GREENEVILLE, TENN. – The UVA Wise football team was dominated on the road against Tusculum Saturday 35-7 in the Cavaliers' sixth consecutive loss this season.
The Cavalier offense was stifled by a Pioneer defense that has been one of the best in the country this season.
The Pioneers had forced a SAC-leading 14 turnovers this season before Saturday's contest. Up 21-7 at halftime, Tusculum snagged interceptions on back-to-back drives and subsequently scored a touchdown after each to go up 35-7.
Cavalier redshirt sophomore quarterback Jake Corkren struggled on the day with just 113 passing yards on 14-27 completions. Corkren threw one touchdown and two interceptions.
Corkren's counterpart on the other side, sophomore quarterback Matthew Palazzo only completed 37% of his passes but averaged 22.4 yards per completion on 14 completions. He countered his pair of first-half interceptions with three touchdowns through the air and one on the ground.
One of the few bright sides for UVA Wise during its losing streak has been the running game, particularly redshirt senior running back Jaevon Gillespie. The running game disappeared in the loss to Tusculum as Gillespie ran for just 37 yards on 14 tries. As a team, the Cavs gained just 68 yards on 45 attempts.
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Seth Fishbach had an impressive game for the second week in a row. Fishbach entered Saturday's competition with 8 receptions for 76 yards in total on the season. On Saturday, he connected with Corkren for six receptions, 83 yards and the lone UVA Wise touchdown of the day, a 38-yard strike in the second quarter.
The touchdown was Fishbach's first touchdown reception in his collegiate career.
After the game, Dane Damron pointed to a number of big plays given up on defense that led to the 28-point loss.
The first of such plays came with 9:02 in the first quarter as Palazzo hit senior wide receiver Joe Robustelli in stride on a seam route up the middle. Robustelli went untouched down the field for a 73-yard touchdown to open the scoring.
Robustelli only had two catches on the day but racked up 114 yards and one touchdown.
The second big play came one quarter later. With the game tied 7-7 at the 6:13 mark in the second quarter, Palazzo found junior wideout Tyler Burke on a very similar play. Burke broke past the defense, caught the ball on the run and darted to the endzone for a 70-yard score.
The final big play came after Corkren's second interception in the third quarter. Just one play after the takeaway, Tusculum freshman running back Jojo Restall broke several tackles as he scampered down the sideline for a 41-yard touchdown run. It would be the game's final touchdown in the 35-7 rout.
Restall finished the game with 76 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown
UVA Wise will now get ready for a home bout with Erskine next Saturday, Oct. 21 at 2 p.m. from Carl Smith Stadium.
