ASHLAND, Va. – The Randolph-Macon College Football Team (5-1) got the go-ahead score with 19 seconds remaining as it notched a 34-31 win over visiting Emory & Henry College (3-2) in a rematch of this past spring's Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship game.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Randolph-Macon 34, Emory & Henry 31
LOCATION – Ashland, Virginia
VENUE – Day Field
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (3-2); Randolph-Macon (5-1)
How It Happened
Emory & Henry broke open a scoreless game midway through the first quarter as senior running back Devontae Jordan (Bassett, Va.) went in for a touchdown from five yards out. R-MC equalized exactly one minute later with David Wallis catching an 80-yard pass from Brecht Heuchan.
In the second quarter, the Yellow Jackets got a pair of touchdowns from Justin DeLeon to take a 21-7 lead. Jordan helped the Wasps close the gap to 21-14 with a 73-yard run with 4:58 to go before the break. Randolph-Macon would take a 24-14 lead into the intermission thanks to a 21-yard field goal by Chris Vidal.
The third quarter saw the two squads trade possessions for the opening nine minutes before the Wasps blocked a punt through the back of the end zone to force a safety. Emory & Henry went on the attack on the next drive as Jordan accounted for all 57 yards including the 54-yard rush which resulted in the score. Jordan also found senior wide receiver Gunner Griffith (Bluff City, Tenn.) in the end zone for the two-point conversion, making the score 24-all.
On the next drive, R-MC got inside the E&H 10 yardline but the offense stalled and Vidal converted from 26 yards out, to put the Yellow Jackets back ahead, 27-24.
In the fourth, Emory & Henry regained the lead for the first time since the first quarter as junior running back Mykah English (Roanoke, Va.) rushed for an 18-yard score and a 31-27 advantage.
Back-to-back fourth-down stops by the two defenses set Randolph-Macon up with the ball and 1:47 to go. The Yellow Jackets went down the field, highlighted by a 49-yard reception by Zach Bowman to get into the red zone. After a penalty on the E&H defense on fourth down prolonged the drive, Heuchan hit Joey Hunt in the corner of the end zone to put R-MC up, 34-31.
Down to 19 seconds remaining, Emory & Henry turned the ball over on the first play of the ensuing drive allowing Randolph-Macon to seal the victory.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
Jordan made it his third-straight 200-yard rushing game, this time a career-high 254 yards and three touchdowns. His rushing total was good for fourth all-time in E&H history.
Sophomore quarterback Kyle Short (Lebanon, Ohio) went 11-for-23 for 122 yards as sophomore wideout Jermawn Ford (District Heights, Md.) caught four passes for 25 yards and senior Kashawn Cosey (Chattanooga, Tenn.) had three receptions for 27 yards.
Junior defensive lineman Jay Swegheimer (Orlando, Fla.) posted 10 tackles while senior defensive back Jaylyn Kreimes (Sharps, Va.) went for eight stops and had a forced fumble. Senior defensive lineman Donovan Pinnix (Eden, N.C.) forced and recovered a fumble along with five tackles as senior linebacker Brent Butler (Roanoke, Va.) had seven stops.
Randolph-Macon Individual Leaders
Heuchan threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns on 7-for-13 passing as DeLeon had 202 yards and two scores on the ground. Wallis caught three passes for 160 yards and a score while Bowman finished the day with two receptions for 87 yards.
Jace DePriest posted eight solo tackles, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble while Wade Grubbs went for six tackles. Erik Harris had an interception and two tackles and Kyle Ringley made three stops and three passes defended in the backfield.
A Deeper Look
Randolph-Macon out-gained Emory & Henry by a 479-381 margin, averaging 6.9 yards per play. The Yellow Jackets were just 4-for-14 (29%) on third down but converted 60 percent (3-of-5) of their fourth-down chances.
E&H was penalized eight times for 91 yards while R-MC suffered just one penalty for 10 yards.
Up Next
Emory & Henry returns home next Saturday for Homecoming when it hosts Hampden-Sydney College. Kickoff will be at 1:00 p.m.
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