NEWBERRY, S.C. – The Emory & Henry College Football Team (2-1, 0-1 SAC) battled to the bitter end, and then some, and then some, and then some more Saturday night as it opened South Atlantic Conference play at Newberry College (2-1, 1-0 SAC). The contest, which will go down in NCAA Division II history, needed eight – yes, EIGHT – overtimes to determine a winner. The Wolves narrowly escaped the Wasps by a 25-23 score, both squads daring the rest of college football to find a more thrilling way to conclude a contest.
The eight overtimes break the previous Division II record of six extra periods, set by then-Adams State College and University of Nebraska and Kearney in 1998 and tied by St. Joseph's (Ind.) College and Fairmont State University in 2006.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Newberry 25, Emory & Henry 23 (8 OT)
LOCATION – Newberry, South Carolina
VENUE – Setzler Field
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (2-1, 0-1 SAC); Newberry (2-1, 1-0 SAC)
How It Happened
Emory & Henry opened the scoring at the 4:48 mark of the opening quarter when senior running back J'Quan Anderson (Charlottesville, Va.) burst through the line for a 57-yard touchdown run. The Wasps would take a 7-0 lead into the locker room.
Late in the third quarter, Newberry equalized the score at 7-7 as Brayden Phillips hit Trakell Murray with a with a five-yard pass.
On the next drive, the Wasps went back ahead, 14-7. Sophomore quarterback Charles Mutter, III (King George, Va.) linked up with senior wide receiver Tmahdae Penn (Martinsville, Va.) from nine yards out with 11:02 to go in regulation.
After the teams traded punts, the Wolves went back on the attack. Phillips found Keith Desaussure with an 85-yard catch-and-run to tie the contest at 14-apiece.
E&H had a chance in the final seconds of the game to spike the ball and set up a game-winning field goal but was flagged for having too many men on the field. The resulting 10-second runoff ended regulation and forced overtime between the Wasps and Wolves for the second year in a row.
In the first extra period, both teams' offenses were stalled and forced to kick field goals. Newberry missed from 36 yards, giving E&H an opportunity to take the victory but sophomore Trace Butcher's (Dacula, Ga.) attempt from 46 yards was also off the mark.
The second overtime saw the kickers dial in. Butcher connected from 40 yards out while Newberry's Bryce Early rose to the occasion tying the game, 17-17 as he forced a third overtime with a 46-yard field goal.
In the third OT, Phillips put the Wolves ahead, hitting Cameron Gaymon with a pass and putting the pressure on E&H. Mutter took the ball in his own hands, diving over the goal line to extend the contest, knotted at 19.
Neither team was able to score in the fourth or fifth overtimes, but in the sixth, E&H got the upper hand. Anderson executed a halfback pass, finding redshirt freshman Cam Abshire (Roanoke, Va.). Newberry bounced back with a misdirection play of its own as Jy Tolen connected with Luke Clyburn, IV.
In the seventh, the Wolves went ahead on a rush by Dwayne Wright. The Wasps responded as Mutter perfectly executed a jump-pass over the line, finding a wide-open fifth-year tight end Zach Venhorst (Lynchburg, Va.).
The eighth extra frame saw E&H take the first shot. Mutter's pass was complete to sophomore wide receiver Anthony Smith, Jr. (Chesapeake, Va.) but did not break the plane of the end zone. On the next play, Newberry perfectly executed a reverse pass to the quarterback as Andre Banks found an open Phillips in the corner of the end zone for the 25-23 victory.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
Mutter threw for 196 yards and one touchdown on 19-for-42 passing during regulation. He connected with five different receivers led by Abshire's five catches for 71 yards. Anderson ran for 117 yard and a touchdown.
Junior defensive back Addison Knicely (Mount Crawford, Va.) had nine solo tackles including three for a loss while junior linebacker Kaleb Lundy (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and junior linebacker Josh McCray (Richmond, Va.) each had six stops. Fifth-year defensive back T.J. Payne (Chattanooga, Tenn.) added another interception to go along with two tackles.
Newberry Individual Leaders
Phillips was 15-for-25 through the air for 187 yard and two scores. Desaussure was the favored target with seven catches for 104 yards and a touchdown. Eight different Wolves rushed for positive yardage, led by Trakell Murray with 38 yards.
Defensively, Jalen Stradford led Newberry with six tackles and an interception. Sean Swaringer had five stops and broke up a pass.
Up Next
Emory & Henry will play its first home game of the season next Saturday, hosting Wingate University. Kickoff between the Wasps and Bulldogs is set for 1:00 p.m.
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