EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Football Team (6-1, 3-1 ODAC) solidified its second winning season in three years with a convincing 62-28 victory over The Catholic University of America (2-5, 0-4 ODAC) Saturday afternoon at Fred Selfe Stadium. The contest was the highlight of E&H's annual Homecoming weekend.
Emory & Henry's 62 points scored is a program record for points scored in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference contest. The previous record of 55 points was set against Maryville College in 1986. It is also the most points that the Wasps have scored since putting 63 on the board against Tennessee Wesleyan College earlier in the 1986 season.
Catholic took the opening possession 75 yards down the field in 11 plays for the first score of the game. Matt Perno capped the drive with a five-yard rush for the touchdown, putting the Cardinals up 7-0.
Emory & Henry answered back to tie the contest at seven points apiece on an eight-yard run by freshman running back Chris Thompson (Blue Ridge, Va.). Thompson had 32 yards on the drive.
The Wasps forced the Cardinals to punt on their next drive and senior safety Clint Peregoy (Salem, Va.) notched his third block in two weeks. Freshman defensive back Andrew Long (Asheville, N.C.) scooped the ball up and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown and a 14-7 lead for E&H.
Emory & Henry continued to pour on the points to go up 41-14 at halftime. The Wasps tallied four second-quarter scores for 27 points on another rush by Thompson, a two-yard plunge by freshman quarterback Kevin Saxton (Monroe, N.C.), an 11-yard run by senior Kasey Jones (Jacksonville, Fla.) and an 18-yard reception by senior wideout Josh Smith (Radford, Va.).
Catholic scored a touchdown midway through the second quarter as T.J. Tutone found Lucas Morley with a 24-yard pass.
In the third quarter, E&H added another pair of touchdowns to make the score 55-21. Saxton hit sophomore wide receiver Jermaine Sanders (Charlotte, N.C.) with a 30-yard pass in the back corner of the end zone just two plays into the second half and connected with Sanders again from nine yards out later in the quarter.
Tutone ran one in from a yard out for the Cardinals in the third as well. Catholic made the score 55-28 with a 22-yard touchdown catch by Tim Murphy.
Emory & Henry went over the 60-point mark for the second time in as many seasons with a final touchdown in the fourth quarter. Pinned deep at their own three yardline, the Wasps went 97 yards in 12 plays, taking 3:51 off the clock. With Nick Bowen (Gate City, Va.) now in at quarterback, the freshman hit senior Josh Jordan (Bristol, Va.) with a 28-yard pass across the middle for the score and the 62-28 final score.
Emory & Henry accumulated 604 yards of offense in the game, running a total of 83 plays for an average of 7.3 yards per play. The Wasps gained 33 first downs, holding the ball for just under half of the game (29:13).
Saxton was 20-for-23 through the air for 287 yards and three touchdowns while Bowen threw for a perfect seven-for-seven and 71 yards and a score. Saxton added seven rushing yards while Bowen notched 43 yards on the ground. Thompson finished the game with 69 yards and two scores while freshman Isaiah Rodgers (Canton, Ga.) added 65 yards on 12 carries. Sanders caught four passes for 61 yards and two scores while Smith had five receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Elijah Van Dorn (Powder Springs, Ga.) caught five balls for 61 yards as well.
Defensively for Emory & Henry, senior safety Roth Healey (Easton, Pa.) made a game-high 13 tackles, adding a forced fumble and a pass defended. Junior linebacker Rennel Marshall (Rustburg, Va.) added 12 stops while Peregoy added an interception and four tackles to his blocked punt.
Catholic had 126 rushing yards and 245 passing yards but three turnovers and a blocked punt resulted in 27 points for E&H. Tutone had 245 yards on 29-for-43 passing for two touchdowns while Perno added 90 yards and a score on the ground. Morley caught seven passes for 77 yards and a touchdown while Murphy had six receptions for 64 yards and a score.
The Cardinals' defensive unit saw Patrick Thomas lead the way with 10 tackles and a tackle for loss while Paul Teckenberg and Anthony Santo added seven stops each.
Emory & Henry will be back on the road next Saturday when it travels to Lexington, Virginia for an ODAC game against Washington and Lee University. Kickoff at Wilson Field is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
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