ASHLAND, Va. – The Washington and Lee football team rallied with two touchdowns in the final 2:08 of the game, but came up just short in a 21-13 loss at Randolph-Macon on Saturday afternoon at Day Field.

The Generals (1-4, 0-1) trailed 14-0 late in the fourth quarter but strung together an 11-play drive that covered 54 yards and was capped by a 16-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Charlie Westfal (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) to senior wide receiver Ryan Welsh (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) to make it a 14-6 game with 2:08 remaining. The ensuing PAT was no good.

W&L then lined up for an onside kick that was fielded by R-MC (3-2, 2-0) first-year running back Vince Hendren and returned 38 yards for a touchdown and a 21-6 lead at the 2:02 mark.

Following the Yellow Jacket kickoff that was returned to the W&L 40-yardline, the Generals went 60 yards in four plays as sophomore halfback Harrison Hudson (Salem, Va./Salem) made it a 21-13 game on a 13-yard touchdown reception from Westfal with 56 seconds left in the game.

The Generals again lined up for an onside kick and this time were successful as Welsh recovered the ball on the Macon 46-yardline with 53 seconds remaining. W&L drove to the R-MC 31-yardline and had three shots at the end zone, including a deflected ball at the goal line that was nearly hauled in by sophomore wide receiver Cody Smith (Irvine, Calif./Orange Lutheran) with 10 seconds left. Two more cracks at the end zone proved unsuccessful as the Yellow Jackets came away with the win.

The end-of-game excitement nearly overshadowed a record-breaking performance by Randolph-Macon wide receiver Earl Peoples, who set an ODAC record with 20 receptions for 295 yards and two touchdowns. Peoples caught every completed pass by senior quarterback Austin Faulkner, who was 20-of-29 for 295 yards and the two scores. Junior defensive back Scott Shope (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) led the R-MC defense with 12 tackles.

Westfal finished the game with 58 yards rushing on 14 carries and he completed 19-of-34 attempts for a season-best 193 yards and two touchdowns for W&L. Sophomore running back Jonathan Clemo (Salem, Va./Salem) carried 19 times for a career-high 125 yards, while Hudson caught five passes for 40 yards and one score. Senior defensive back Donavon Sawyer (Little Rock, Ark./Robinson) paced the W&L defense with 12 tackles and a forced fumble.

Washington and Lee returns to action on Saturday as it hosts Catholic for a 1:30 pm contest.

-- GENERALS --