Salisbury, N.C. —- The Catawba College football team wraps up its 2024 season on Saturday night in Shuford Stadium, hosting Tusculum for its Senior Day at 6 p.m.
THE MATCHUP
- Who: Tusculum (2-8, 1-7 SAC) at Catawba (2-8, 1-7 SAC)
- Where: Shuford Stadium, Salisbury, N.C.
- When: Saturday, Nov. 16, 6 p.m.
- How to Follow: FloSports ($) | Live stats | WSAT 101.7 FM / 1280 AM
THE HISTORY
- Catawba leads all-time series 17-10
- The Catawba Indians are 9-5 at Shuford Stadium
- TU has claimed the last two meetings
GOOD FORTUNES
- Thrust into the starting quarterback role last week at Barton, freshman Mason Fortune has turned in the two top games in terms of passing yards by a quarterback this season
- Fortune turned in a season-high 348 passing yards on 28-of-45 completions in the loss at Barton before throwing over 300 yards again in the loss vs. 21st-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday
- Despite injuries at multiple key positions on offense, the Catawba Indians boast a top-30 offense in the country with nearly 220 passing yards per game with the leading rusher in the SAC
CAREER DAY FOR JJ
- JJ Grant comes in hot for his Senior Day after halting a career-high 11 passes for 109 yards receiving
- The outing bested his previous career high by over 70 yards
- Fortune found Grant and Christian for a combined 15 of his 28 completions, including the 36-yard touchdown catch and run by the SAC's leading receiving tight end
SIMONS SAYS FUMBLE
- Evan Simons forced two more fumbles in the result last week against 21st-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne, pushing his forced-fumble count to a league-leading four this season
- Simons also led the league in forced fumbles last season as a defensive back
- The senior from Chesapeake, Va. leads the Catawba Indians with 71 tackles, 40 solo tackles, eight tackles for loss and four forced fumbles
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
- Tusculum enters looking to send its season on a high note, as the Pioneers also enter with a 2-8 mark overall and a 1-7 record in conference play
- The Pioneers' roster features 26 players who will be playing their final games in the orange and black
- TU is making its second trip to Shuford Stadium this season, as their Lenoir-Rhyne game was moved to Salisbury on Sept. 29 after the effects of Hurricane Helene on the Hickory area
- Tusculum has allowed at least 23 points in each of its games this season and over 37 points per game in its last four outings
- Saturday's game features two of the top four teams in the SAC in time of possession; TU leads the league and ranks 11th in the country, holding the ball for over 33 and a half minutes per contest
