EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Football Team (4-3, 1-3 ODAC) got back on the winning track Saturday afternoon as it picked up a 15-14 come-from-behind win over The Catholic University of America (3-4, 2-2 ODAC) at Fred Selfe Stadium on Homecoming Day.
Catholic got on the board on their first drive of the game. The Cardinals went 81 yards on 11 plays in a drive that ate 4:52 off the clock. A 38-yard pass from Greg Cordivari to Christian Baker highlighted the strike and put CUA in the red zone. Mike Pitsenberger had a 12-yard rush to set up the subsequent two-yard plunge for the score.
The Cardinals would make it 14-0 midway through the second quarter. After driving from their six yardline, Catholic saw its possession stall at the Emory & Henry 16. After CUA missed a 33-yard field goal wide left, a penalty on the Wasps prolonged the drive. Four plays later, Pitsenberger got his second touchdown of the contest from one yard out.
Emory & Henry make the score 14-3 with 2:52 remaining in the first half. After senior linebacker Ross Ellis (Abingdon, Va.) recovered a muffed punt at the Catholic 18, the Wasps got another shot and senior kicker Matt Turchin (Salisbury, N.C.) split the uprights with a 34-yard field goal.
After the intermission, the Emory & Henry defense got in a rhythm in which they held Catholic scoreless for the final 30 minutes of play. After a scoreless third quarter, the Wasps closed the gap to 14-6 on a 38-yard field goal by Turchin with 8:43 left to go in the contest.
The E&H defense forced CUA into a three-and-out, and the Wasps began their drive at midfield. A 25-yard pass by junior quarterback Kyle Boden (Knoxville, Tenn.) found senior wideout Corey Ware (Buchanan, Va.) to start things off. Three plays later, Boden hit sophomore Lucas Kirby (Covington, Va.) from 11 yards out for E&H's first taste of pay dirt on the day. The Wasps went for a two-point conversion to tie the contest, but the pass attempt by Boden was unsuccessful.
Catholic's next possession was choppy and had several penalties. Faced with third down and 20 yards to go, Cordivari was intercepted by Ellis at the Cardinals' 44 yardline, who returned it to the 40.
E&H then churned out yards to get into field goal range, bringing Turchin on for his third attempt of the game, this time a 22-yarder. The kick was partially blocked but still had the momentum to tumble over the crossbar and give Emory & Henry their first lead of the contest, 15-14, with just 10 seconds remaining on the clock.
After the kickoff went through the end zone, CUA had enough time for two plays. The Cardinals attempted a hook-and-lateral on the final snap of the contest but ended up being flagged for an illegal forward pass.
Catholic led the battle of total offense, 368-331, but untimely turnovers led to six points by Emory & Henry which made the difference in the contest.
E&H sophomore running back Joe Vaughn (Gate City, Va.) led E&H with 71 rushing yards and caught six passes for another 45 yards while freshman quarterback Jacob Hess (Abingdon, Va.) had a 31-yard scamper that wowed the crowd. Boden finished the day 22-for-32 passing for 203 yards and a touchdown. Ware had 65 yards on six catches while Kirby caught four balls for 58 yards and a score.
Turchin's three field goals in the contest tied the school record of which he is already the co-holder. Turchin hit three kicks in the 2011 season finale at Guilford.
Senior linebacker Devan Sproles (Norton, Va.) led the Wasp defensive unit with 12 tackles while Ellis finished the contest with 10 tackles (1.5 for a loss), an interception and a fumble recovery. Freshman linebacker Rennel Marshall (Rustburg, Va.) had 10 stops as well while junior linebacker Paul Forney (Newton, N.C.) and junior defensive end Scott Hill (Jefferson, Ga.) posted eight tackles apiece.
Catholic was led by Cordivari's 251 passing yards as he went 24-for-35 on the day. Pitsenberger had 80 rushing yards and two touchdowns while Nick Cortese added 42 yards on the ground. Jason Howard had a 68-yard reception in his only catch of the game while Tanner Keefe caught three passes for 58 yards.
Connor Stueckler led the Cardinals' defense with 12 tackles and an interception while Andrew Pitsenberger, Kevin Ross and Alex King each had eight stops.
Emory & Henry will be on the road next week as it faces Bridgewater College at 1:00 p.m., in ODAC action.
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