EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Football Team (3-0, 3-0 ODAC) did everything in its power to qualify for the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship game as it defeated Guilford College (0-2, 0-2 ODAC) in a rout Friday afternoon.
With Washington and Lee University's decision to "opt-out" of this spring's season, E&H has now completed its slate of scheduled games. With a 3-0 record, the Wasps are in contention to play in the ODAC title game scheduled for Friday, April 2 and will wait to see the outcome of contests for the next two weeks which will determine the seedings for the crossover week.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 47, Guilford 6
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Nicewonder Field at Fred Selfe Stadium
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (3-0, 3-0 ODAC); Guilford (0-2, 0-2 ODAC)
How It Happened
- E&H got on the board at the 5:20 mark of the opening period. When the offense's drive stalled inside the five yardline, sophomore kicker Zach Baber (Reidsville, N.C.) converted a 20-yard field goal.
- After forcing a three-and-out on the Quakers' next possession, the Wasps went 62 yards in seven plays for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead. Sophomore running back Grayson Overstreet (Moneta, Va.) accounted for 33 yards on the drive including the one-yard plunge for the score.
- Guilford answered with a score on the third play of the second quarter as Teddy Gassert hit Kamari Norman with a 24-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was blocked by junior defensive back Jaylyn Kreimes (Sharps, Va.) and returned 90 yards by junior linebacker Ivan Phillips (Kingsport, Tenn.) 90 yards for the defensive two-point conversion.
- Emory & Henry made the score 19-6 on its next drive as Overstreet again racked up more than 30 yards on the possession to cap it with a one-yard rush for the score. The Wasps scored their third touchdown in as many possessions with 7:47 left before halftime. Senior quarterback Hunter Taylor (Summerville, S.C.) set up a one-yard run of his own with a pair of long completions to junior wide receiver Elijah Rice (Myrtle Beach, S.C.).
- E&H took over on offense again less than two minutes later and went 94 yards down the field to set up a 23-yard touchdown pass from Taylor to senior wide receiver Gunner Griffith (Bluff City, Tenn.) to push the margin to 33-6 at the half.
- On the first possession of the second half, Taylor hit Rice with a 70-yard catch-and-run to give the Wasps five-straight touchdowns and a 40-6 advantage. E&H capped the scoring with 5:32 to go in the game as freshman quarterback Tahleek Steele (Rock Hill, S.C.) called his own number three times in a row, finishing the drive with a five-yard score, 47-6.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Taylor finished the game 11-for-17 for 246 yards and two touchdowns, with Rice catching six passes for 199 yards and a score.
- Overstreet rushed 19 times for 109 yards and two scores while Steele and sophomore running back T.J. Tester (Moneta, Va.) both finished the game with 82 yards on the ground.
- Sophomore defensive lineman Jay Swegheimer (Orlando, Fla.) led the Wasps with six solo tackles, four of which went for a loss, three sacks, two quarterback hurries and a pass defended. Junior Defensive back Deonte Geddis (Summerville, S.C.) made four stops while sophomore defensive lineman Jordon Mighty (Catlett, Va.) had a pair of sacks.
- Junior defensive back Dalton Wilson (Clinton, Tenn.) picked off a pass and returned it 39 yards while sophomore Tyrel McEnheimer (Roanoke, Va.) had 23 return yards on his pick. Sophomore Ryan Gibson (Bristol, Tenn.) also grabbed an interception.
Guilford Individual Leaders
- Gassert threw for 88 yards on 6-of-16 passing, hitting Jermaine Russell with a 46-yard catch.
- Joey Strong, Jr. was the Quakers' leading rusher with 14 yards.
- Alex Manley made 11 tackles on the day and broke up a pass while Clint Bost and Bryce Smith each had seven stops.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry outgained Guilford by a 644-79 margin on total offense, rushing for 364 yards in the contest. The Wasps' defense held the Quakers to -9 rushing yards, making 11 tackles for loss including seven sacks.
- E&H dominated possession, holding the ball for nearly 39 minutes during the game, as it ran 80 plays, averaging 8.0 yards per play compared to 1.7 yards per play for GC.
- The Wasps were 8-of-14 (57.1%) on third down compared to just 1-of-13 (7.7%) for the Quakers.
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