EMORY, Va. - The Emory & Henry College Football Team (1-3, 0-1 ODAC) returns for its first home game in a month this Saturday as Shenandoah University (2-2, 0-1 ODAC) makes the trip down Interstate 81. The Wasps will look to get off the back on the winning track after losing their Old Dominion Athletic Conference opener at Washington and Lee (2-2, 1-0 ODAC) last Friday. The Generals' offense piled up 579 yards, including 495 on the ground, en route to the 49-23 final score. W&L is ranked sixth in the country in rushing at 373 yards per game.
Series History
Last season, the Wasps trounced the Hornets, 54-21, on the road. Quarterback Kevin Saxton (Monroe, N.C.) threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns. Two of wide receiver Tyree Ward's (Statesville, N.C.) three catches resulted in scores as he finished with 103 yards. The E&H offense fired on all cylinders, evidenced by the 631 yards of total offense, which was the most gained since 1987 and fourth-most all-time. Emory & Henry has never lost to Shenandoah in football, boasting a 4-0 record since the Hornets joined the ODAC in 2012.
Emory & Henry
Despite the 1-3 overall record, the Wasps' offense moves the ball at will, evidenced by their 469 yards per game, which is second in the ODAC. E&H has used a balanced rushing and passing attack thus far (44.1 pct. rush - 55.9 pct. pass) and is averaging more than 200 yards on the ground per contest for the first time since 2009. The Wasps have three backs with over 200 yards rushing and three wide outs with over 100 yards receiving. The top of both categories is filled with underclassmen including freshman Kendrick Kube (Culpeper, Va.), who leads the way in rushing (282 yards), and freshman Derrick Yates (Abingdon, Va.), who is tied for the team lead in catches (23 receptions).
Defensively, Emory & Henry has been successful at getting into the backfield. Sophomore defensive tackle Kash Jones (Gainesville, Ga.) and sophomore defensive end Davon Keith (Columbia, S.C.) are tied for third in the league with seven tackles for loss. Senior linebacker Rhasheen Williams (Charlotte, N.C.) has also been great in stopping ball carriers, with his team-high 36 tackles on the season.
Shenandoah
Shenandoah's Hayden Bauserman has been one of the top-performing quarterbacks in the ODAC. He has thrown for 1,170 yards and 12 touchdowns, both of which lead the conference. Cedrick Delaney leads the Hornets in all-purpose yardage with 204 rushing, 199 receiving, and 213 return yards on the year. Despite their prolific passing attack, the Hornets have been one-dimensional offensively. SU is last in the league rushing with just 70 yards a game which has translated to the second-fewest yards of offense.
For the first four games of the year, the Wasps have had to rely heavily on their run defense. This week's goal will be stopping the passing game. There are three Shenandoah receivers with 200 yards so far this year and at least 20 catches. Leading the way is Michael Ashwell with 23 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Qlyl Middelijn has scored three times on 21 receptions and 211 yards.
Hall of Fame Induction
Beginning at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, the Emory & Henry Department of Athletics and Alumni Office will host the 2016 Sports Hall of Fame induction inside the John Rutledge King Center gymnasium. This year, there are four honorees including football All-Americans Micheal Hughes '01 and Scott Pruner '94, softball standout Sarah (Caldwell) Wellenhoffer '04 and former Head Women's Basketball Coach Joy Scruggs. Also being recognized with a Certificate of Appreciation is former King Center housekeeper Ann Thomas.
Kickoff for Saturday's contest is set for 1:00 p.m. at Fred Selfe Stadium. Fans are reminded that the tailgating lots will open beginning at 9:00 a.m.
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