NEWBERRY, S.C. – The Emory & Henry University Football Team (9-2, 6-2 SAC) completed the 2024 season on Saturday with a 27-7 win at Newberry College (3-7, 3-5 SAC). The Wasps broke open a 7-all tie at the intermission with 20 points in the second half on their way to the victory.
Emory & Henry's nine wins are the most by the team since posting a perfect 10-0 mark in the 1998 season. The nine victories also tie the most in program history by a first-year head coach dating back to 1927 when W.S. "Pedie" Jackson led the Wasps to a 9-0 record. The .818 winning percentage is second best by a first-year head coach to Jackson's 1927 squad.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 27, Newberry 7
LOCATION – Newberry, South Carolina
VENUE – Setzler Field
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (9-2, 6-2 SAC); Newberry (3-7, 3-5 SAC)
How It Happened
After a scoreless opening quarter, the Wolves got on the board at the 14:09 mark of the second when Ja'Corey Martin rushed eight yards over the left side for a touchdown. That score capped a seven-play, 43-yard drive that covered 2:33.
Later in the frame, Emory & Henry tied things up, 14-14, on a 16-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Cole Lambert (Abingdon, Va.) to sophomore wide receiver Cam Abshire (Roanoke, Va.). That margin would hold through halftime.
The Wasps took a 14-7 lead at the 9:45 mark of the third quarter as Lambert hit Abshire for a five-yard score. Emory & Henry extended its lead to 10 on a 49-yard field goal by junior Trace Butcher (Dacula, Ga.) with 2:43 in the period.
Butcher hit a 33-yard field goal with 6:57 to go in the contest to press the margin to 20-7. After picking off a pass on the next drive, the Wasps took the short field and went 40 yards in eight plays to cap the scoring. Junior quarterback Charles Mutter, III (King George, Va.) found junior wide receiver Cam Peoples (Reidsville, N.C.) from 13 yards out for the touchdown and the 27-20 final margin.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
Lambert was 15-for-30 through the air for 289 yards and two touchdowns while Mutter threw a 13-yard touchdown pass on 1-for-3 passing.
Junior running back Jordan Jackson (Richmond, Va.) had 26 carries for 73 yards to push himself over the 1,000-yard mark for the year. Jackson finished with 1,036 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 4.7 yards per carry.
Abshire notched eight catches for 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns to break the 1,000-yard receiving plateau for the season. He had 51 receptions for 1,057 yards and 13 touchdowns on the year with an average of 20.7 yards per catch. Peoples hauled in six passes for 134 yards and a touchdown.
Fifth-year defensive back Addison Knicely (Mount Crawford, Va.) had a game-high 11 tackles, adding two sacks with senior linebacker Kaleb Lundy (Winston-Salem, N.C.) notched six stops. Junior defensive lineman Elijah Harper (Anderson, S.C.) finished with five tackles including two sacks for a loss of 23 yards as junior linebacker Marc Harris (Tallapoosa, Ga.) went for five stops. Junior defensive back Shawn Collins (Salem, Va.) picked off a pair of passes while junior defensive back Jacob Robinson (Warrenton, Va.) had an interception and two tackles.
Newberry Individual Leaders
The Wolves utilized three quarterbacks on the afternoon but managed to throw for only two yards on 3-for-13 passing with three interceptions.
Dwayne Wright led the offense as he rushed for 45 yards on seven carries while Martin had 38 yards on nine touches including Newberry's only score of the afternoon.
On defense, Devron Williams led the way with 10 tackles and a forced fumble while Chucky Roach went for seven stops and a fumble recovery. Colby Taylor had five tackles and four quarterback hurries with Ja Stevens adding four stops and an interception.
A Deeper Look
Emory & Henry outgained Newberry by a 364-146 margin. The Wasps finished with 302 passing yards and 62 yards on the ground while the Wolves had 144 rushing yards and managed just two passing yards.
E&H gained 15 first downs compared to 12 for NBY. The Wasps were 6-of-16 (38%) on third down while the Wolves failed to convert a third-down attempt (0-for-12) all afternoon.
Once again, Emory & Henry won the turnover battle, finishing with three interceptions on defense while Newberry picked off a pass and recovered a fumble.
Up Next
Emory & Henry will now await the announcement of the South Atlantic Conference postseason awards.
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