GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Guilford College Football Team (5-5, 3-3 ODAC) scored 28 fourth-quarter points on its way to a 42-38 win over visiting Emory & Henry College (3-7, 1-5 ODAC) Saturday in the season finale for both squads.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Guilford 42, Emory & Henry 38
LOCATION – Greensboro, North Carolina - Herb Appenzeller Field at the Armfield Family Athletic Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (3-7, 1-5 ODAC); Guilford (5-5, 3-3 ODAC)
How It Happened
- Emory & Henry jumped out to a 7-0 lead just a minute into the game when sophomore wide receiver Derrick Yates (Abingdon, Va.) hauled in a 47-yard pass from freshman quarterback Hunter Taylor (Summerville, S.C.).
- The Wasps made it 21-0 at the half as Taylor ran one in from 11 yards out and found Yates with 31-yard touchdown pass.
- Coming out of the break, Guilford closed the gap to 21-14 thanks to a 19-yard reception from Karsten Miller by Khylil Miller and a 13-yard run by De'Eric Bell.
- On the first play of the fourth quarter, E&H extended its lead to 28-14 on a 38-yard run by senior running back Isaiah Rodgers (Canton, Ga.).
- The Quakers responded on the ensuing kickoff as Bell returned the ball 78 yards for the score.
- The two teams kept going back and forth for scores with a total of 45 points put up in the final 15 minutes alone.
- Sophomore placekicker Matt Seals (Rogersville, Tenn.) connected on a 30-yard attempt and Taylor hit junior wide receiver Jesse Santiago (Yorktown, Va.) with a 50-yard touchdown pass to make the score 38-28 with 8:41 to play.
- Guilford would not go quietly as Bell put the Quakers on his back and added a 59-yard touchdown run and a one-yard plunge with 2:11 left that was the difference maker in the score, 42-38.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Taylor threw for 399 yards and three touchdowns on 23-for-36 passing despite throwing three interceptions. He also ran for 45 yards and a score.
- Rodgers put up another career day with 192 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries while freshman Brady Justice (Hurley, Va.) had 51 yards on 11 touches.
- Yates caught nine passes for 209 yards and two scores while Santiago hauled in six receptions for 112 yards.
- Senior linebacker Zack Manley (Tobaccoville, N.C.) led the team with 10 tackles while junior defenseive lineman Da'von Keith (Columbia, S.C.) tacked on eight stops.
- Sophomore linebacker Jake Jessee (Norton, Va.) had seven tackles and recovered a fumble while freshman linebacker Tyler Redmond (Arden, N.C.) and junior defensive lineman Josh Fleenor (Christiansburg, Va.) contributed seven stops each.
Guilford Individual Leaders
- Bell led the Quakers with 132 rushing yards and three touchdowns, but also caught three passes for 17 yards and added three kickoff returns for 175 yards and a fourth score.
- Miller went 21-for-33 through the air for 220 yards and two touchdowns, hitting nine different receivers.
- Tyriek Russell caught eight passes for 80 yards while Montek Johnson had two receptions for 54 yards and a score.
- Vic Smith, Jr. made a game-high 17 tackles while Julian Cuthbertson had 12 tackles and an interception.
- C.J. Hobbs added 10 stops while Reggie Williams added an interception and Trevon Simmons forced a fumble and added a pick for 20 yards.
A Deeper Look
- Taylor's 399 passing yards rank second in program history for passing yards in a game as do his 444 yards of total offense.
- Yates also sits second in the E&H record book for receiving yards in a game as only the second Wasp to ever tally more than 200 receiving yards.
- Emory & Henry went for more than 300 yards both in rushing and passing for a school-record 711 yards of total offense. The previous record of 667 yards was set against Samford University in 1987.
- The 312 rushing yards make it two straight games and three times this season that the Wasps have eclipsed the triple-century on the ground.
- Guilford scored on five-straight possessions in the second half while Emory & Henry lost five turnovers on the afternoon resulting in 14 Quaker points.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry has concluded the 2017 season and will now await the release of postseason awards from various organizations and media outlets.
- The first of these, the All-ODAC Teams, will be announced on Tuesday, November 21.
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