's final play as the Pioneers led 17-14 heading into the intermission.
Tusculum took the first possession of the second half and were forced to punt, but the Bears muffed the kick which was recovered by TU's Billy Weekley at the LR 31. But two plays later, Corbin was intercepted by L-R's Jimmie Palmer who returned the pick 29 yards to midfield.
From there, McGee scored his second touchdown of the day and seventh of the season with his 52-yard run as the Bears took their first lead of the day at 21-17.
The Pioneers responded almost immediately as TU's Cortney Jackson took the hand-off from Corbin, went off-tackle to the left and sprinted 82-yards up the middle of the field for the fifth-longest TD run in school history as the Pioneers led again, 24-21 with 12:52 left in the third quarter.
Lenoir-Rhyne converted on third down on its next possession including a 19-yard pass from Willingham to Will Neal. Willingham capped the drive with a one-yard TD run as the Bears led 28-24 with just under eight minutes left in the period.
Tusculum and Lenoir-Rhyne went three-and-out on their next respective possessions. The Pioneers would put together a 17-play, 69-yard drive which spanned the final four minutes of the third quarter and took the first two minutes of the fourth. TU would convert on third down three times and got a Bryce Moore four-yard run on fourth-and-one from the LR 5. Two plays after, Moore would plunge in with the one-yard touchdown as Tusculum led 31-28 with 12:57 remaining in the contest.
The TU defense forced another three and out and got a Chris Stevenson sack to put the Bears behind the chains on the possession. Tusculum drove into L-R territory to the Bears' 41. But on fourth-and-four, Amari Houston stopped Corbin short of the line to gain as the Bears took over at the LR 40.
The Bears would gain just two yards on the possession and were forced to punt as Michal Owen pinned the Pioneers the TU 10. That kick would prove vital as on the second play of the possession, the football exchange between Corbin and Jackson was fumbled and recovered by LR's Quinten Hayes at the TU 8.
With their backs against the shadow of their own end zone. Tusculum allowed a four-yard run by McGee, but that would be it as Lenoir-Rhyne would have to settle for a 21-yard Allbaugh field goal to tie the game at 31-31 with 5:48 remaining.
The Pioneers would be forced to punt as Andrew Cantrell flipped the field and got off a 45-yarder as the Bears began at their own 20 with 3:32 left on the clock.
The Tusculum defense came up with another big stop allowing a one-yard rush and two incomplete passes to force another punt by the Bears. But the punt was muffed and Lenoir-Rhyne's Malakei Sumner came up with the recovery with 2:35 on the scoreboard.
After the Bears were penalized on the first play of the drive, L-R went to McGee for three straight plays including runs of 11, one and the game-winning 25-yard dash to the end zone for the go-ahead score with 1:11 left in the game, giving the Bears a 38-31 advantage.
With 1:06 remaining, the Pioneers would go for the tying score as Corbin completed a 10-yard pass to Parham. But three four incomplete passes and a delay of game penalty would turn the ball over on downs and end the comeback bid.
Parham would be the game's top receiver as he made nine catches for 107 yards, while Gomillion added four receptions for a career-best 64 receiving yards.
Defensively, Stevenson led the Tusculum effort with a season-best 11 tackles including two for loss and a sack. Killian added nine tackles and a hit behind the line of scrimmage, while Jermaine Witherspoon finished with seven stops including one for loss and a pass break-up.
Lenoir-Rhyne's Amari Houston had a team-best 11 tackles including two for loss and a sack, while TJ Blanding contributed nine tackles in the victory.
Cantrell finished the game with seven punts for a 42.7 average including two kicks inside the 20. Owen had eight punts for a 44.1 average including three inside the 20.
The Pioneers finished the game with 19 first downs to the Bears 17. Both teams were nearly identical in third down conversions as TU went 6-of-17 while L-R went 6-of-16. The Pioneers were 1-of-3 on first down, while the Bears were successful on their lone fourth down try.
Tusculum will play three of its remaining five games at home beginning with next Saturday's 1:30 p.m. SAC clash with UVA Wise. TU will follow on Oct. 23 with a homecoming battle with Barton.
