ASHLAND, Va. – The Randolph-Macon College Football Team (5-0) captured the 2020 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship by a 13-10 score over Emory & Henry College (3-1) in overtime Saturday afternoon.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – #1 Randolph-Macon 13, #2 Emory & Henry 10
LOCATION – Ashland, Virginia
VENUE – Day Field
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (3-1, 3-0 ODAC); Randolph-Macon (5-0, 4-0 ODAC)
How It Happened
The first quarter saw both teams look to get their offenses established but it became quickly obvious that two of the top defenses in NCAA Division III this spring would set the tone of the contest. Randolph-Macon got its first chance to score in the second quarter but placekicker Chris Vidal's kick went wide left from 41 yards out.
The Wasps ate up nearly seven minutes of the second quarter before the drive stalled forcing a punt, but the Yellow Jackets were also unable to break through on their final possession of the half for a 0-0 stalemate through 30 minutes of play.
In the third, the squads traded punts before the E&H put together a drive that got inside the R-MC red zone for just the second time all day. With a 4th-and-3 at the Jackets' 18, Wasp senior quarterback Hunter Taylor (Summerville, S.C.) was intercepted by Cade Jones. On the ensuing drive, junior linebacker Ivan Phillips (Kingsport, Tenn.) forced a fumble on a Presley Egbers rush at the E&H 22 with junior defensive back Dalton Wilson (Clinton, Tenn.) coming up with the recovery.
A three-and-out on the next drive forced the Wasps to punt giving the Yellow Jackets excellent field position. Four plays later, Egbers found Tim Hanratty with a pass for a six-yard touchdown with 9:37 on the clock and a 7-0 lead.
On the next possession, Emory & Henry marched down the field 76 yards in 12 plays to even the score at 7-7 on a five-yard catch by sophomore T.J. Tester (Moneta, Va.) from Taylor with 4:21 left in regulation.
Randolph-Macon looked to retake the lead on the next drive but Egbers saw his pass picked off by sophomore defensive back Ryan Gibson (Bristol, Tenn.) who returned the ball 23 yards to the Yellow Jacket 37. The Wasps were unable to take advantage of the field position as the ball went over on downs to the Jackets. The final two drives of regulation resulted in no points for either team as the first-ever ODAC title game went to overtime.
In the extra period, the Wasps got to the five yardline but the drive stalled. Sophomore Zach Baber (Reidsville, N.C.) converted a 22-yard field goal to put E&H up 10-7. After, Randolph-Macon got a first down at the 13 yard line a broken play on a handoff fell into the hands of Egbers who was able to scamper up the middle for the touchdown and the league title, 13-10.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
Taylor finished the game with 299 yards and a touchdown through the air on 27-for-49 passing hitting eight different receivers. Junior wideout Elijah Rice (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) was his favorite target, catching nine passes for 111 yards while junior wide receiver Kashawn Cosey (Chattanooga, Tenn.) had six catches for 86 yards.
Sophomore running back Grayson Overstreet (Moneta, Va.) finished the day with 28 yards on 15 carries while junior Devontae Jordan (Bassett, Va.) gained 19 yards on two carries.
Defensively, Phillips led all players with 11 stops including 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble while junior defensive back Deonte Geddis (Summerville, S.C.) had seven tackles and Gibson finished with six stops to go along with his interception. As a team, the Wasps made eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage including four sacks.
Randolph-Macon Individual Leaders
Egbers went 10-for-24 through the air for 143 yards and a score while also rushing for 30 yards and the championship touchdown. David Wallis posted a game-high 84 yards on the ground and caught five passes for 97 yards.
Tyler DeBerry led the Yellow Jackets with 10 tackles including two tackles for a loss while Erik Harris notched nine stops. Stephen Richardson finished with eight solo tackles and three passes broken up while Cade Jones notched two pass break-ups to go along with his interceptions. As a unit, R-MC had 12 tackles for a loss, including three sacks, and broke up 10 passes.
A Deeper Look
Emory & Henry outgained Randolph-Macon, 334-286, averaging 4.3 yards per play. The Yellow Jackets held the Wasps to 35 rushing yards and a 35 percent (6-for-17) third-down efficiency.
E&H possessed the ball for nearly 34 minutes and held a 2-1 lead in the turnover battle but R-MC's balanced offense had just enough to earn the title.
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