FERRUM, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Football Team had to wait through a six-hour weather delay Saturday before it could take the field and welcome Ferrum College to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The Wasps (1-0, 1-0 ODAC) captured the Crooked Road Classic trophy for the first time in the three years that the long-time rivalry has had associated hardware with a 45-29 win over the Panthers (0-1, 0-1 ODAC).
The contest, originally scheduled to be played at 1:00 Saturday afternoon kicked off under the lights at 7:00 due to storms and lightning which lingered around Franklin County for much of the afternoon.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE - Emory & Henry 45, Ferrum 29
LOCATION - Ferrum, Virginia
VENUE - W.B. Adams Stadium
RECORDS - Emory & Henry (1-0, 1-0 ODAC); Ferrum (0-1, 0-1 ODAC)
How It Happened
- After the two squads traded punts to start the game, Emory & Henry marched 98 yards in 15 plays capped by a one-yard plunge by senior running back Sam Wagner (Marion, Va.) to lead 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.
- The Wasps made it 14-0 in the second quarter on a 10-yard pass from sophomore Jake Sturgill (Abingdon, Va.) to junior wideout Derrick Yates (Abingdon, Va.). It was the first pass thrown by Sturgill in an E&H uniform, as he linked up with his high school teammate.
- Wagner rumbled in for his second score of the game late in the second, this time from nine yards out as the Wasps went into the break with a 21-0 lead.
- The third quarter saw a combined 30 points scored as Ferrum closed the gap to 11 (31-20) on a 16-yard touchdown catch by Chris Baker from Zach Clifford.
- Emory & Henry answered to go up 38-20 early in the fourth as Taylor scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns of the period. The sophomore capped the scoring for E&H with 5:49 to go from three yards out, putting the game out of reach, 45-23.
- Ferrum was able to find paydirt one last time before the clock hit triple zeroes as Baker hauled in a 12-yard reception in the back corner of the end zone for the final 45-29 margin.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Taylor led the way with 379 yards of total offense, throwing for 274 yards on 16-of-23 passing with a touchdown while running for 105 yards and two scores.
- Wagner and senior running back Tyree Ward (Statesville, N.C.) ran for 75 and 72 yards, respectively with Wagner punching a pair of runs in for touchdowns.
- Yates posted a game-high six catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns while senior wide receiver Jesse Santiago (Yorktown, Va.) had five receptions for 87 yards.
- Senior defensive back Justin Banks (Coeburn, Va.) notched nine tackles and picked off a pass which he returned for 34 yards. Sophomore defensive back Tyler Redmond (Arden, N.C.) added nine stops of his own while the defense as a whole combined for eight tackles for loss.
Ferrum Individual Leaders
- Brian Mann ran the ball 31 times for 257 yards but was held out of the end zone on the evening.
- Clifford went 12-for-31 through the air for 164 yards and three scores, hitting Baker six times for 79 yards and two touchdowns.
- Taylor Brown and Jaquice Sydnor each had seven tackles to lead the Panthers while D.J. Baylor and Rod Smith picked off passes.
Notable
- Emory & Henry finished the game with 535 yards of offense, averaging 7.1 yards per play.
- The Wasps used a well-balanced attack with 284 passing yards and 251 rushing yards.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry will be off next week for its scheduled Bye Week.
- The Wasps will be back in action on Saturday, September 15 when they host the Monarchs of Methodist University at Fred Selfe Stadium.
- Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
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