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| Daniel Eliasek and Matthew MacNichol helped the Randolph-Macon defense keep Washington & Jefferson in check after the Presidents got off to a fast start in Saturday's second round game. Photo by Mike Atherton, d3photography.com | More photos from this game |
By Brian Lester
D3sports.com
When Randolph-Macon trailed 14-0 after one quarter in its NCAA Division III playoff game against Washington & Jefferson last Saturday, there was no panic or concern.
As junior running back Mitchell Johnson puts it, the Yellow Jackets were going to find a way to get the job done against the No. 17 team in the country.
And they did, capitalizing on big plays on both sides of the ball to seal the deal on a 38-22 victory.
“It shows a lot of character and shows what our program is about,” Johnson said. “That we can make plays when it matters most.”
Johnson played a pivotal role, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with a little over a minute left until halftime, giving Randolph-Macon a 21-14 lead.
It was one of two touchdowns for him on the day and he finished with 115 rushing yards, his fourth game of 100 or more yards in his career. It was his third 100-yard game in postseason play in his career.
That scoring drive was set up by Daniel Eliasek’s forced fumble inside the Presidents’ 15-yard line and Quentin Mankin’s recovery of the turnover.
“We trusted each other to keep doing our jobs. It was a great thing to see,” Johnson said. “I give our offensive line a lot of credit for my success. They really came together and stacked plays.”
This is an offense that wasn’t sure quite what to expect when the season began.
Ten starters had to be replaced from a team that reached the final four and won a program record 13 games, including quarterback Drew Campanale, who threw for 4,871 yards, good enough for fifth all-time in program history.
“I don’t think people realize how much we lost from last year’s team,” head coach Pedro Arruza said. “We had a ton of guys that played a lot of football. We had our work cut out for us, but we got better every week. The kids have bought in and worked hard.”
Since a 28-24 loss to Berry on Sept. 21, the Yellow Jackets (10-1) have rattled off eight consecutive wins, scoring 35 or more five times in that stretch. They average 361.3 yards per game, including more than 200 (214.5) on the ground.
Arruza points to that lone loss of the year as a turning point in a lot of ways.
“We lost to a really good football team, and we understood the things we needed to improve on and get better at,” Arruza said. “I wouldn’t necessarily say it was a wakeup call, but I think things got exposed, and we needed to address them.”
The Yellow Jackets have indeed responded and are set to play at Salisbury, the eighth-ranked team in the D3football.com poll, in the round of 16 this Saturday.
The fact that they are here is a credit to not only the way they handled adversity last week, but also the way the things that don’t show up in a box score shined through.
“We recruit great kids, high character kids, and they hung in there,” Arruza said. “We’ve been in some tough games this year, and they just battled again like they always have. They didn’t panic. That had a lot to do with it and I feel like right now we are playing our best football.”
Senior linebacker Daniel Eliasek certainly played some of his best football in the playoff game against the Presidents.
Not only did he force that aforementioned fumble, but he also picked off a pass right before halftime that allowed the Yellow Jackets to tack on a field goal for a 24-14 lead at the half.
“Our coaching staff does a great job of putting us in the right position to make plays,” Eliasek said. “To see that preparation pay off, it’s huge. It’s a testament to how prepared we were.”
It’s also a credit to having the right mentality in a tough moment.
“We took it one play at a time and didn’t focus on trying to climb out of that deficit all at once,” Eliasek said. “We worked our way out of it.”
The defense has done its part to help the Yellow Jackets thrive on the field, especially against the Presidents as Randolph-Macon overcame its largest deficit ever in a playoff game.
“It comes down to playing hard for the guy next to you and to not just try to maximize our potential as individuals, but as a team, too,” Eliasek said. “When you play hard for the person next to you, that’s a big thing for a team.”
Johnson can say the same thing about the offense and notes the growth of the team on that side of the ball over the course of the season has been instrumental in the team’s success.
Johnson has seen his share of growth, rushing for 761 yards and 12 scores this season, stepping into a more prominent role after the graduation of leading rusher Nick Hale, who churned out more than 1,000 yards to go along with 23 touchdowns in 2023.
“We had a lot of young guys who had to step up and fill big shoes this year,” Johnson said. “There was a learning curve, but we kept at it and kept pushing and working hard. As the games went on this season, things started to click and make sense, and now everyone is playing their role well.”
And with the latest win, the Yellow Jackets have a little extra confidence.
“Every win brings confidence, and finding a way to show up when things are tough really shows who you are as a player,” Johnson said. “We know that, as a team, we can lean on each other in a tough game and find a way to win.”
Up next is 11-0 Salisbury, which topped King's 33-13 last week.
“It’s another great football team that we have great respect for,” Arruza said. “It’s going to be a huge challenge for us. The games don’t get any easier from here.”
But this is the kind of opportunity the players have put in the work for all season long.
“It’s everything we’ve worked for in the offseason, and in the preseason, and we’ve thought about it during the season,” Eliasek said. “It’s awesome playing in December. You get more practices, more meetings, more everything with the team. It’s really special.”
Johnson echoes that sentiment.
“It’s amazing,” Johnson said. “There is nothing better than playing football this time of the year. You get another chance to build relationships and continue to get better. We’re looking forward to it and we are ready for the challenge.”