NEWBERRY — Following a shocking 32-31 double overtime loss to South Atlantic Conference foe Tusculum in Setzler Field Saturday afternoon, the Newberry Wolves huddled around head coach Todd Knight appearing to be in shock.
After outscoring the Pioneers 7-3 in the fourth quarter, the Wolves came up one point short in the thriller thanks to a daring move by the Pioneers.
Despite Newberry capturing the lead in the second overtime, it wasn’t enough to stop a Tusculum team that gambled and came up big when going for a two-point conversion to not only defeat the defending league champions but also hand the Wolves their first conference loss of the season.
While the Wolves were forced to watch a Tusculum squad that improved to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in SAC action, Knight left the field confident his charges will bounce back.
“I think we’ve got a tough crowd,” said Knight. “We’ve got a resilient bunch. I don’t doubt a bit that we’ll bounce back. I think our kids’ character is there. We might not have played our best game today, but I’m not concerned about the character of our young men, our program. They’ll be ready.”
The loss halted a 12-game SAC win streak for Newberry which would have tied Carson-Newman for the fifth longest victory streak in league history. The Wolves had not lost a conference contest in 729 days since falling to the Eagles on Oct. 17, 2015.
The Wolves got off to slow start offensively as they were unable to muster much of a threat against the Pioneers for most of the first half.
That changed, however, when quarterback Nick Jones, who had just been inserted into the game in place of starter Greg Ruff for a few plays, connected with record-setting wide receiver Markell Castle for a 39-yard touchdown pass with 5:30 remaining in the second quarter. Following placekicker Shea Rodgers extra point, the Wolves had a 7-0 lead.
Although unable to get into the end zone, Tusculum did get on the scoreboard prior to halftime when Gabe Shillings drilled a 36-yard field goal with no time remaining, cutting Newberry’s halftime advantage to 7-3.
The game proved to be a tale of two halves as there were offensive fireworks throughout the final 30 minutes.
Wide receiver Keinan Lewis got the second half off to a good start for the Wolves, catching a 39-yard pass from Ruff to give Newberry a 14-3 lead.
Tusculum did not shrink under the pressure, countering with back to back touchdowns. The first was a 66-yard Maxwell Johnson run, while the second was achieved when quarterback Alex Ogle connected with tight end Evan Altizer on a 27-yard pass play with 13:59 remaining in regulation to give the Pioneers a 17-14 advantage.
After driving to the Tusculum 18, Rodgers connected on a 35-yard field goal, tying things at 17 with 6:05 to play in the fourth quarter.
That led to an overtime period the ebbed and flowed so much it kept everyone in attendance on their feet.
Tusculum got the first overtime period going when Ogle threw a nine-yard scoring pass to tight end Gary Breuklander.
Castle, picking up his second touchdown of the game, hauled in an eight-yard TD pass from Ruff to send the game into a second OT.
That ended with running back Austin Barnes bulling into the endzone from two yards out to give Newberry a seven-point advantage in the second overtime.
Ogle, who completed 22 of 38 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns, used his legs for the Pioneers counter score running in from two yards out.
At this point, with his team in the road Pioneers coach Jerry Odom opted to win or lose the game at that point by going for two.
Ogle connected with an open Conner Johnston to give Tusculum the win.
“I felt like we could get them stopped,” said Knight. “But you’ve got to tip your hat to them. Tusculum did a good job. Offensively, they did a great job mixing up between the pass and the run. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap and say, ‘OK boys, you did a good job. We didn’t play well and you beat us.’ That’s what happened.”
Ruff led Newberry with 114 rushing yards on 25 carries, while completing nine of 14 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Both the scoring pass went to Castle, who finished with four receptions for 109 yards.
Newberry returns to action Saturday when it hosts Limestone for Homecoming. Kickoff is slated for 4:00 p.m.