BRIDGEWATER, Va. – The Washington and Lee football team erupted for 23 points in the second quarter in producing a 30-20 victory over Bridgewater on Saturday afternoon at Jopson Field.

The win was W&L's first over the Eagles (2-2, 1-1) on the road since the 2010 campaign and improved the Generals to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play this season.

The Blue & White held a 7-6 lead early in the second quarter courtesy of a 4-yard touchdown run by senior running back Collin Sherman (Virginia Beach, Va. / Cox).  After the Eagles booted a field goal at the 12:44 mark to pull within one point, Sherman opened the second quarter scoring for the Generals with a 67-yard touchdown run on the first play of the ensuing series for a 14-6 lead.  On the third play of the next possession for Bridgewater, sophomore linebacker Fred Benham (Chesapeake, Va. / Grassfield) picked off BC senior quarterback Jay Scroggins, returing the ball to the Bridgewater 33-yard line.  Junior quarterback Drew Richardson (Watkinsville, Ga. / Athens Academy) hooked up with senior tight end Reid Ostrom (Germantown, Tenn. / Houston) for a 33-yard touchdown pass on the next play to give W&L a 20-6 lead with 11:26 left in the half.

The W&L defense forced a 3-and-out on the next series, and the offense drove to the Eagle 18-yardline before stalling on downs.  However, the defense stepped up again, with senior cornerback Patrick Ryan (Wilton, Conn. / Wilton) scooping up a fumble and returning it 37 yards for a touchdown and a 27-0 lead with 4:49 left in the half.  It was the Generals' first fumble return for a touchdown in nearly 12 years.

Bridgewater went 3-and-out on the next possession, and W&L drove to the BC 1-yardline before eventually settling for a 25-yard field goal by sophomore placekicker Jarrett Wright (Charlotte, N.C. / Ardrey Kell), giving W&L a 30-6 lead at the break.

Bridgewater took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched 82 yards on eight plays, scoring on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Scroggins to senior wide receiver Dakoda Shrader.  BC converted on a 2-point conversion to pull within 30-14 at the 10:36 mark of the third quarter.

The W&L offense struggled to find traction in the early portion of the second half, and the Eagles crawled to within 10 points on an 11-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Demetrius Jalepes with 4:06 left in the third quarter.

The Generals began chewing up clock in the fourth quarter, though Bridgewater put another good potential scoring drive together midway through the final period.  However, junior placekicker Logan Weis missed a 38-yard field goal with 8:12 left, and W&L ended the final Bridgewater possession with an interception from Ryan with 4:30 remaining.  The Generals then ran out the clock for their first ODAC win of the season.

W&L finished with 334 yards of total offense, including 276 on the ground.  Sophomore running back Josh Breece (Lorton, Va. / Stone Bridge) topped 100 yards for the third time in four games, totaling 150 yards on a career-high 35 carries.  In the process, he moved into eighth-place on the school's career rushing list with 2,291 career yards.

Sherman added 83 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries, while Richardson completed 2-of-4 passes for 49 yards and one touchdown.  He also rushed four times for 15 yards.  On defense, sophomore linebacker Sam Murphy (Henrico, Va. / Douglas Freeman) led the way with eight tackles.  Ryan finished with four tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery.

Bridgewater had 341 yards of offense paced by Jalapes, who gained 96 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries.  Scroggins completed 14-of-26 passes for 149 yards and one touchdown (2 INT), and rushed six times for 27 yards.  Shrader caught three passes for 54 yards and a touchdown, while junior linebacker Re'Shaun Myers had a game-high 13 tackles.

Washington and Lee will be back in action on Saturday when it hosts Emory & Henry for a 1:00 pm contest.

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