EMORY, Va. – The Washington and Lee University Football Team (5-1, 2-0 ODAC) needed all 60 minutes of play to take down Emory & Henry College (4-2, 1-1 ODAC) Saturday. The Generals' placekicker Peter Alston hit a 40-yard field goal as time expired to give W&L a 17-14 victory over the home-standing Wasps.
After a scoreless first quarter, Washington and Lee put together a 14-play drive that went 87 yards, eating 5:47 off of the clock for the first touchdown of the contest. The series was highlighted by a 25-yard pass by Charlie Westfal that found Alex Evans, breaking into Emory & Henry territory. The Generals churned up the field, completing the drive from four yards out on a rush by Brett Murray.
The 7-0 margin would be carried into the half as both teams were forced to punt twice before the break.
W&L had a chance to go up 10-0 late in the third quarter, but was unable to convert on a 36-yard field goal. The Wasps took over at their own 20 yard line, setting their sights on turning the momentum of the game.
On the ensuing drive, Emory & Henry marched 80-yards on eight plays including a 38-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Kyle Boden (Knoxville, Tenn.) to junior wide receiver DaVon Ross (Glen Wilton, Va.), moving the Wasps into Generals' territory. Six plays later, E&H junior running back William Pearl (Atlanta, Ga.) punched the ball in on a two-yard rush to tie the contest at seven points apiece.
Washington and Lee responded on their next possession with a four-play 79-yard strike to go up 14-7. A Westfal pass to Russell Stewart for 55 yards culminated the drive for the touchdown.
After a three-and-out by each team the Wasps showed the Generals that they could put up a quick scoring drive as well. E&H went 87 yards on two plays as senior wideout Corey Ware (Buchanan, Va.) caught a 26-yard pass, moving the ball out to the 39 yard line. On the next play, Boden found Adrian Jordan (Covington, Va.) with a short pass, and Jordan turned on the juice. The senior wide receiver streaked down the home sideline 61 yards and into the end zone. Junior placekicker Matt Turchin's (Salisbury, N.C.) extra point knotted the contest at 14-all with 5:48 to play.
After back-to-back fumbles, Washington and Lee found itself with 81 yards to go and only 4:47 in which to cover it for the win. W&L bit off chunks of yardage and took advantage of a pass interference penalty on the Wasps to get down to the Emory & Henry 23 yard line where the Generals would make their final stand. With four seconds on the clock, Alston nailed a 40-yard field goal for W&L's fifth win of the year.
As a team, Washington and Lee had 506 yards of total offense compared to 470 for Emory & Henry, accounting for nearly six-tenths of a mile of gains for the combined teams. W&L held the advantage in first downs (28-19), rushing (271-160) and time of possession (37:27-22:33) while the Wasps led in passing yards (310-235) and placed five of their six punts inside the 20 yard line.
Westfal finished the day with 214 yards on 13-of-18 passing and added 121 on the ground as Washington and Lee's leading rusher. Brett Murray had 61 yards on the ground and 40 receiving yards on five catches as well. Alex Evans was the Generals' leading receiver with three receptions for 69 yards, but Russell Stewart caught two balls for 58 yards including a 55-yard touchdown.
Offensively, Emory & Henry was led by Jordan whose 160 yards on five catches are the most receiving yards since Brennan Stewart caught seven passes for 172 yards on September 27, 2003 against Davidson College.
Boden finished the day 18-for-28 for 310 yards, his second 300-plus yard performance of the season. Pearl led the Wasps' ground game with 13 carries for 108 yards and a score including a 58-yard scamper in the second quarter.
Defensively, Emory & Henry was paced by junior defensive back Tyler Houk (Galax, Va.) with 15 tackles (seven solo) and an interception in the end zone. Senior defensive end Daniel Preston (Kingsport, Tenn.) had 14 stops while junior linebacker Devan Sproles (Norton, Va.) made 11 tackles. Senior defensive tackle Keith Taylor (Princeton, W.Va.) had 10 tackles on the day as well.
The Washington and Lee defensive unit was led by Jake Pelton and Rob Look with 11 tackles each. John Kavanagh made five stops and had an interception on the day.
Emory & Henry will remain at home next Saturday as the Wasps will host the Tigers of Hampden-Sydney College in the College's annual homecoming game. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
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