EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry University Football Team (8-2, 6-2 SAC) put on a show Saturday afternoon at Fred Selfe Stadium, defeating the University of Virginia's College at Wise in a rout, 62-14. The Wasps claim their sixth Southwest Virginia Bowl title and their third straight, running their record against the Cavaliers to 6-1.
The 62 points scored by E&H beat the previous record in the series by 21 (41) set last season at Wise. It was the largest point total in program history for the Wasps against a NCAA Division II opponent and the most scored since lighting the scoreboard for 66 at Guilford College in 2021.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 62, UVA Wise 14
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Fred Selfe Stadium at Nicewonder Field
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (8-2, 6-2 SAC); UVA Wise (3-6, 2-6 SAC)
How It Happened
Wise got the opening kickoff but threw an interception on the third play from scrimmage as junior defensive back Jacob Robinson (Warrenton, Va.) picked off Cooper Wick. Six plays later, the Wasps went to a "wildcat" formation, giving senior linebacker Kaleb Lundy (Winston-Salem, N.C.) the nod on a direct snap for a one-yard touchdown over the right side.
On their next possession, Emory & Henry drove 76 yards in 19 plays to push the score to 14-0 on a six-yard run by junior Jordan Jackson (Richmond, Va.).
The second quarter saw the Wasps extend the lead to 27-6 as junior defensive back Jarrell Harrison (Virginia Beach, Va.) and junior defensive lineman Elijah Harper (Anderson, S.C.) tallied a pick-six for 29 and 42 yards, respectively. The Cavaliers got on the board with 1:07 to go before the break when Wick found Seth Fischbach with a three-yard touchdown in the front-left corner of the end zone.
Emory & Henry continued to pour on the offense in the third quarter, scoring another three touchdowns. The Wasps took the opening drive of the period down the field 67 yards in just five plays, capped by a 13-yard touchdown reception by sophomore wide receiver Cam Abshire (Roanoke, Va.). Harrison got his second pick-six of the contest, this time returning it 21 yards for a score. E&H added another touchdown as sophomore quarterback Cole Lambert (Abingdon, Va.) hit senior tight end Noah Allred (Oak Ridge, N.C.) for a 29-yard score to push the margin to 48-6.
Midway through the fourth, Lambert threw for his third score of the day, connecting again with Abshire over the middle from 26 yards out. With less than three minutes remaining, the Wasps capped their side of the scoring when redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Foutz (Rocky Mount, Va.) lofted a ball up for a 33-yard touchdown to redshirt freshman wideout Gabe Karstaedt (Leesburg, Va.) and a 62-6 advantage.
Wise would not go away without one more offensive challenge as Zavier Lomax capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a one-yard plunge. Wick hit Khalil Jones, Jr. in the end zone for the two-point conversion and the final 62-14 score.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
Lambert finished the day 18-for-25 for 309 yards and three touchdowns while Foutz had 40 yards and a score on 2-for-2 passing.
Jackson rushed 13 times for 61 yards and a score while senior Cade Snotherly (Asheboro, N.C.) and sophomore Rudolph Paul (Douglasville, Ga.) had 31 and 28 yards on the ground, respectively.
Ten different players caught passes for Emory & Henry led by Abshire with four catches for 92 yards and two scores. Redshirt freshman Tristan Stitt (Indian Trail, N.C.) had two receptions for 73 yards while Karstaedt and Allred scored on their lone catches of the game.
Robinson led the defense with eight tackles and an interception while Lundy added seven stops to his rushing touchdown. Junior defensive lineman Chad Pouncy (Lynchburg, Va.) had six stops while fifth-year defensive back Addison Knicely (Mount Crawford, Va.) added five tackles and a blocked extra point. Harrison finished with two interceptions for a touchdown and two tackles while Harper added two stops to his pick-six.
UVA Wise Individual Leaders
Wick was 18-for-33 through the air for 154 yards and a touchdown but threw four interceptions on the afternoon. Ian Scammel led the ground game with just 26 yards while Wick added 20.
Jones had two catches for 51 yards as Fischbach went for five receptions for 16 yards and a score.
Quentis Adams, Jr. and A.J. Stewart made five tackles each as Jimmie Simmons had four stops including 1.5 tackles for loss, a pass defended and a quarterback hurry. Michael Kendricks, Jr. notched an interception that he returned 14 yards.
A Deeper Look
Emory & Henry racked up a total of 496 yards of offense compared to 219 for UVA Wise. The Wasps gained 349 yards through the air and added 147 on the ground. Wise managed just 65 yards rushing on 30 attempts and 154 passing.
E&H was 5-for-9 (55.5%) on third down and converted its only fourth-down chance of the game while the Cavs were just 35.3% (6-for-17) on their third-down attempts.
The Wasps won the turnover battle yet again, improving their season margin by three with four interceptions. Emory & Henry has now scored eight non-offensive touchdowns on the year and has broken the school record for pick-sixes with six.
Emory & Henry made eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage for 20 yards and had just four negative plays on offense all afternoon.
Notable
Emory & Henry finishes with an undefeated record at Fred Selfe Stadium for the first time since going 5-0 in 1998. It is the first time since 1992 that the Wasps have won six games at home.
Harrison's two pick-sixes ties the E&H record which is held by Thomas Nelson (vs. Ferrum, 1996) and Clarence Mackey (vs. King, 1929).
Three interception returns for a touchdown by the team also sets a new program mark. The Wasps had previously returned two interceptions for a score on five different occasions.
Up Next
Emory & Henry will close out the regular season next Saturday when it visits Newberry College. Kickoff between the Wasps and Wolves is set for 1:00 p.m.
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