WILSON, N.C. – To get out ahead of the impact of Hurricane Ian, the Barton Football Team (2-2, 1-1) has moved up its home game with Tusculum (3-1, 1-1) 48 hours and will face the Pioneers in a South Atlantic Conference contest on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m., at Electric Supply Company Field and Truist Stadium.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 24-18 setback at home to Mars Hill last Saturday in their home opener. The Lions scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and built a 21-7 lead before holding off a late Barton rally. Mars Hill's Jervon Newton (St. Petersburg, Fla.) rushed for 150 yards and scored all three touchdowns while the Lions' defense totaled five sacks in the victory.
Barton sophomore quarterback
Jaquan Lynch (Rocky Mount, N.C.) passed for 231 yards and a touchdown while sophomore wide receiver
Kameron Johnson (Rocky Mount, N.C.) caught six passes for 111 yards and a score in the losing effort.
The Bulldogs did hold a 346-288 edge in total yards and had a chance to win the game but couldn't connect on a sure-fire score on a last-ditch drive. On defense, sophomore linebacker
Matt Smith (Raleigh, N.C.) totaled 10 tackles in the losing effort for Barton, who held Mars Hill out of the end zone in the second half.
Johnson has caught four of Lynch's five touchdown passes this season while sophomore running back
Jordan Terrell (Ramseur, N.C.) leads the ground game at 104.3 yards per contest and three scores. Barton sophomore linebacker
Shane Perry (Holly Springs, N.C.) has a team-leading 38 tackles on the year.
Tusculum is coming off a 50-17 win over Catawba last Saturday on the road. The Pioneers totaled 509 yards of total offense including 351 yards on the ground. Tusculum quarterback Tre Simmons (Tampa, Fla.) rushed for 122 yards and a score while adding 156 yards through the air and a touchdown pass in the win. The Pioneers' defense also limited the Indians to 295 yards while forcing four turnovers with three interceptions.
Tusculum's Andrae Robinson (Covington, Ga.) returned an interception 97 yards for a score and recovered a fumble in the triumph over Catawba.
Simmons anchors an offense which averages 408.5 yards per game and 38.2 points per contest. Last season, Tusculum defeated Barton by a score of 41-17 on Saturday, October 23, in Greeneville, Tenn.
Barton is an Associate Member of the South Atlantic Conference for the 2022 and 2023 seasons and is headed up by third-year mentor
Chip Hester. Tusculum is coached by Jerry Odom, who is in his seventh year with the Pioneers.
