EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Football Team (3-2, 2-1 SAC) opened up a 21-0 lead late in the second quarter on its way to a 38-23 victory over Catawba College (1-4, 0-3 SAC) Friday afternoon. The contest was moved from its original Saturday date due to the forecast from the remnants of Hurricane Ian.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 38, Catawba 23
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Nicewonder Field at Fred Selfe Stadium
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (3-2, 2-1 SAC); Catawba (1-4, 0-3 SAC)
How It Happened
After a scoreless first quarter, the Wasps got on the board at the 9:31 mark of the second quarter when senior running back Grayson Overstreet (Moneta, Va.) plunged in from three yards out. The Wasps pushed the margin to 14-0 when senior T.J. Payne (Chattanooga, Tenn.) picked off a pass and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown.
E&H extended its lead to 21-0 when junior quarterback Kyle Short (Lebanon, Ohio) hit freshman wide receiver Cam Peoples (Reidsville, N.C.) with a 57-yard catch-and-run down the right side.
Catawba made it a 21-3 contest with 22 seconds to go before the half on a 42-yard field goal by Clayton Crile.
Coming out of the break, the Wasps drove 77 yards in 13 plays covering 7:31 before the drive stalled inside the 10 yardline setting up a 22-yard field goal by junior kicker Cameron Jones (Jacksonville, N.C.) to extend the lead to 24-3.
The Catawba Indians returned the ensuing kickoff 79 yards thanks to the efforts of Kujuan Pryor to the four yardline and three plays later found the end zone on a one-yard plunge by Marquece Williams to make it a 24-10 contest.
Emory & Henry scored the next two touchdowns to push its advantage to 38-10 as Overstreet rushed in from eight yards and Short hit junior wide receiver Jermawn Ford (District Heights, Md.) with a three-yard pass with eight minutes to go in the game.
Catawba scored the final two touchdowns of the game, closing the final margin to 38-23. Williams and Kobe Christian caught 12- and two-yard passes, respectively from Jacobs. The Indians recovered an onside kick but the margin was too much to overcome as the Wasps grabbed the Homecoming victory.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
Short was 13-for-24 through the air for 299 yards and two touchdowns. He hit four different receivers on the afternoon led by junior wideout Tmahdae Penn (Martinsville, Va.) with three catches for 150 yards. Ford caught four passes for 64 yards and a score while Peoples' 57-yard reception went for a score.
Overstreet rushed 20 times for 156 yards for two touchdowns as freshman running back Justin Hill (Dallas, N.C.) had 12 carries for 64 yards.
Defensively, junior defensive back Addison Knicely (Mount Crawford, Va.) posted nine tackles while fifth-year linebacker Ivan Phillips (Kingsport, Tenn.) had eight stops. Redshirt freshman A.J. Burgess (Roxboro, N.C.) had seven tackles as senior defensive lineman Jay Swegheimer (Orlando, Fla.) notched six stops, one pass break-up and two quarterback hurries.
Catawba Individual Leaders
Jacobs was 20-for-38 through the air for 263 yards for two touchdowns and one interception. Pryor caught five passes for 64 yards as Williams had two catches for 38 yards and a score.
Williams also led the Indians' ground game with 33 yards while Leroy Bracey, Jr. tallied 30 yards on the ground.
Jordan Gregg made a team-high nine tackles with a forced fumble and a pass defender while Quincy Jefferson, David Neal and Noble Zuschlag each had six stops.
A Deeper Look
Emory & Henry had 528 yards of total offense, picking up 299 yards on the ground and 229 yards on the ground. The Wasps racked up 20 first downs and controlled the time of possession battle, holding the ball nearly 34 minutes.
Catawba notched 314 yards of offense with 263 yards through the air. The Indians earned just 11 first downs on the afternoon.
E&H was 6-for-13 (46.2%) on third down and converted one-of-two (50%) of its fourth down attempts. Catawba made 33 percent (6-for-18) of its and was 1-for-3 (33%) on fourth down.
Up Next
Emory & Henry will remain at home next Saturday when it hosts the University of Virginia's College at Wise in Southwest Virginia Bowl V. It will be the first meeting between the two schools since the 2011 season.
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