SPRINGFIELD, Ohio. -The Washington and Lee University football team dropped their second-straight contest on Saturday afternoon, falling 24-21 to Wittenberg University at Edwards-Maurer Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- W&L (0–2) struck first after forcing a three-and-out on Wittenberg's (1–1) opening drive. Ty Collins led a nine-play, 57-yard march that ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jake Lohmann for a 7–0 lead.
- The Generals' defense forced another punt on the Tigers' second possession, and the offense capitalized again with an 11-play, 79-yard drive spanning five and a half minutes. Collins connected with Teddy Sparrow on a one-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 14–0.
- Randolph Smith's 15-yard sack helped force a third straight Wittenberg punt, but the Generals' ensuing 13-play, 43-yard drive stalled, resulting in their first punt of the game. Wittenberg responded quickly, as JJ Miller hit Kade Ray for consecutive completions, the second going 77 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead in half.
- W&L drove to the Wittenberg 20 on its next possession, but Marcus Gafford's 37-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left, keeping the score 14–7 at halftime.
- The Generals' first drive of the second half ended with a fumble after a false start on 4th and 2. Wittenberg advanced to the W&L 20 but was stuffed on 4th and 4 by Brennan Stout and Will Mahmud. The Tigers tied the game at 14 on their next possession with a two-yard Miller rushing score, then took the lead minutes later when Will Dix Jr. intercepted Collins and set up a 20-yard Miller touchdown pass to Nikhai Daniel.
- W&L answered in the fourth quarter with an eight-play, 70-yard drive, capped by a five-yard Anthony Crawford touchdown run to tie the game at 21. Wittenberg responded with a clock-chewing 13-play, 71-yard drive, and Sumner Shroyer's 24-yard field goal gave the Tigers a 24–21 lead with 3:37 left.
- The Generals' final drive ended on 4th and 12 when Collins was sacked for a six-yard loss. Wittenberg ran out the clock to secure the three-point win.
W&L GAME NOTES
- With the loss, the Generals fell to 0–2 on the season, marking the first time they have dropped back-to-back games to open a campaign since 2014.
- W&L totaled 398 yards of offense on 85 plays, highlighted by 265 rushing yards on 64 carries for an average of 4.1 yards per attempt. Through the air, the Generals added 133 yards and two touchdowns.
- On third down, W&L converted 5-of-15 attempts (33%), while going 4-of-7 (57%) on fourth down. The Generals also controlled time of possession, holding the ball for 39:54—nearly two-thirds of the contest.
WITT GAME NOTES
- Wittenberg bounced back from its week one loss to move to 1–1 on the season, earning its third win in program history over W&L—and its first since 1958.
- The Tigers generated 305 yards of offense, including a game-high 214 yards through the air with two touchdowns, averaging 12.6 yards per completion.
- On third down, Wittenberg converted 4-of-11 attempts (36%) and capitalized in the red zone, scoring on three of its four trips.
TOP PERFORMERS
- JJ Miller led the Wittenberg offense, completing 17-of-26 passes (65%) for 214 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 19 yards and a score. Ty Collins went 13-of-20 (65%) for 133 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for the Generals.
- Anthony Crawford paced all rushers with a career-high 177 yards on 38 carries and a touchdown, averaging 4.7 yards per attempt. For Wittenberg, Jaheim Hudson carried nine times for 54 yards, averaging 6.0 yards per rush.
- Through the air, Kade Ray led the Tigers with four receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown, while Jake Lohmann hauled in four catches for 53 yards and a score.
- Defensively, Luke Jackson and Tyre Smith anchored Wittenberg with a game-high 20 tackles each, with Smith adding a sack. Will Mahmud posted a career-high 14 tackles for W&L, while Brennan Stout added 10 with one tackle for loss. Randolph Smith recorded the Generals' lone sack, and Jack Johnson broke up two passes.
UP NEXT
- The Generals return to Wilson Field for Young Alumni Weekend with a 4 p.m. match up against Guilford College on Saturday, Sept. 20.Â
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
