EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Football Team (5-4, 4-2 ODAC) rushed for 273 yards and picked off three passes en route to a 38-27 win over The Catholic University of America (3-6, 0-6 ODAC) Saturday in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference home game. The victory makes it four-straight conference wins for the Wasps for the first time since the 2000 season.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 38, Catholic 27
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia – Fred Selfe Stadium
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (5-4, 4-2 ODAC); Catholic (3-6, 0-6 ODAC)
How It Happened
- Catholic scored first as Matt Perno ran in from a yard out at the 9:23 mark of the opening quarter. The score capped an eight-play, 68-yard drive.
- With 5:41 to go in the first, sophomore running back Sam Wagner (Marion, Va.) tied things up for the Wasps with a five-yard plunge for a touchdown.
- Emory & Henry took its first lead of the game, 14-7, early in the second quarter as junior quarterback Kevin Saxton (Monroe, N.C.) found senior wide receiver A.J. Hampton (Roanoke, Va.) in the back of the end zone.
- A 92-yard return by Nick Esposito on the ensuing kickoff knotted the score at 14 points apiece.
- With the Cardinals knocking on the door to retake the lead, senior cornerback Tre'von Lightfoot (Big Island, Va.) picked off a pass three yards deep in the end zone and returned it all the way for a touchdown and a 21-14 advantage which would hold as the halftime score.
- The Wasps came out of the locker room and scored 10 straight points for their largest advantage of the game, 31-14. Sophomore quarterback Dominic Dunnaville (Roanoke, Va.) linked up with sophomore wideout Chris Gannon (Alexandria, Va.) for a six-yard score while sophomore Wes Blaylock (Bristol, Va.) converted a 19-yard field goal with 6:05 in the third quarter.
- Catholic marched down the field 68 yards in 10 plays capped by a 10-yard touchdown by Lucas Morley from Jorge Pola to make the score 31-20.
- With 10:54 left in the game, Dunnaville found freshman wide receiver Derrick Yates (Abingdon, Va.) in the left corner of the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown and a 38-20 advantage.
- A 100-yard interception return by Chauncey Wallace with 3:14 to go kept the Cardinals' hopes alive but after forcing the Wasps to punt on their next possession, an E&H interception sealed the deal for the 38-27 final score.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Wagner ran 15 times for 112 yards and a touchdown while junior running back Isaiah Rodgers (Canton, Ga.) had 14 carries for 88 yards.
- Dunnaville finished the game six-for-12 through the air for 89 yards and two scores and picked up 51 yards on the ground.
- Saxton went nine-for-18 on the day for 53 yards and a touchdown.
- Yates and Gannon both had four catches and one touchdown as Yates finished with 62 yards and Gannon notched 16 yards. Hampton caught three balls for 41 yards and a score.
- Junior linebacker Zack Manley (Tobaccoville, N.C.) led the Wasps with nine tackles while sophomore defensive linemen Davon Keith (Columbia, S.C.) and Kash Jones (Gainesville, Ga.) added six stops each.
- Keith posted 3.5 tackles for a loss including two sacks for 16 yards while Jones had a sack for 11 yards.
- Lightfoot, Johnson and junior defensive back Jae Daniels (Roanoke, Va.) each picked off a pass in the contest.
Catholic Individual Leaders
- Billy Smith ran three times for 47 yards to lead the Cardinals' ground game.
- Pola was 12-for-25 passing for 171 yards and a touchdown while Alejandro Ros went 10-for-16 for 104 yards despite throwing two interceptions. The duo hit seven different receivers on the afternoon.
- Matt McMahon had six receptions for 65 yards while Lucas Morley caught three passes for 60 yards and a touchdown.
- Luke Kern finished the game with 15 tackles and an interception while Anthony Santo made eight stops including a sack for 13 yards and a forced fumble.
- Wallace added five tackles and a pass breakup to his 100-yard interception return for a score.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry led by a 415-288 margin on total offense with 273 yards on the ground and 142 yards through the air.
- Wasps led the turnover game for a fourth week in a row, going +1 thanks to three interceptions and a fumble recovery.
- E&H posted a 9-for-18 conversion rate on third down and was 1-for-1 on fourth down compared to Catholic's 6-for-16 third down performance and 3-for-4 on fourth down.
- Emory & Henry was penalized eight times for 69 yards while Catholic committed four violations for 45 yards.
- The Wasps finished with 15 tackles for a loss of 63 yards including six sacks for 45 yards while the Cardinals had five tackles for loss.
Notable
- Emory & Henry makes it five straight victories against Catholic and runs the all-time series record to 12-8 in its favor.
- Saturday's game was the final time that the Wasps and Cardinals will meet as members of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Next year, Catholic will join the New England Men's & Women's Athletic Conference.
- Over the past four weeks, E&H is +10 in turnover margin. The first five games of the year saw the Wasps at-7 on the turnover battle.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry will play its final game of the regular season next Saturday as it hosts long-time rival Guilford College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
- The game will also serve as Senior Day for the Wasps, who will honor the senior members of the team prior to kickoff.
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-photo courtesy of Dave Grace