EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Football Team (4-4, 2-4 SAC) outscored Tusculum University (4-4, 4-2 SAC) by a 21-10 margin in the second half as it held on for a 27-24 overtime victory Saturday afternoon at home. It marked the fourth time in the last two seasons that E&H has played overtime with a total of 12 extra periods.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 27, Tusculum 24 (OT)
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Nicewonder Field at Fred Selfe Stadium
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (4-4, 2-4 SAC); Tusculum (4-4, 4-2 SAC)
How It Happened
After a scoreless opening quarter the Pioneers got on the board at the 13:59 mark of the second quarter as they went down the field 69 yards in nine plays for a touchdown as Matthew Palazzo found Reginald Hunter with a five-yard pass.
Tusculum forced E&H to punt after four plays and struck again quickly with a seven-play drive that took just 2:03 off the clock. Palazzo hit tight end Joe Robustelli across the middle for a 37-yard score and a 14-0 advantage with 10:12 left before the break.
The Wasps got the ball back with favorable field position following a muffed punt by the Pioneers but the drive was never able to get established forcing a 39-yard field goal by sophomore Trace Butcher (Dacula, Ga.). The 14-3 score would hold through the intermission.
Midway through the third quarter, E&H got the ball back on an interception by senior defensive back Addison Knicely (Mount Crawford, Va.). The Wasps scored five plays later on a 14-yard rush by senior J'Quan Anderson (Charlottesville, Va.) to close the gap to 14-9 with 8:23 on the clock.
Emory & Henry got the fourth quarter started with a bang, capping a seven-play 76-yard drive as junior quarterback Charles Mutter, III (King George, Va.) found sophomore wideout Cam Peoples (Reidsville, N.C.) with a pass over the middle that Peoples took 53 yards for a touchdown and a 15-14 lead. The resulting two-point conversion attempt failed. After a sack that resulted in a fumble gave the Wasps another short field, the Wasps pushed their advantage to 18-14 on a 33-yard field goal by Butcher with 11:23 on the clock.
Tusculum got the ball back with 5:41 left to play and stormed down the field. Palazzo completed a pass to Joe Robustelli for a 68 yards score and a 21-18 advantage to cap a four-play 80-yard drive. On the ensuing drive, the Wasps looked long down the right side, hitting redshirt freshman Cam Abshire (Roanoke, Va.) for 41 yards to get into the redzone. Two plays later, Mutter found Peoples again for a touchdown, giving E&H a 24-21 lead with 2:27 to play.
The Pioneers put together a 13-play, 64-yard drive to set up a 28-yard field goal with five seconds remaining. Nicholas Pope converted the attempt as time expired to tie the contest, 24-24, and force overtime.
In the extra period, E&H took a pair of shots at the end zone, but was forced to settled for a 33-yard field goal, going up 27-24. With Tusculum faced with third and 11 at the 26 yardline, Palazzo saw his pass intercepted by sophomore defensive back Jacob Robinson (Warrenton, Va.) as E&H claimed the 27-24 win.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
Mutter threw for two touchdowns on 14-for-32 passing for 208 yards passing, hitting four different receivers. Peoples had four catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns as Abshire hauled in four balls for 70 yards. Anderson rushed 19 times for 57 yards and a score.
Sophomore defensive back Chendrick Cann (Pinellas Park, Fla.) swarmed for 18 tackles, an interception and three passes defended while Knicely added 10 stops and an additional pass defended to his interception. Robinson notched nine stops and a pick as sophomore defensive lineman Chad Pouncy (Lynchburg, Va.) had eight tackles with 2.5 for a loss.
Tusculum Individual Leaders
Palazzo went 19-for-42 through the air with 261 yards and three scores, but also threw five interceptions on the afternoon. Robustelli caught four passes for two touchdowns and 127 yards and two touchdowns as Tyler Burke had six catches for 81 yards.
Jalen Hunt rushed 17 times for 79 yards with Jojo Restall adding 67 yards on seven carries.
Earnest Johnson, III led the Pioneer defense with seven tackles including 2.5 for a loss while Wesley Scott adding seven stops of his own. Five different TU players had six tackles led by John Smith with two tackles for loss and an interception.
A Deeper Look
Tusculum held a commanding 445-261 lead on total offense, gaining 184 yards on the ground. The Pioneers racked up 22 first downs compared to 18 for the Wasps.
TU converted 7-of-19 (37%) of its third-down chances with E&H going 5-for-17 (29%) on third down.
Emory & Henry held a 31:06 to 28:54 lead on time of possession and made the most of five interceptions on its way to the win.
Up Next
Emory & Henry visits Carson-Newman University next Saturday for a 3:00 p.m. contest with the Eagles.
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