EMORY, Va. – The Wingate University Football Team (2-2, 1-1 SAC) built a 24-10 halftime lead on its way to a 31-10 win over Emory & Henry College (2-2, 0-2 SAC) Saturday afternoon in South Atlantic Conference action.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Wingate 31, Emory & Henry 10
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Nicewonder Field at Fred Selfe Stadium
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (2-2, 0-2 SAC); Wingate (2-2, 1-0 SAC)
How It Happened
After the two teams traded punts to start the game, Wingate got their second possession because of a fumble at the E&H 22 yardline. The Wasps' defense held the Bulldogs to a field goal, a 34-yard conversion by Caleb Bonesteel.
WU forced another Emory & Henry punt and struck down the field 75 yards in three plays as Brooks Bentley found Tremel Jones with a 38-yard pass for a 10-0 lead with 5:23 to go in the opening quarter.
The Wasps got on the board on their next drive. Sophomore kicker Trace Butcher (Dacula, Ga.) notched a 37-yard field goal to cap a nine-play, 55-yard drive.
The Bulldogs responded by returning the kickoff close to midfield. Wingate then went the remaining 53 yards in eight plays with Cory Siemer plunging through the line for a five-yard touchdown run and a 17-3 lead with 13:11 to go before the half.
Later in the quarter, the WU defense contributed to the scoring as Daquan Mosley picked off a pass and took it 57 yards to paydirt and a 24-34 advantage.
With just 1:08 on the clock, Emory & Henry regained possession. Senior running back J'Quan Anderson (Charlottesville, Va.) rushed over the left side for a 43-yard touchdown to make the score 24-10 at the break.
Midway through the third quarter, Bentley added a final score for the Bulldogs, linking up with Jones a second time, this one a 42-yard catch-and-run to make it 31-10. The squads traded punts and interceptions for the remainder of the contest as Wingate was able to run out the clock
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
Anderson led the way on offense for the Wasps with 61 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown while junior running back Malikk Kennedy (Miami, Fla.) had 12 yards on the ground.
Sophomore quarterback Charles Mutter, III (King George, Va.) was 8-for-13 for 54 yards before leaving the game, being replaced by senior quarterback Kyle Short (Lebanon, Ohio), who also had 54 yards through the air on 6-for-19 passing.
Sophomore wide receiver Cam Peoples (Reidsville, N.C.) had three catches for 32 yards as redshirt freshman wideout Cam Abshire (Roanoke, Va.) caught three passes for 23 yards. Junior River Carter (Abingdon, Va.) notched two receptions for 23 yards.
Defensively, junior linebacker Kaleb Lundy (Winston-Salem, N.C.) led all players with 15 tackles including one tackle for loss. Senior defensive back Addison Knicely (Mount Crawford, Va.) notched eight stops while sophomore defensive lineman Chad Pouncy (Lynchburg, Va.) went for seven tackles, making a pair of sacks.
Wingate Individual Leaders
Bentley threw for 182 yards on 12-for-19 passing, hitting Jones with two touchdown passes for 80 yards. O'Brien Barnett caught two balls for 38 yards.
Corey Siemer rushed 13 times for 64 yards and a touchdown while Barnett added 59 yards on the ground.
Dontorian Best made six tackles to lead the Bulldogs with Tre Morrison going for five stops and a forced fumble. Mosely had three stops to go along with his interception return for a touchdown as Jaheim Mullen picked off a pass and recovered a fumble.
A Deeper Look
Wingate outgained Emory & Henry 304 to 174 on total offense as E&H managed just 66 yards on the ground. Both teams struggled on third down, combining to make only seven first downs on 30 attempts.
The contest saw each team punt nine times with the Wasps averaging 40.8 yards per punt and the Bulldogs 38.4 yards.
Wingate took advantage of four Emory & Henry turnovers while committing only one of its own. WU scored 10 points off turnovers in the contest.
The Bulldogs were penalized nine times for 100 yards while E&H committed just two fouls for 11 yards. WU held a 31:13-28:47 advantage on time of possession.
Up Next
Emory & Henry visits Catawba College next Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m., for a matchup with the Catawba Indians.
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