LEXINGTON, Va. – Centre College controlled the ball for better than 18 of the 30 minutes in the second half to produce a 28-23 win over Washington and Lee in football on Saturday evening at Wilson Field.

The Generals (0-3) held a 17-14 lead at halftime, but the Colonels (3-0) grabbed the lead back with 5:35 left in the third quarter when senior quarterback Heath Haden (Kingsport, Tenn./Sullivan South) hit junior wide receiver Blake Martin (Lexington, Ky./Paul Dunbar) with a 30-yard touchdown pass to cap a 6-play, 58-yard drive.

Centre added to its lead (28-17) with 9:32 remaining in the game as sophomore running back Casey Bradley (Acworth, Ga./Blessed Trinity) ended an 8-play, 61-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, his second of the game.

W&L cut it to a one possession game with 5:44 left when sophomore running back Marshall Hollerith (Richmond, Va./St. Christopher's) scored on a 1-yard touchdown plunge.  The ensuing two-point conversion failed accounting for the final margin.

The Generals forced a punt and had one last drive for the win, but the Colonels held on downs at the W&L 27-yardline with 15 seconds left and ran out the clock for the win.

W&L fumbled the opening kickoff and Centre opened a 7-0 lead just 4:07 into the ballgame on a 5-yard touchdown run by Bradley.  The Generals retaliated just 1:40 later when sophomore quarterback Charlie Nelson (Redding, Conn./St. Luke's) connected with senior wide receiver Bo McKown (Charleston, W.Va./Charleston Catholic) for a 39-yard touchdown pass.  Haden hit sophomore wide receiver Max Mazza (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) with a 46-yard scoring strike to make it 14-7 with nine seconds left in the first quarter, but Nelson scored on a 5-yard touchdown run at the 4:34 mark of the second quarter to knot the score at 14-14.  W&L grabbed the halftime lead on a 28-yard field goal by sophomore placekicker Matt Underhill (Bethesda, Md./Landon) with two seconds left in the half.

W&L held the ball for over 17 minutes in the first half and Centre finished with a slight end in that category for the game.  The Colonels gained 349 yards as opposed to 316 for the Generals.  Centre racked up 144 yards on 14 penalties, but the Blue & White gave up two fumbles without forcing a turnover.

Nelson completed 4-of-11 passes for 78 yards and one touchdown, and he ran 22 times for 46 yards and one touchdown.  Hollerith carried 25 times for 80 yards and one score, while first-year running back Walker Brand (Roanoke, Va./Hidden Valley) tallied 52 yards on 12 carries.  Senior safety Brandon Taylor (Petersburg, Va./Dinwiddie) led the defense with nine tackles. 

Haden went 10-of-17 passing for 197 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 50 yards on 11 carries.  Sophomore Nolan Coulter (Knoxville, Tenn./Knoxville Catholic) rushed 17 times for 66 yards and Mazza caught three balls for 99 yards and a score.  Junior defensive back Sam Spees (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade Julienne) totaled a game-high 12 tackles, while senior defensive end Rue Hockensmith (Woodberry Forest, Va./Woodberry Forest) notched 10 tackles and two sacks.

Washington and Lee returns to action on Saturday, October 4 when it travels to Guilford for a 1:00 pm contest.

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