UVA Wise will look to stop a five-game losing skid when the team travels to Tusculum Saturday for a 2 p.m. kickoff against a Pioneers squad that is tied for the Mountain Division lead in the South Atlantic Conference with a 3-1 conference mark.
The Cavs (1-5, 0-4) will have to improve on special teams if they are to end the skid. UVA Wise surrendered a pair of kickoff return touchdowns and had a punt blocked in last week's loss to Emory & Henry. A bright spot was the play of Jaevon Gillespie as the running back rushed for 144 yards on 21 carries while crossing the goal line twice in the 41-24 setback.
Tusclum (3-3, 3-1) is coming off one of its biggest wins in recent history, a 27-21 victory at Carson-Newman. It marked the Pioneers first victory in Jefferson City, Tenn. since 1934 as the team accumulated 370 passing yards and forced four turnovers to secure the victory.
Matthew Palazzo has been the top dual-threat quarterback in the SAC this fall. The Tusculum signal caller passed for 968 yards and eight touchdowns while having gained 93 yards and scored four times on the ground. Palazzo is the only player in the league to rank top five in passing and rushing touchdowns.
Forcing turnovers has been the key to the Pioneers' success in recent weeks. Tusculum leads the league and ranks ninth in NCAA Division Ii in interceptions with 11. Ty'Korian has been the primary secondary theft with a league-best four interceptions; a year ago, Brown intercepted a pass against UVA Wise. Fellow defensive backs, Jermaine Witherspoon and Jordan Taylor have added two INTs each.
Linebacker Wesley Scott has been a force in opposing backfields as well. The junior has posted 54 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble in the season's first six games to lead the SAC in tackles per game at 9.0.
If last year's meeting is any indication, Saturday's game could be a low-scoring affair. Tusculum upended UVA Wise 10-9 a year ago at Carl Smith Stadium. The Cavs were held to three field goals in what was the lowest-scoring game in Carl Smith Stadium history.
While a win would end a current losing streak, it would also allow UVA Wise to do something it has not done much of in recent years, win away from home. Since the start of the 2019 season, the Cavs have just three road victories to their credit and enter Saturday's contest having lost five consecutive games away from Smith Stadium.
Next week, UVA Wise returns home to face Erskine while Tusculum goes on the road to tangle with Emory & Henry.
