EMORY, Va. – The Mars Hill University Football Team (5-1, 4-1 SAC) grinded out a 24-14 South Atlantic Conference win over Emory & Henry College (3-4, 1-4 SAC) in a tale of two halves. The Lions built a 17-14 lead at the intermission and scored the only touchdown of the second half on the opening possession en route to the 24-14 victory.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Mars Hill 24, Emory & Henry 14
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Nicewonder Field at Fred Selfe Stadium
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (3-4, 1-4 SAC); Mars Hill (5-1, 4-1 SAC)
How It Happened
After forcing E&H to punt on the opening drive of the contest, Mars Hill went 74 yards in 10 plays with a drive that covered 4:29 to take a 6-0 lead. J.R. Martin capped the drive with a six-yard run over the right side for the touchdown. Lon Teachy's point-after attempt went wide.
On the next drive, E&H struck down the field to take a 7-6 lead. After crossing into Lions' territory for the first time, senior running back J'Quan Anderson (Charlottesville, Va.) burst out of the backfield for a 40-yard touchdown run with 4:59 to go in the opening period.
After a Wasp fumble gave MHU a short field, the Lions retook the lead. Martin linked up with Simeon Thompson for a five-yard pass. Noah Pittman converted the two-point conversion for a 14-7 lead.
Senior defensive back Addison Knicely (Mount Crawford, Va.) picked off a pass at the Mars Hill 34, returning it to the 20 with 6:16 to go before the break. The Wasps took advantage of the short field as redshirt freshman quarterback Cole Lambert (Abingdon, Va.) threw his first career touchdown pass to redshirt freshman wide receiver Jakari Mozelle (Hampton, Va.) in the left corner for a score, tying the game at 14 points apiece.
Mars Hill took the ensuing drive 57 yards in 12 plays to set up a 37-yard field goal by Teachey for a 17-14 lead at the half.
Coming out of the break, the Lions took possession and put together a touchdown-scoring drive to go ahead 24-14. Martin notched his second touchdown pass of the game, this time hitting Malik Laurent with a 33-yard catch-and-run with 11:23 to go in the third.
The next 12 possessions ended in punts as the offenses grinded to a halt and the second half became a defensive struggle. Neither team advanced past their opponents' 40 yardline for the remainder of the game as Mars Hill completed the 24-14 win.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
Anderson finished the game with 88 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Lambert threw for 140 yards in his collegiate debut on 15-for-31 passing for a touchdown.
Sophomore wide receiver Cam Peoples (Reidsville, N.C.) caught six passes for 58 yards while Mozelle's touchdown came on five receptions for 47 yards. Redshirt freshman wideout Cam Abshire (Roanoke, Va.) had three catches for 30 yards.
Knicely led the defense with nine tackles an interception and a pass defended while fifth-year defensive back T.J. Payne (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and sophomore defensive back Chendrick Cann (Pinellas, Park, Fla.) each had nine stops. Junior linebacker Kaleb Lundy (Winston-Salem, N.C.) notched seven tackles including four stops for a loss.
Mars Hill Individual Leaders
Martin threw for 239 yards on 15-for-36 passing for two touchdowns, hitting five different receivers and rushing for a touchdown of his own. Jon Gullette rushed 29 times for 87 yards to lead the MHU ground game.
Beau DeBerry caught four passes for 86 yards while Tristan Bank had three receptions for 59 yards. Thompson and Laurent each scored their touchdowns with three catches on the afternoon.
Defensively, Landon Honeycutt posted a game-high 11 tackles with a pair behind the line of scrimmage. Deter Fitzpatrick had nine stops while Damipi Lamboni tallied six tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
A Deeper Look
The Lions led 340-188 on total offense, gaining 239 yards through the air. The Wasps notched 140 yards passing and 48 on the ground.
MHU held a 20-14 lead on first downs and converted 10-of-20 (50%) of their third-down chances compared to just 36 percent (5-of-14) for E&H.
Mars Hill held a 34:38 to 25:22 lead on time of possession.
Up Next
Emory & Henry remains at home next Saturday when it hosts Tusculum University at 1:00 p.m.
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