EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry University Football Team (7-1, 5-1 SAC) now sits tied atop the South Atlantic Conference Mountain Division after defeating No. 17 Carson-Newman University (7-1, 5-1 SAC) by a 17-10 score Saturday afternoon at a raucous Fred Selfe Stadium. It was E&H's first win over Carson-Newman since 1968 when both programs were members of the now-defunct Smoky Mountain Athletic Conference and snapped a nine-game skid to the Eagles.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 17, No. 17 Carson-Newman 10
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Nicewonder Field at Fred Selfe Stadium
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (7-1, 5-1 SAC); Carson-Newman (7-1, 5-1 SAC)
How It Happened
Emory & Henry took the kickoff and drove deep into Carson-Newman territory but junior quarterback Charles Mutter, III (King George, Va.) fumbled inside the 10 to turn the ball over. It was just the second fumble of the year and the first lost by the Wasps' offense.
The Eagles went down the field 85 yards in 16 plays, chewing 7:34 off the clock but the drive stalled inside the red zone. C-N kicker Bennett Smith converted a 23-yard field goal with 4:16 remaining in the opening quarter for a 3-0 lead.
Both offenses struggled to get anything going until the middle of the second quarter. E&H got the ball at midfield after a Carson-Newman punt and struck down the field for the first score of the game. After sophomore wide receiver Cam Abshire (Roanoke, Va.) drew a pass interference penalty, Mutter used his legs to run in from 39 yards out to make it a 7-3 contest.
On the next drive, the Wasps defense forced a turnover as sophomore defensive lineman Ean Rhea (Glade Spring, Va.) stripped quarterback Zane Whitson. Junior linebacker Marc Harris (Tallapoosa, Ga.) recovered the ball to put E&H back on offense. On the next play, Mutter hit a streaking junior wideout Cam Peoples (Reidsville, N.C.) going down the right side for a 43-yard touchdown and a 14-3 lead with 6:05 remaining in the half.
After senior linebacker Kaleb Lundy (Winston-Salem, N.C.) forced another fumble on the ensuing drive, Emory & Henry went down the field to make it a two-score game, 17-3, on a 46-yard field goal by junior Trace Butcher (Dacula, Ga.) with less than a minute to go before intermission.
Returning to action, Carson-Newman put a 12-play, 75-yard drive that covered 5:26 together to close the gap to 17-10. Keithan Washington capped the possession with a four-yard rush for the score.
The teams traded punts for the rest of the third and most of the fourth quarter as both defenses took control. With Carson-Newman driving, junior defensive back Chendrick Cann (Pinellas Park, Fla.) picked off a pass in the end zone to stop the drive. After milking 3:51 off the clock, the Wasps punted again, giving the Eagles less than two minutes to put together a potential game-tying drive. With the ball at his own 37, C-N quarterback Tre Luttrell threw up a pass into E&H territory that was picked off by junior defensive back Jarrell Harrison (Virginia Beach, Va.). A first down by the Emory & Henry offense later, the Wasps were able to kneel out the clock and claim the 17-10 win.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
Mutter was 7-for-14 through the air for 120 yards and a touchdown and rushed 13 times for 116 yards and another score. It was the first time an E&H quarterback has rushed for more than 100 yards since Hunter Taylor had 105 yards on the ground against Ferrum in 2018.
Junior running back Jordan Jackson (Richmond, Va.) had 64 yards on the ground on 17 carries.
Peoples led the Wasps receivers with four catches for 73 yards and a score while Abshire caught two passes for 41 yards.
Junior defensive back Jacob Robinson (Warrenton, Va.) led all players with 15 tackles while Harrison had 11 stops, 3.5 tackles for loss, a pass defended and what ended up being the game-sealing interception. Lundy finished with 10 tackles and a forced fumble while fifth-year defensive back Addison Knicely (Mount Crawford, Va.) had 10 stops and two passes defended. Junior defensive lineman Elijah Harper (Anderson, S.C.) finished with seven tackles and recovered a fumble while Cann added five tackles to his interception.
Carson-Newman Individual Leaders
Jayden Sullins led the C-N ground game with 18 carries for 92 yards while Don Bradley and Cam Ferguson added 65 and 61 yards, respectively.
Zane Whitson was just 1-for-9 through the air for 36 yards, hitting Cade Meeks in the second half, and added 56 yards on the ground. Luttrell threw the two interceptions for the Eagles, going 0-2 on the afternoon.
A Deeper Look
Carson-Newman outgained Emory & Henry by a 352-304 margin and racked up 22 first downs compared to 14 for the Wasps.
The Eagles were 8-for-17 on third down and converted their only fourth down attempt of the afternoon while E&H was just 2-for-9 on third. C-N also led the time of possession battle, holding the ball for over 36 minutes.
Emory & Henry proved that it has one of the best defenses in the country with four takeaways, picking off a pair of passes and recovering two fumbles. The Wasps also notched 11 tackles for a loss of 31 yards while the Eagles only managed to get E&H in the backfield four times for 12 yards.
Both squads were reasonably disciplined on the afternoon. Carson-Newman was penalized six times for 50 yards while the Wasps were flagged five times for 45 yards.
Up Next
Emory & Henry will be on the road next week, visiting Mars Hill University. Kickoff between the Wasps and Lions is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
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