EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry University Football Team (1-0) opened the 2024 season with a 38-7 victory over Glenville State University (0-1) at Fred Selfe Stadium Saturday. The contest was called with 14:49 left in the fourth quarter after being delayed by one hour and 12 minutes due to lightning in Southwest Virginia. Given the fact that three quarters had been completed, the game stands as official.
At the beginning of the first delay, the head coaches of Emory & Henry and Glenville State agreed that after three delays they would revisit the situation. Following the third delay and the earliest time to resume play at 5:15 p.m., the decision was made to end the game.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 38, Glenville State 7
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Nicewonder Field at Fred Selfe Stadium
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (1-0, 0-0 SAC); Glenville State (0-1, 0-0 MEC)
How It Happened
After forcing a punt on the opening drive, Emory & Henry went down the field 80 yards in seven plays to find the end zone. Junior running back Jordan Jackson (Richmond, Va.) plowed in from eight yards out to put the Wasps up 7-0.
E&H recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and three plays later junior Trace Butcher (Dacula, Ga.) converted a 37-yard field goal to make it a 10-0 contest.
On their next drive, the Wasps extended their lead on a two-yard plunge across the goal line by junior quarterback Charles Mutter, III (King William, Va.) with 1:16 remaining in the first quarter. The score would remain 17-0 through the end of the first half.
Returning to action in the third quarter, the Pioneers forced E&H to a three-and-out but on the second play of the Glenville State drive, sophomore defensive lineman Ean Rhea (Glade Spring, Va.) snagged a pass out of the air and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown and a 24-0 advantage with 13:17 on the clock.
E&H forced a third three-and-out and went down the field 61 yards in 10 plays covering 5:01 with Mutter hitting junior wide receiver Cam Peoples (Reidsville, N.C.) in the left corner of the end zone to push the margin to 31-0.
Glenville State answered on their next possession with a 10-play scoring drive as Anthony Garrett found Elijah Palmer with a 10-yard touchdown pass to spoil the shutout.
The Pioneers went for an onside kick and recovered it, but turned the ball over on downs after six plays.
Emory & Henry struck down the field on a three-play drive with Mutter hitting Peoples over the middle for a 54-yard touchdown. Peoples showed his athleticism after contact, staying off the ground and continuing the play to the end zone. After Butcher's PAT went through the uprights, play was suspended with the score 38-7.
Following one hour and 12 minutes of delay, the game was called as final.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
Mutter was 7-for-17 through the air for 141 yards and two touchdowns. He also finished the game with 25 rushing yards and a score on the ground.
Jackson had a game-high 89 rushing yards, giving the Wasps their first score of the season.
Peoples caught three passes for 83 yards and two scores while sophomore wide receiver Jakari Mozelle (Hampton, Va.) had a pair of receptions for 23 yards and sophomore Cam Abshire (Roanoke, Va.) had one catch for 21 yards.
Defensively, junior defensive back Jacob Robinson (Warrenton, Va.) led all players with seven tackles and an interception while junior linebacker Marc Harris (Tallapoosa, Ga.) made six stops and recovered a fumble in his E&H debut. Fifth-year defensive back Addison Knicely (Mount Crawford, Va.) had five tackles, an interception and a pass defended while junior defensive back Chendrick Cann (Pinellas Park, Fla.) made five stops and broke up a pass. Senior linebacker Kaleb Lundy (Winston-Salem, N.C.) also had five stops while Rhea finished with a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Glenville State Individual Leaders
Garrett threw for 174 yards on 15-for-33 passing but E&H defenders picked him off four times. Zavione Wood had two catches for 40 yards as Tariq Miller caught a pair of passes for 36 yards. Palmer's only catch was for 10 yards and a touchdown.
Markquan Rucker led the Pioneers on the ground with 23 yards on eight carries.
Hayden Moore had six tackles including one sack while Jamair Diaz added five stops and 2.5 sacks. Mark Shepherd made a pair of tackles, broke up a pass and had GSU's only takeaway of the day, an interception.
A Deeper Look
Emory & Henry finished with 271 yards of total offense on 47 plays, an average gain of 5.8 while Glenville State had 248 yards of offense.
The Wasps were 5-for-10 (50%) on third down while the Pioneers converted just 27 percent (3-for-11) of their third-down chances.
E&H led the turnover battle with five takeaways (four interceptions and one fumble recovery) while GSU had just one interception.
Up Next
Emory & Henry will be off next Saturday on its scheduled bye week. The Wasps will be back in action on Saturday, September 14, hosting Bluefield State University. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
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