EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Football Team (5-4, 2-4 ODAC) got two-fourth quarter touchdowns from senior wide receiver Corey Ware (Buchanan, Va.) as it rallied to defeat Shenandoah University (1-8, 0-6 ODAC) by a 20-17 score Saturday afternoon in Old Dominion Athletic Conference play at Fred Selfe Stadium. It was the first-ever meeting between the Wasps and the Hornets, who joined the ODAC in the summer of 2012.
On the first play from scrimmage, Emory & Henry sophomore running back Joe Vaughn (Gate City, Va.) scampered for 67 yards to put the Wasps up 7-0. The score would remain the same as the two squads traded punts and battled for field position.
After an E&H fumble, SU got the ball on the Wasps' 26 yardline. A five-play drive highlighted by a 15-yard rush by Andrew Smith to set up first and goal was all the Hornets needed to tie the contest. Smith punched it in from thee yards out to send the contest into the break knotted 7-7.
On Shenandoah's second drive of the second half, the Hornets were once again set up with good field position, this time on a short put and a personal foul. Smith racked up his second score of the game, this time an eight-yard run, to give SU a 14-7 lead.
The Hornets made it a two-score game with 10:25 remaining in the fourth quarter. An 11-play, 42-yard drive stalled out inside the five yardline, thanks to solid defense by E&H when it mattered most. Andrew Williams came on to kick the 22-yard field goal, which split the uprights for the 17-7 margin.
Emory & Henry looked as if it was going to get back into the contest on the next possession. Driving inside the Shenandoah 30, junior quarterback Kyle Boden (Knoxville, Tenn.) was intercepted by Byron Mitchell. The Hornets were unable to do anything with the opportunity to seize the game, and punted the ball after just five plays.
The Wasps took advantage on their next drive as Boden picked apart the defense with three completions for the score. Ware caught the first and last passes of the drive with a 17-yard snag in the left corner of the end zone putting points on the board. Junior wideout Chad Williams (Elkton, Va.) reeled in a 21-yard catch to set up the score, closing the gap to 17-14.
After the Wasps forced another punt, the E&H offense got going again. It would only take three plays for a second-straight drive as Ware caught Boden's pass in stride near the Shenandoah 45 and beat the defense for the 59-yard score. The resulting point after by senior Matt Turchin (Salisbury, N.C.) was blocked, ending his record streak of 68-straight PATs made, making the score 20-17.
Shenandoah was left with just 1:35 on the clock to go 83 yards after the kickoff. The Hornets' passing game had gone cold as they were able to rely on the run for the majority of the second half, and when faced with a must-throw situation, they were unable to execute. A last-second Hail Mary by SU was batted down by the E&H defense as the Wasps earned their fifth win of the season.
Emory & Henry had 359 yards of total offense with 261 yards coming through the air. Boden finished the day 20-for-31with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Ware. Ware caught seven passes for a career-high 134 yards and two scores, including the 59-yarder that proved to be the game-winner. Vaughn finished the day with 88 yards on the ground and a touchdown.
Defensively, senior linebacker Devan Sproles (Norton, Va.) and freshman counterpart Rennel Marshall (Rustburg, Va.) each had 15 tackles to lead all players. Senior linebacker Ross Ellis (Abingdon, Va.) registered 14 stops and two tackles for loss while junior defensive end Cody Williams (Wise, Va.) had 10 tackles of his own. Sophomore Matt Kardulis (Burnsville, N.C.) made an interception on the day as well for the Wasps.
Shenandoah was led by Smith with 127 yards on the ground and two scores. Shawn Lloyd went 13-for-21 through the air for 105 yards with Troy Baldwin as his favorite target (seven catches, 58 yards). Tijun Findley and Jajuan Johnson each had six tackles and a forced fumble on the day while Bayvon Young, Phillip Schoeffel and Nick Erdman each made five stops.
Emory & Henry will remain at home next Saturday when it hosts Guilford College at 1:00 p.m. The contest will be the season finale for the Wasps and will serve as Senior Day.
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