GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Washington and Lee football team totaled just 178 yards of offense and turned the ball over five times in falling to Guilford College by a score of 40-3 on Saturday at the Armfield Athletic Center.

Guilford (3-4, 2-3) took the early advantage after senior running back De'Eric Bell returned the opening kickoff 46 yards and then scored 10 plays later on a 1-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 advantage 3:31 into the contest.

W&L (5-2, 3-2) gained just 12 yards total across its first two drives and the Quakers made it a 14-0 game at the 3:15 mark of the first quarter on a 42-yard touchdown run by Bell.  The Generals' offense continued to struggle in the second quarter and Guilford made it 21-0 at the half on a 2-yard touchdown run by sophomore quarterback Alex Manley with 4:21 left before the break.

The Blue & White drove into GC territory on its opening series of the second half, but was stopped on downs at the Guilford 36-yardline.  The Quakers then made it a four-score game (28-0) two plays later when Manley found sophomore wide receiver Jordan Smith with a 61-yard touchdown pass.

Down 34-0 midway through the fourth quarter, the Generals broke through with a 28-yard field goal by sophomore placekicker Jarrett Wright (Charlotte, N.C. / Ardrey Kell) following a blocked punt on the GC 12-yardline.  Senior defensive lineman Alex Cantrell (Charlotte, N.C. / Providence Day) blocked the punt, which was recovered by senior linebacker Kurt Waibel (Granite Falls, N.C. / South Caldwell).

The Quakers added a 20-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Taylor Kicker to senior wide receiver Desmond Marshall with 2:46 remaining for the final margin.

W&L finished just 3-of-14 (.214) on third down and 1-of-4 (.250) on fourth down in the contest.  Sophomore running back Josh Breece (Lorton, Va. / Stone Bridge) was held to a career-low 19 yards on 21 carries, while junior running back Jimmie Johnson (Hoover, Ala. / Hoover) had a team-best 58 yards on five carries.  Sophomore quarterback Trey Laughlin (Henrico, Va. / Douglas Freeman) added 52 yards on three carries.  Junior linebacker Will Corry (Watkinsville, Ga. / Athens Academy) paced the defense with 10 tackles and a half sack.

Guilford had 484 yards of total offense led by Manley, who completed 23-of-34 passes for 265 yards and one touchdown.  He also rushed 13 times for 45 yards and one score.  Bell finished with 122 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries, while Smith had three catches for 79 yards and one touchdown.  Sophomore linebacker Bryce Smith had a game-high 14 tackles for the Quakers.

Washington and Lee returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Hampden-Sydney for a 1:00 pm contest.

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