SALEM, Va. – The Washington and Lee football team improved to 2-0 with a 35-21 victory over Averett University on Saturday evening at Salem Stadium.

The Generals jumped out to a 7-0 lead just 1:00 into the game as senior wide receiver Jack Martin (Clayton, Mo./Hun School) hauled in a 36-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback R.J. Varner (Birmingham, Ala./Spain Park).

Averett (0-3) evened the score at 7-7 just 5:50 later as junior defensive back John Garcia (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Everglades) picked off a Varner pass and rumbled 26-yards to paydirt.

A pair of second quarter touchdown runs (5 yds. and 2 yds.) by junior tailback Tom Pacicco (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Catholic) and a missed PAT gave the Generals a 20-7 lead with 6:38 left in the first half. However, the Cougars retaliated on a 4-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Shan Fairbanks (Groveland, Fla./Southlake) to junior tight end Nathan Woodruff (Kennesaw, Ga./Sprayberry) with 27 seconds left to make it a 20-14 game at the break.

Averett took a 21-20 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run from sophomore running back Brian Daniels (Greenville, N.C./D.H. Conley) with 4:37 remaining in the third period, but the Generals re-took the lead just 2:06 later on a 5-yard touchdown run by junior wide receiver Stuart Sitterson (Atlanta, Ga./Westminster). The ensuing 2-point conversion pass from Varner to Sitterson was good, giving the Generals a 28-21 lead. Martin then added an insurance score when he hauled in a 41-yard touchdown strike from Varner with 12:34 left in the game.

Martin caught six passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns and set a new W&L record for career receiving yards (2,403), breaking the former mark of 2,312 held by J.T. Malatesta '99. Pacicco rushed 27 times for a career-high 176 yards and two touchdowns, while Sitterson tallied 218 all-purpose and one score. Varner completed 11-of-23 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

The W&L defense was paced by senior safety Kyle Luby (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park), who tallied 14 stops. Fairbanks completed 22-of-39 passes for 209 yards and one touchdown to lead the Cougar offense.

Junior running back John Ellison (Cheraw, S.C./Cheraw) notched 52 yards on nine carries, while senior defensive lineman Jason Hill (Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus) led the defense with six tackles and one sack.

Washington and Lee returns to action on Saturday as it travels to Randolph-Macon for a 1:00 pm contest. Averett travels to Ferrum for a 1:00 pm game.

-- GENERALS --