WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Emory & Henry College Football Team (4-3, 1-3 ODAC) snapped a three-game losing streak Saturday afternoon as it picked up a 17-15 win over the Catholic University of America (4-3, 1-3 ODAC) in Our Nation's Capital. The win for E&H snapped a three-game losing streak in Old Dominion Athletic Conference play and was the second game in a row against CUA that was decided in the final two minutes. Emory & Henry defeated Catholic by a 15-14 score last season on Homecoming Day.
After a scoreless first quarter and a half, E&H got on the board first as junior Austin Breed (Atlanta, Ga.) converted a 30-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. CUA looked as if it would score a touchdown on the final drive of the first half but the Wasps' defense held and forced the Cardinals to kick a 26-yard field goal as time ran out.
The score remained 3-3 until late in the third quarter when Emory & Henry scored the first touchdown of the contest to go up 10-3. Senior quarterback Kyle Boden (Knoxville, Tenn.) found junior wide receiver Lucas Kirby (Covington, Va.) with a five-yard pass to cap a 13-play, 56-yard drive that took 6:46.
On its next possession, Catholic drove down the field and scored a touchdown to close the gap to 10-9, but the subsequent extra-point attempt caromed off of the upright to leave the Cardinals with a one-point deficit. Michael Pitsenberger punched it in from a yard out for the score with 10:14 to go in the game.
The Wasps looked as if they were going to go in for touchdown, but a fumble into the endzone for a touchback gave Catholic the ball at their own 20 yardline. Emory & Henry intercepted a pass on the ensuing drive and returned it deep into the red zone and five plays later redshirt freshman fullback Jonathan Turpin (Wytheville, Va.) plowed in from five yards out for the score and the 17-9 lead.
Catholic drove down the field and scored a touchdown to make the score 17-15, but were unable to tie things up with the two-point conversion. The Cardinals recovered the on-side kick and had a chance at a 49-yard field goal as time expired, but Emory & Henry blocked the kick to come away with the victory.
Boden was 15-for-25 for 143 yards and a touchdown while junior running back Joe Vaughn (Gate City, Va.) had 105 all-purpose yards (83 rushing, 22 receiving). Junior wide receiver Josh Smith (Radford, Va.) caught six passes for 78 yards while junior running back Kasey Jones (Jacksonville, Fla.) added 37 yards on the ground. The 289 yards of total offense was the fewest in an E&H win since the Wasps defeated the Maryville (Tenn.) College Scots, 21-8, in Week 2 of the 2012 season.
Defensively for the Wasps, senior defensive back DeMikael Burse's (Charlotte, N.C.) interception set up the game-winning touchdown as he returned it to the Catholic 17. Junior linebacker Paul Forney (Newton, N.C.) led all players with 12 tackles (six solo), added 1.5 tackles for loss and broke up a pass while junior safety Roth Healey (Easton, Pa.) and junior linebacker Sami Khabir (Capitol Heights, Md.) had 11 and 10 stops, respectively. Emory & Henry also blocked two field goals in the contest.
Catholic was led offensively by its tandem of quarterbacks, E.J. Montgomery and E.J. Tutone. The pair combined to go 29-for-43 for 245 yards and a touchdown. Tutone found Tucker Hubble for a 40-yard pass with 11 seconds remaining in game, which set up the on-side kick. Pitsenberger had a game-high 96 rushing yards while Nick Cortese added 86 yards on the ground. R.J. Allison and Ralph Martello had six tackles each to lead the Cardinals while Mike Skehill forced a fumble, broke up a pass and intercepted a pass.
E&H will return to Fred Selfe Stadium next Saturday afternoon when it hosts Bridgewater College in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference contest. The game will also serve as Senior Day for the Wasps.
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