EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Football Team (5-5, 3-5 SAC) opened up a 28-7 lead after one quarter as is rolled to a 56-14 drubbing of Erskine College (0-10, 0-8 SAC) Saturday afternoon at Fred Selfe Stadium.
The contest also saw the College honor the 2023 induction class of the Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame with a public recognition at halftime following the performance of The Spirit of Emory & Henry Marching Band.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 56, Erskine 14
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Nicewonder Field at Fred Selfe Stadium
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (5-5, 3-5 SAC); Erskine (0-10, 0-8 SAC)
How It Happened
Emory & Henry received the opening kickoff and returned it into Erskine territory setting up a short field for the first possession of the game. Five plays later, senior J'Quan Anderson (Charlottesville, Va.) rushed through the middle for 25 yards and a 7-0 score.
The Flying Fleet responded with an eight-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 23-yard touchdown pass from Craig Pender to Marquell Brown to tie the contest with 8:58 left in the opening period.
E&H then took full control, driving down the field with a 10-play, 75-yard drive covering nearly five minutes. Sophomore quarterback Charles Mutter, III (King George, Va.) hit redshirt freshman wide receiver Cam Abshire (Roanoke, Va.) with a 12-yard touchdown pass to put the Wasps ahead for good.
On the Fleet's first play of the next possession, a fumble by the running back was scooped up by redshirt freshman defensive lineman Ean Rhea (Glade Spring, Va.) and returned 17 yards for a touchdown and a 21-7 advantage. The Wasps didn't stop there, forcing a three-and-out on the next drive. Sophomore Cam Peoples (Reidsville, Va.) put together a 43-yard punt return, giving E&H another short field. Six plays later, Mutter, III plunged through the line to make it a 28-7 contest and the rout was on.
Emory & Henry scored another pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to extend the lead to 42-7 at the intermission. Mutter linked up with redshirt freshman wideout Jakari Mozelle (Hampton, Va.) for a 32-yard touchdown with 10:49 on the clock. Three plays after sophomore defensive back Jarrell Harrison (Virginia Beach, Va.) picked off a pass and gave the Wasps terrific field position yet again, Mutter, III found Peoples with a 20-yard touchdown in the front corner of the end zone for another score.
The third quarter saw the Wasps extend the lead to 49-7 as Mutter orchestrated a 68-yard drive, calling his own number for a one-yard dive with 6:16 on the clock.
Erskine's offense showed a glimmer of productivity, scoring early in the fourth quarter after recovering a fumble. Four plays later, Se'Maj Johnson rushed in for a four-yard touchdown to make the score 49-14 with 11:18 to go in the contest.
E&H responded on its next drive to cap the scoring as Mutter, III connected with wide receiver Tristan Stitt (Indian Trail, N.C.) for his first career catch. The rookie made the best of his first opportunity, scoring a 24-yard touchdown for the final 56-14 margin.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
Mutter accounted four six of the Wasps' seven touchdowns, going 16-for-27 through the air for 176 yards and four scores. He also rushed seven times for 44 yards and another two scores.
Anderson rushed 15 times for 71 yards and a touchdown while fifth-year running back Mykah English (Roanoke, Va.) had a game-high 73 yards on 14 carries.
Nine different players caught passes for E&H led by Peoples with three receptions for 45 yards and a score. Mozelle finished with two catches for 41 yards as Abshire hauled in three balls for 31 yards.
Defensively junior linebacker Kaleb Lundy (Winston-Salem, Va.) made seven tackles while senior defensive back Addison Knicely (Mount Crawford, Va.) posted six stops and an interception. Junior linebacker Josh McCray (Richmond, Va.) had five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble as Rhea added five stops of his own to his defensive touchdown.
Erskine Individual Leaders
Pender threw for 97 yards and a touchdown on 7-for-15 passing despite a pair of interceptions. Johnson had 42 yards on the ground and a score. Brown caught three passes for 45 yards and a score with Jamaar Moore adding four receptions for 41 yards.
Johnmond Howard paced the Fleet's defense with six tackles and a strip sack while Jarvis McClurkin and Jeremy Bland contributed six stops each.
A Deeper Look
Emory & Henry led 394-173 on total offense, averaging 5.7 yards per play. The Wasps rushed for 211 yards on the afternoon, racking up 24 first downs compared to just 12 for the Flying Fleet.
E&H was five-for-five in the red zone, its best performance of the season, as it converted 9-of-13 (69%) of its third-down chances. Erskine was 5-for-11 (45%) on third down.
Both teams were flagged five times for a total of 88 yards on the afternoon. The Wasps controlled possession with a 34:28-25:32 lead.
Up Next
Emory & Henry closes out the season next Saturday, hosting Limestone University at 1:00 p.m. The contest will also serve as Senior Day for the Wasps, who will honor their seniors prior to kickoff.
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