EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Football Team (2-4, 1-2 ODAC) earned its first Old Dominion Athletic Conference win of the year Saturday, defeating Randolph-Macon College (5-1, 2-1 ODAC) by a 27-20 score. The contest marked the highlight of the College's 2016 Homecoming Weekend celebration.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 27, Randolph-Macon 20
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia – Fred Selfe Stadium
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (2-4, 1-2 ODAC); Randolph-Macon (5-1, 2-1 ODAC)
How It Happened
- R-MC got on the board thanks to a safety at the 2:13 mark. Tom Buchanan put the pressure the Wasps' quarterback and forced an intentional grounding call inside the end zone, resulting in the two points.
- After the Emory & Henry defense forced a turnover on the ensuing first down, the offense turned a 3rd-and-13 into a big payoff. Junior quarterback Kevin Saxton (Monroe, N.C.) hooked up with freshman wideout Derrick Yates (Abingdon, Va.) with a pass down the left sideline and Yates tight-roped the final 10 yards in for the score.
- An interception in Yellow Jackets' territory set the Wasps up with a short field. E&H pushed its lead to 14-2 with a three-yard touchdown plunge by sophomore running back Sam Wagner (Marion, Va.) at the 12:54 mark of the second quarter.
- Randolph-Macon cut the lead back to five on a one-yard run by Eric Hoy with 3:37 to go before the intermission.
- Emory &Henry went up 20-9 midway through the third quarter on a 10-yard scamper by sophomore quarterback Dominic Dunnaville (Roanoke, Va.).
- Early in the fourth quarter, R-MC made it a one-score game with a 33-yard field goal by Seth Yurgel.
- The Wasps made it a 15-point lead with a 65-yard catch and run by sophomore wide receiver Devon Short (Dallas, Ga.) from Saxton with 8:26 left to play.
- Randolph-Macon put together an 11-play, 77-yard drive to trim the margin back to seven points at the 4:17 mark on a six-yard catch by Sean McDonald from Joseph Vairo.
- E&H was forced to punt on the next possession but an interception by senior cornerback Tre'von Lightfoot (Big Island, Va.) put the Wasps in position to clinch, which they did after an 18-yard run by Dunnaville.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Saxton led the way with a 9-for-17 passing day for a pair of touchdowns and 277 yards. Dunnaville threw for 42 yards and ran for 17 including his 10-yard score.
- Junior Isaiah Rodgers (Canton, Ga.) had 23 yards while Wagner finished the game with 16 yards, none more important than the three that found him the end zone.
- Yates and Short each reached the 80-yard mark in receiving to go along with their touchdowns while senior A.J. Hampton (Roanoke, Va.) caught three passes for 111 yards including two across the middle for big gains.
- The E&H defense produced five takeaways in the contest, two of which came by way of interceptions by sophomore defensive back Justin Banks (Coeburn, Va.). Banks added eight tackles and a sack to his tally.
- Senior linebacker Josh Compton (Richlands, Va.) led all players with 12 stops while sophomore defensive end Davon Keith (Columbia, S.C.) had nine tackles (3.5 for a loss).
- Sophomore defensive back Eric Johnson (Roanoke, Va.) had seven tackles and an interception while Lightfoot made two stops in addition to his pick.
Randolph-Macon Individual Leaders
- Tre Frederick ran for 104 yards but was held without a touchdown for the first time this season.
- Eric Hoy had 65 yards on the ground and caught four passes for 70 yards to lead the offense.
- Joseph Vairo was 10-for-25 through the air for 126 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted four times on the afternoon.
- Michael Farry led the Yellow Jackets with eight tackles, while Logan O'Neill had seven stops. Tom Buchanan had five tackles, two sacks for 21 yards, and forced and recovered a fumble.
A Deeper Look
- The two squads were nearly even in total offense with Randolph-Macon edging Emory & Henry, 360-355. It was the Wasps' second-fewest yards on the season and also only the second time under 475 yards.
- E&H was 9-for-19 (47%) on third down while R-MC converted just 18 percent (3-for-16) of its opportunities.
- Both defenses spent substantial time in the backfield with the Wasps making 13 tackles for loss and the Yellow Jackets 12. Five of Randolph-Macon's stops were sacks while Emory & Henry had three sacks on the day.
- E&H finished the day +4 on the turnover battle and was penalized a season-low 44 yards while R-MC was flagged just three times for 15 yards.
Notable
- Emory & Henry makes it three straight over Randolph-Macon and move the all-time series to 35-25-1.
- The Yellow Jackets came into the game as the last remaining undefeated college football team in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Wasps had the same honor as the last unbeaten squad through five games in 2014.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry will take to the road for its next two games, travelling to Bridgewater next Saturday. Kickoff between the Wasps and Eagles is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
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-photo courtesy of Dave Grace