BRIDGEWATER, Va. – The Bridgewater College Football Team (6-2, 3-2 ODAC) held off a fourth-quarter rally by Emory & Henry College (4-4, 1-4 ODAC) to pick up a 27-21 win in Old Dominion Athletic Conference play Saturday afternoon at Jopson Field.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Eagles went on a 15-play, 84-yard drive that devoured 6:09 off the clock. Ryan Green-Ellis rushed six times for 21 yards on the drive including a two-yard plunge for the score.
Later in the quarter, the Bridgewater defense blocked a punt and set the offense up with a short field. Willie Logan found Michael Colee for a 26-yard touchdown catch on the second play of the ensuing drive to make the score 14-0. The contest would go into the half with the two touchdown margin.
Emory & Henry got on the board to cut the lead to 14-7 on its second drive of the third quarter. The Wasps went 80 yards on 10 plays with junior quarterback Kyle Boden (Knoxville, Tenn.) linking up with sophomore wide receiver Sam Edmonds (Roanoke, Va.) for a 31-yard reception to set up first and goal from the six. Boden called his own number on third and goal from the three yardline for the score.
The Eagles extended the lead to two scores (20-7) on their next possession. Logan went four-for-six for 62 yards, highlighted by Jayme Perry's 29-yard touchdown. Chandler DeHaven's extra point was unsuccessful.
After forcing a three and out, Bridgewater went on the attack to push its lead to 20 points. Jacob Wright put the offense on his back, rushing for 29 yards on the drive to set up Logan's score from two-yards out to make the score 27-7.
With 7:31 remaining in the contest, the E&H offense got the ball. Boden completed six straight passes on the drive, highlighted by an eight-yard catch by junior wide receiver Chad Williams (Elkton, Va.) for the touchdown, trimming the margin to 27-14.
On the third play of the ensuing drive, senior safety Tyler Houk (Galax, Va.) forced a fumble by Green-Ellis and recovered it at the Bridgewater 38 yardline. Boden needed only two plays to cover the yardage and linked up with Edmonds for a 31-yard catch to make the contest a one-score game with 3:36 left on the clock.
Bridgewater was able to run out the clock on their final possession as the Eagles converted a trio of third downs. The Wasps could have had the opportunity for last-minute heroics for a second-straight week, but were unable to regain possession before time expired.
As a team, Bridgewater put up 416 yards of total offense compared to 322 for Emory & Henry. The Wasps threw for 300 yards on the day while the Eagles relied on a balanced attack (245 pass, 171 rush). BC converted 11 of 17 third-down situations which led it to win the time of possession battle, 35:05-24:55.
Logan was 18-for-26 through the air for 245 yards and two touchdowns, as he found nine different receivers on the day. Green-Ellis rushed for 64 yards in the contest while Wright and Logan had 49 and 34 yards, respectively on the ground. Colee had three catches for 45 yards and a score and Perry finished the day with 47 yards and a touchdown on two receptions.
The Eagles' defense was paced by Salem Nganga with 14 tackles. Andrew Palmer had six stops while Arnold Kim, Sammy Coleman, Todd Harris and Lucas Elliott each made five tackles on the day.
Offensively for Emory & Henry, Boden went 30-for-42 for 300 yards and two touchdowns, hooking up with 10 different receivers. Williams caught eight balls for 58 yards and a touchdown while Edmonds finished the day with 75 yards and a score on three catches. Senior DaVon Ross (Glen Wilton, Va.) reeled in five passes for 63 yards while sophomore running back Joe Vaughn (Gate City, Va.) led the Wasps' running game with 29 yards.
Senior linebacker Devan Sproles (Norton, Va.) had 13 tackles in the contest to lead the E&H defensive unit. Freshman defensive back Ryan Byrd (Grottoes, Va.) registered nine stops while Houk and freshman linebacker Rennel Marshall (Rustburg, Va.) each made eight tackles, with Houk forcing and recovering a fumble.
Emory & Henry will return home for its final two games of the 2012 season. The Wasps will host the Hornets of Shenandoah University next Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
The game will be E&H's inaugural Take A Kid To The Game Day, a NCAA supported program that assists schools in introducing athletics to youth in the community. Each child under the age of 14 will receive free admission when accompanied by a paying adult.
---E&H---