GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Washington and Lee held Guilford to 156 yards of total offense, forced four turnovers and moved to 2-0 for the first time since 1973 with a 31-6 rout of Guilford Saturday afternoon.
W&L's defense allowed 79 yards rushing, 77 yards passing and picked off four passes in the victory. The defense also registered eight tackles for a loss.
The Generals took a 6-0 lead with 9:43 remaining in the first half on a pair of field goals, 30 and 26 yards respectively, by senior placekicker Andy Vendig (Arlington, Va./Washington-Lee). Junior tailback Marc Watson (Marietta, Ga./Walton) made it a 14-0 lead after scoring on a one-yard plunge and running in the subsequent two-point conversion with 5:29 remaining.
Guilford (0-3, 0-1 ODAC) fought back three minutes later, scoring on a 23-yard touchdown pass from David Hessler to Chuck Irwin making the score 14-6. The extra point was no good.
Then, for the second straight week, the Generals put points on the board in the final minutes of the first half. A nine-play, 57-yard drive resulted in a 25-yard field goal by Vendig as time expired giving W&L (2-0, 1-0 ODAC) a 17-6 lead heading to the locker rooms.
Watson scored his second touchdown of the game in the third quarter on a two-yard run, giving the Generals a 24-6 lead.
Sophomore tailback Chris Sullivan (San Antonio, Texas/Alamo Heights) finished the scoring with a four-yard touchdown run with 8:11 remaining in the final stanza. The touchdown drive ran 15 plays and 91 yards, taking 6:22 off the clock.
Washington and Lee was led by Watson, who rushed for 91 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Bobby Littlehale (Villa Park, Ill./Willowbrook) continued his steady play by completing 11-of-22 attempts for 128 yards. Sullivan led all receivers with four catches for 62 yards and also rushed for 38 yards on 10 carries. Vendig tied his school record for three field goals in a game that he set last week vs. Johns Hopkins. Defensively, the Generals were once again led by junior defensive end Jeff Bahl (Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Country Day), who totaled 11 tackles, including three for a loss. Senior defensive back Will Baker (Birmingham, Ala./Mountain Brook) collected five tackles, including three for a loss and an interception. Junior Chris Shortall (San Anselmo, Calif./Marin Catholic), sophomore Matt Conners (Burke, Va./Robinson) and freshman Peter Dean (Vienna, Va./James Madison) also added interceptions from the defensive backfield.
Washington and Lee will look to make it three straight on Saturday as they travel to Danville, Ky. to take on Centre. Game time is set for 1:30 pm.
--GENERALS--
