EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry University Football Team (4-1, 2-1 SAC) scored 24 points in the second half to beat No. 6 Lenoir-Rhyne University (4-1, 2-1 SAC) by a 31-20 margin Saturday afternoon at Fred Selfe Stadium. The Wasps move into second place in the South Atlantic Conference Mountain Division with the win.
The victory marked the first over a ranked opponent in the NCAA Division II era of the program. The Wasps' previous contest against a nationally-recognized team was a double-overtime thriller against Newberry College in 2022.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 31, No. 6 Lenoir-Rhyne 20
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Nicewonder Field at Fred Selfe Stadium
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (4-1, 2-1 SAC); Lenoir-Rhyne (4-1, 2-1 SAC)
How It Happened
After the game's first five possessions yielded four punts and an interception, Lenoir-Rhyne got its offense settled and into a rhythm. The Bears drove 50 yards in 13 plays, chewing 6:07 off the clock to get in the red zone. E&H's defense held and forced LR to settle for a 36-yard Jake Brown field goal.
On the next drive, Emory & Henry showed it was up to the challenge, going down the field 75 yards in 11 plays for a more than 5:00 possession to take a 7-3 lead. Sophomore quarterback Cole Lambert (Abingdon, Va.) hit junior wide receiver Cam Peoples (Reidsville, N.C.) with a 17-yard touchdown in the left corner of the end zone for the score.
The Bears bounced back to regain the lead, again putting together an extended drive. Alex Boyd capped the 10-play, 78-yard campaign with a six-yard rush for the 10-7 advantage which would stand through the end of the half.
Early in the third, the two squads traded three-and-outs before Lenoir-Rhyne went 80 yards in 11 plays over 5:54 to take a 17-7 lead on a 34-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown by DeAree Rogers from Jalen Ferguson.
The Wasps made it a one-score game on the next drive as junior kicker Trace Butcher (Dacula, Ga.) converted from 43 yards out with 2:30 left in the third to make it 17-10.
On the second play of the next possession, sophomore defensive back Alex Edwards (Monroe, N.C.) picked off Ferguson near midfield. The Wasps went down the field to tie the contest at 17-all with junior quarterback Charles Mutter, III (King George, Va.) hitting junior tight end Nate Tinnell (Broadway, Va.) with a six-yard pass over the middle for the score.
Later in the fourth, LR got an interception at its own 49 yardline and again drove into the E&H red zone. The Wasps continued to hold off the big play and forced another field goal, as Brown converted from 38 yards for a 20-17 lead with 1:54 to go.
Emory & Henry bolted 65 yards down the field in seven plays, allowing just 1:06 to tick off the clock as Mutter utilized "the Cams," finding Peoples with an 18-yard pass to get into the red zone and then on the next play hitting sophomore wideout Cam Abshire (Roanoke, Va.) for 16 yards and the go-ahead score, 24-20, with 29 seconds left.
On the first play from scrimmage on the next drive, E&H junior defensive back Jacob Robinson (Warrenton, Va.) snatched a pass out of the air and returned it 30 yards to seal the victory and the 31-20.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
Lambert finished the game 13-for-24 for 143 yards and one touchdown while Mutter went 7-for-11 through the air for 7& yards and two scores.
Junior running back Jordan Jackson (Richmond, Va.) was held to 47 yards on the ground on 14 carries.
Peoples caught eight passes for 88 yards and a touchdown while Abshire had five catches for 55 yards. Tinnell's lone catch of the day went for six yards and a score while sophomore Jakari Mozelle (Hampton, Va.) hauled in four balls for 56 yards.
Junior linebacker Marc Harris (Tallapoosa, Ga.) posted a game-high 12 tackles while junior defensive lineman Elijah Harper (Anderson, S.C.) went for 11 stops. Senior linebacker Kaleb Lundy (Winston-Salem, N.C.) made 10 tackles and broke up a pass as Robinson had nine stops to go along with his pick-six.
Lenoir-Rhyne Individual Leaders
Ferguson threw for 265 yards on 25-for-36 passing with one touchdown and two interceptions. He hit eight different receivers on the afternoon with Rogers catching six passes for 85 yards and a score. Adonis McDaniel finished with four receptions for 72 yards while Dominique Marshall caught three passes for 38 yards.
Boyd rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries and added five catches for 21 yards. Tye Robinson also rushed for 33 yards.
Jaelin Willis posted seven tackles to lead the Bears while Maddox Aprile had five stops including a sack. James Ussery finished with four tackles, a tackle for loss, an interception and another pass defended.
A Deeper Look
Lenoir-Rhyne posted 369 yards of total offense compared to 263 for Emory & Henry. The Bears rushed threw for 265 and rushed for 104 while the Wasps had 220 yards through the air and a season-low 43 on the ground.
LR was 11-for-18 (61%) on third down with E&H managing just a 3-for-9 (33%) mark.
The Bears forced three interceptions compared to just two for the Wasps but Emory & Henry outscored Lenoir-Rhyne 14-3 on points off turnovers.
E&H made the most of its time of possession, only holding the ball for 22:50 compared to 37:10 for LR. The Wasps were the more disciplined side on the afternoon, as they were penalized six times for 60 yards and the Bears committed 10 fouls for 101 yards.
Notes of Interest
Saturday's win was the first for E&H over a Top-10 opponent since defeating No. 8 Washington & Jefferson College by a 12-10 score on the road in 1998.
It was the biggest upset since beating the same W&J team in 1997, 38-10, at home. The Presidents were ranked No. 4 in the country at that meeting.
Up Next
Emory & Henry will visit Tusculum University next Saturday at 2:00 p.m., to begin SAC divisional play. Due to the effects of Hurricane Helene, fans are encouraged to keep themselves up-to-date regarding the location of the game by visiting GoWasps.com and TusculumPioneers.com.
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