Sep 16, 2023
LEXINGTON, Va. - Following a bye in the second week of the season, the Washington and Lee University football team's running game was on full display on Saturday afternoon as they used the off week to their advantage to defeat Methodist University 54-14 at Wilson Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
- Methodist won the coin toss and elected to receive but the Generals defense stood tall on the opening drive to force a punt.
- On the Generals second drive of the game, Anthony Crawford capped off a nine-play, 52-yard drive as he walked into the endzone from two yards out to give W&L a 7-0 lead.
- After the Blue and White defense forced its' third punt of the quarter, Stephen Murrin connected with Evan Novak for a 38 yard gain which led to a seven yard touchdown scamper for Cameron Reed, giving the Generals a 14-0.
Second Quarter
- Following a Nathan Unger sack which forced the Monarchs to punt, Brennan Blair muffed the 36 yard punt and Methodist's Dacarris Jacobs jumped on the ball at midfield.
- Feeding off the Generals' mistake, quarterback Brandon Bullins capped off a seven-play, 50-yard drive with a 23-yard passing touchdown to Thomas Wade III to cut the W&L lead to seven.
- The W&L offense only needed four plays to respond as Jacob Romero snuck around the right side and streaked up the field for a 36-yard touchdown to put the Blue and White up 21-7.
- Methodist's next drive ate up 6:41 of the game clock as they marched 72 yards down the field on sixteen plays which ended on a one-yard rushing touchdown from Keyshaun Pete.
- A six yard rushing touchdown from Burke Cigelske gave the Generals a 27-14 lead heading into halftime.
Third Quarter
- Following a 23-yard return from Cigelske on the opening kickoff of the second half, the Generals used a 15-play, 67-yard drive to extend their lead to 20 as Murrin found Novak all alone in the endzone for an eight yard score.
- Both the Generals and Monarchs punted in their next drives.
Fourth Quarter
- The Monarchs next drive spanned into the fourth quarter but on 4th and 16, Bullins found some space in the middle of the field but couldn't reach the first down marker as Peyton Pack dragged him to the turf.
- Starting their drive at their own 20 yard line, Marcus Payne and Giorgio Antonacci both rushed for 11 yards before Payne broke off a 58-yard rush to give the Generals a commanding 41-14 lead with 13:27 left in the fourth quarter.
- On the Monarchs next drive, Brandon Bullins found Keyshaun Pete across the middle which looked like a big gain but Daymon Lujan forced a fumble and Allan Gushue dove on it at the W&L 29 yard line.
- Following the turnover, Everett Andersen sprinted out to the right and walked into the endzone untouched to put the Generals up 47-14 with 7:39 remaining.
- The W&L defense made Bullins uncomfortable in the pocket once again as Pack jarred the ball loose before Will Mahmud scooped it up at the 18 yard line for their second fumble recovery of the game.
- Payne sealed the deal with a 17-yard rushing touchdown to put W&L up 54-14 with just five minutes remaining in the game.
W&L GAME NOTES
- Washington and Lee (1-1) are now 4-0 in the all-time series with the Monarchs.
- W&L rushed 59 times for 406 yards on the ground with an average of 6.9 yards per carry while recording seven touchdowns on the ground.
- The Generals recorded 535 yards of total offense on 66 plays. The last time the Blue and White had over 500 yards in a game was on Oct. 1, 2022 in a 31-0 win over Averett University.
- W&L was eight of 13 on third down while being a perfect two for two on fourth down. The Generals found the endzone six times in their seven times in the red zone, with their last trip being stopped on three kneel downs to end the game.
METHODIST GAME NOTES
- The Monarchs had success in the air, throwing for 245 yards and gaining 13 of their 14 first downs through the air. MU struggled on the ground, rushing for 33 yards on 25 attempts for 1.3 yards per carry.
- Methodist was five of 15 on third downs despite being two of three on four down tries while scoring in their only trip to the endzone.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Murrin completed all five of his passes for 113 yards and one touchdown with a long of 38 yards.
- Brandon Bullins of Methodist was 28 of 40 for 245 yards with one touchdown. He ranks second in the Division III with 9,670 yards in the air.
- Jacob Romero led all rushers with 99 yards on ten carries and one touchdown for an average of 9.9 yard per carry. Marcus Payne carried the ball three times for a career-high 86 yards and two touchdowns including his 58-yard scamper in the 4th quarter.
- Tight end Evan Novak caught four passes for a career-high 80 yards and one touchdown.
- Thomas Wade III of MU caught five passes for 44 yards and a touchdown.
- Will Mahmud recorded a career-high nine tackles, five solo and four assists, while recovering a fumble.
- Hunter Hawk, Jalen Todd and Nathan Unger each recorded six tackles in the win.
- Peyton Pack recorded a career-high in tackles (4) and in sacks (2) while Unger had two tackles for loss while earning 1.5 sacks.
- Alex Boyd of MU led all players with 13 tackles, seven solo and six assists, while recording one tackle for loss. Josh Hill and Christian Richardson each recorded seven tackles for the Monarchs.
UP NEXT
- The Generals head to Newport News, Va. on Saturday, September 23 for a matchup with Newport News Apprentice School. Kickoff is set for 2 pm at the Apprentice Athletic Center.