EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Football Team (2-1) scored nine unanswered touchdowns as it defeated The Apprentice School (1-1) in a rout, 63-7, Saturday. The 63 points scored by the Wasps were the most since defeating Guilford College, 70-27, to close out the 2018 season and the 56-point margin of victory was the largest since a 56-0 win over Union (Ky.) College in 1984.
Senior running back Devontae Jordan (Bassett, Va.) tied the E&H record for rushing touchdowns in a game with four, becoming one of nine Wasps to accomplish the feat.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 63, The Apprentice School 7
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Nicewonder Field at Fred Selfe Stadium
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (2-1); The Apprentice School (1-1)
How It Happened
After punting on their opening drive, the Builders took a 7-0 lead at the 10:45 mark of the opening quarter as Au'hki Harris picked off Wasp sophomore quarterback Kyle Short's (Lebanon, Ohio) pass and returned it 52 yards for a score.
E&H got on the board midway through the period when Short hit senior wide receiver Elijah Rice (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) with a 61-yard catch-and-run for a 7-7 tie. E&H made it 14-7 as the clock hit 0:00 on a 23-yard scamper by Jordan.
In the second, Jordan extended Emory & Henry's lead to 28-7 with another pair of rushing touchdowns, this time from 39 and 45 yards. Short got in on the ground game action as he ran one in from six yards out to make the halftime score 35-7.
The opening possession of the third quarter saw the Wasps continue to put the pressure on as Short linked up with 5th-year wideout Gunner Griffith (Bluff City, Tenn.) for a 27-yard score. Later in the period, Jordan etched his name beside E&H greats with his fourth rushing touchdown of the game with a 22-yard score and a 49-7 advantage.
The fourth quarter saw the Wasps continue their ground attack with freshman Steven Montgomery (Taylorsville, N.C.) scoring a 52-yard touchdown and junior Mykah English (Roanoke, Va.) plunging in from one yard out to cap the scoring, 63-7.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
Jordan averaged 10.2 yards per carry as he racked up 214 yards and four touchdowns while Montgomery also went over the century mark with 101 yards.
Short finished the game 8-for-17 for 147 yards and two touchdowns and added 21 yards on the ground.
Rice was the leading receiver with his 61-yard touchdown catch while Griffith had a team-high three catches for 38 yards and a score.
Defensively, senior linebacker Brent Butler (Roanoke, Va.) put up seven tackles including one stop for a loss of five yards. Three players had five tackles as the team put up 12 stops for a loss including three sacks while sophomore defensive back Addison Knicely (Mount Crawford, Va.) had an interception and two other passes defended.
The Apprentice School Individual Leaders
Mason Tatum led the Builders' offense with 142 yards on 12-for-29 passing while also rushing for 22 yards. Gabe Tejada was the leading back with just 11 yards on 14 attempts.
Nick Pierce caught a game-high five passes for 49 yards while Leland Girdy had Apprentice's longest catch of the day (38 yards).
Paul Massey, Jr. led the Builders with seven tackles and a pass defended while Buck Hunter made six solo stops and picked off a pass late in the second quarter. Harris added two tackles and an additional pass break-up to his 52-yard interception return.
A Deeper Look
Emory & Henry outgained Apprentice by a 541 to 185 margin, rushing for 394 yards in the contest. It was the most rushing yards since racking up 409 against Randolph-Macon College in 2001. The Wasps' two 100-yard rushing performances was the first time since 2007 against Apprentice.
E&H was 6-for-13 (46%) on third down but limited the Builders to a peeked 1-for-14 (7%). Apprentice gained just 2.8 yards per play in the contest, compared to 8.2 for the Wasps.
Up Next
Emory & Henry will play its third-straight home game next Saturday when it faces former Old Dominion Athletic Conference rival Bridgewater College at 1:00 p.m.
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