LEXINGTON, Va. – The Washington and Lee football team jumped out to a 35-6 lead in the opening 17:22 of the game and cruised to a 49-23 victory over Emory & Henry on Friday evening at Wilson Field.

The Generals (2-2, 1-0) racked up 298 yards of total offense in just over one quarter en route to a 29-point lead with 12:38 left in the second quarter. 

W&L took the opening kickoff and marched 67 yards on eight plays, with senior tight end Jack Taylor (Broad Run, Va. / Battlefield) finishing the drive off with an 18-yard touchdown catch from senior quarterback Charlie Nelson (Redding, Conn. / St. Luke's) at the 12:09 mark of the first quarter.

The Blue & White forced a 3-and-out on the next series and drove 85 yards on six plays for a 14-0 lead at the 8:48 mark.  Nelson completed the drive with an 18-yard touchdown run.

E&H (1-3, 0-1) got on the board with 4:10 left in the first quarter when first-year running back Kendrick Kube scored on a 13-yard touchdown run.  The PAT failed making the score 14-6.  However, W&L stretched the lead back out to 21-6 on the next series when junior quarterback Matt Sgro (Wilmington, Del. / Salesianum) rumbled 70 yards down the sideline for a touchdown on a 3rd-and-5 play.

The Wasps drove to the W&L 22-yardline on the next possession, but junior cornerback Grey Reames (Nashville, Tenn. / Montgomery Bell) picked off junior quarterback Kevin Saxton at the 14-yardline and ran it back 86 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first quarter.  It was the Generals' first defensive score since the 2013 season and gave W&L a 28-6 lead.

The Generals held on downs on the next series and on the first play of their offensive set, Nelson hit Taylor streaking over the middle and he raced 66 yards for a touchdown and a 35-6 lead just 2:22 into the second quarter.

The Blue & White offense stalled out in the final two drives of the first half and E&H added a 33-yard field goal from first-year placekicker Matt Seals for a 35-9 lead at the half.

W&L's offense sputtered during the third period and the Wasps climbed back to within two scores following an 8-yard touchdown run from sophomore quarterback Dominic Dunnaville at 7:51 and a 9-yard touchdown pass from Dunnaville to first-year wide receiver Derrick Yates at 0:23.

E&H was looking to make it a one score game with just over 10 minutes remaining, but senior cornerback Will Dyson picked off Dunnaville at the W&L 44-yardline and Nelson finished off the ensuing drive eight plays later with a 10-yard touchdown run for a 42-23 lead at 6:47 of the fourth period.  First-year running back Jimmie Johnson (Hoover, Ala. / Hoover) provided the final margin when he scored on a 26-yard run with 1:29 remaining.

W&L amassed 579 total yards and 495 yards on the ground, the seventh-best rushing performance in school history.  Senior running back Marshall Hollerith (Richmond, Va. / St. Christopher's) led the way with 117 yards on 20 carries, while Sgro tallied 84 yards and a score on just eight carries.  Junior backs Walker Brand (Roanoke, Va. / Hidden Valley) and Josh Malm (Scottsville, Va. / Monticello) added 74 yards each.  Nelson rushed nine times for 47 yards and two touchdowns and completed both of his passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns.  Taylor caught two balls for 84 yards and two touchdowns. 

On defense, junior linebacker Max Garrett (Fairfield, Conn. / Choate Rosemary Hall) led the way with 11 tackles.  Sophomore linebacker Ian Gipson (Atlanta, Ga. / Marist) added nine tackles and one pass breakup. 

E&H totaled 481 yards of offense led by Kube, who rushed for 168 yards and one touchdown on just 12 carries.  Dunnaville rushed for 34 yards and one score on eight carries, and also completed 10-of-16 passes for 93 yards and one touchdown with one interception.  Saxton completed 20-of-34 passes for 138 yards and one interception, while Yates caught 11 passes for 68 yards and one touchdown.  Senior linebacker Rhasheen Williams paced the defense with 11 tackles. 

Washington and Lee returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Catholic for a 1:00 pm contest.

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