Tusculum Pioneers prepare to open the season against Bluefield State on Thursday

TUSCULUM, Tenn. (WJHL) — The college football season will get underway for its 78th year on Thursday night when the Tusculum Pioneers host Bluefield State University at Pioneer Field.

Third-year head coach Billy Taylor returns 42 lettermen from last year’s squad who gained valuable playing time and experience. Tusculum will also feature several new faces on this year’s roster, including transfers at key positions like quarterback.

The recent results have not been what they wanted, posting a 2-18 record over the last two seasons. However, now that most of these players have significantly more experience, they are hoping to turn things around.

“I think the leadership that we have on this team, I think we have a lot of guys that came in and guys that were already here step up. I think the leadership is going to be the biggest difference between last year and this year,” quarterback Tedros Gleaton said.

“We’re as one, you know what I mean?” linebacker Camron Garnett said. “So I feel like it’s not offense, defense, or special teams, we’re all in this together. I feel like the leadership role and just the grit we have is our overall strength.”

“Our young guys are starting to play,” Coach Taylor said. “The guys that we recruited here, our sophomore class, is really strong. We’re still going to be very young, but I’m anxious to watch the guys we’ve brought here perform.”

Kickoff at the Niswonger Sports Complex on Thursday is set for 6 p.m. in what will be the second meeting ever between Tusculum and the Big Blues.

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