EMORY, Va. – The No. 18 Washington and Lee University Football Team (8-0, 5-0 ODAC) remained the only undefeated college football team in the Commonwealth of Virginia with a 42-14 win over Emory & Henry College (5-3, 3-2 ODAC) Saturday afternoon at Fred Selfe Stadium. The contest also served as Senior Day for the Wasps, who honored their 18 seniors prior to the start of the contest.
The Generals were forced to punt on the opening drive of the game but got the ball back on the E&H 27 after the kick was muffed. W&L scored three plays later as Walker Brand plunged in from one yard out.
A three-and-out by the Wasps put Washington and Lee's triple option offense back on the field. A 12-play, 87-yard drive gave the Generals a 14-0 lead at the 4:35 mark of the opening quarter capped by a 10-yard run by Marshall Hollerith for the score.
Emory & Henry closed the gap to 14-7 on a four-yard run by freshman running back Sam Wagner (Marion, Va.) with 1:06 to go in the first quarter. Sophomore quarterback Kevin Saxton (Monroe, N.C.) completed three straight passes for 10 yards or more after a third and five to keep the drive alive and advance into W&L territory.
On the ensuing drive, Washington and Lee took the ball on the ground 70 yards in 11 plays for a 21-7 advantage for Brand's second score of the day. The Generals made it 28-7 on a four-yard run by Hollerith with 6:17 to play before halftime.
The Wasps put together another long drive, mixing the pass and run to close the gap to the 28-14 halftime margin. Saxton hit senior tight end Ashton Cline (Gilbert, West Virginia) with a 12-yard pass for the score.
W&L added touchdowns in the third and fourth quarter to make the final score 42-14. Hollerith got his third taste of paydirt with a three-yard run with 7:00 to go in the third while McKenna Johnston capped the scoring with a three-yard plunge over the left side with 14 seconds to go in the game.
The Generals rushing attack gained 508 yards with Brand leading the way with 122 yards and two touchdowns. Hollerith had 117 yards and three scores while Conner Chess made it three 100-yard rushers for W&L with 113 yards on the day. Charlie Nelson added 106 yards of total offense running for 73 yards and throwing for 33 more.
Defensively, Washington and Lee was led by Max Garrett with 16 tackles while Dominic Volpe added eight stops, a tackle for a loss and a pass defended. Ten different Generals tallied five or more stops on the afternoon.
Saxton led Emory & Henry with 239 yards on 26-for-42 passing and a touchdown. Sophomore running back Isaiah Rodgers (Canton, Ga.) had 72 yards on the ground while senior wideout Jake Hess (Abingdon, Va.) caught a game-high seven passes for 46 yards. Cline finished the day with five receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown while sophomore Dalton Seat (King, N.C.) led all players with 87 yards on four catches.
The Wasps' defense had four players with 10 or more tackles led by senior safety Ryan Byrd (Grottoes, Va.), who made 15 stops, had two tackles for a loss and broke up a pass. Redshirt freshman defensive backs Eric Johnson (Roanoke, Va.) and Jaylyn Johnson (Roanoke, Va.) had 12 and 10 tackles, respectively, and sophomore linebacker Andrew Long (Asheville, N.C.) added 11 stops.
Emory & Henry will take to the road for its final two games of the season. Next week the Wasps will make the long trip up Interstate 81 to face the Shenandoah University Hornets (4-4, 1-4 ODAC). Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m., at Shentel Stadium.
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-photo courtesy of Dave Grace