EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Football Team (4-5, 3-4 ODAC) closed out the 2018 season with a record-setting win over Guilford College (3-6, 2-5 ODAC), 70-27, in Old Dominion Athletic Conference play. The contest also served as Senior Day for E&H, which honored its 13 seniors prior to kickoff.
The 70 points scored by the Wasps were the most in the NCAA Division III era of the program (since 1973) and the third most all-time. E&H scored a school-record 89 points in a shutout win over Carson-Newman in 1916 and topped Bridgewater by an 83-0 score in 1927.
Junior placekicker Matt Seals (Rogersville, Tenn.) also set a pair of school records, hitting a program-best 10 extra points to top the old record of eight held by Jack Ginn and Irvin Cubine. Seals also hit the 114th extra point of his career, topping Ginn's former record of 109.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 70, Guilford 27
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Nicewonder Field at Fred Selfe Stadium
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (4-5, 3-4 ODAC); Guilford (3-6, 2-5 ODAC)
How It Happened
- Guilford scored the only points in the first quarter as De'Eric Bell broke off a 58-yard run on the Quakers' first possession.
- Emory & Henry scored three touchdowns in the second as sophomore quarterback Hunter Taylor (Summerville, S.C.) and senior running back Sam Wagner (Marion, Va.) scored from 11 and 18 yards out, respectively. Taylor hit junior wideout Derrick Yates (Abingdon, Va.) with a 31-yard touchdown pass to make the score 21-7 with 7:07 to go before the intermission.
- With 14 seconds left in the period, GC closed the gap to 21-13 as Alex Manley found Evan Carnes for a five-yard score.
- The Wasps outscored the Quakers 28-7 in the third to seize momentum and lead 49-20. Taylor put up a one-yard rush to start things off. He then hit senior wide receiver Jesse Santiago (Yorktown, Va.), senior tight end Bradley Puccio (Murphy, N.C.) and sophomore receiver Gunner Griffith (Bluff City, Tenn.) with scores from 28, 33 and 37 yards out.
- In the fourth, Emory & Henry capped the season with two more touchdown catches by Santiago from 27 and 41 yard.
- Bell concluded his Guilford career with a two-yard touchdown with 4:19 to go before E&H freshman running back Dydrion Leach (Troutman, N.C.) had a 70-yard scorching run for the final score of the game.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Taylor went 17-for-28 through the air for six touchdowns and 359 yards, equaling his mark from three weeks prior against Shenandoah. He added another two touchdowns on the ground with 57 yards.
- Wagner finished the day with 77 yards and a touchdown while Leach had 75 yards and a score.
- Santiago caught eight passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Wasps' corps of receivers.
- Senior defensive back Justin Banks (Coeburn, Va.) made 20 tackles on the afternoon, recovered a fumble and broke up two passes while junior Staymon Johnson (Pilot Mountain, N.C.) had 13 stops and an interception which he returned 58 yards.
- Sophomore defensive back Tyler Redmond (Arden, N.C.) posted four tackles and an interception while freshman defensive back Dalton Wilson (Clinton, Tenn.) forced and recovered a fumble to go along with eight stops.
Guilford Individual Leaders
- Bell rushed for 214 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Quakers' offense.
- Manley threw for 195 yards and a score on 14-for-28 passing but was picked off twice.
- Juwan Houston and Carnes led the GC receivers as Houston caught five passes for 63 yards and Carnes had three receptions for 74 yards and a score.
- Bryce Smith and Ty Walker each had 12 tackles while Smith broke up a pass. Gerard Seals had an interception for Guilford's only takeaway of the afternoon.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry finished with 600 yards of total offense, 370 of which came through the air, compared to 499 yards for Guilford.
- The Wasps scored 28 points off five Quaker turnovers while only losing the ball once.
- E&H went five-for-nine on third down and averaged 9.7 yards per play from scrimmage.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry will await the announcement of the All-ODAC Teams which will come on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.
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