LEXINGTON, Va. - Two of the top teams in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) squared off on Saturday afternoon at Wilson Field with the Washington and Lee University football team downing No. 23 Randolph-Macon 20-17 for their first win over the Yellow Jackets since 2021.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Generals (4-1, 2-0 ODAC) won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. Following a touchback from Michael Fernandes, the Yellow Jackets (3-2, 1-1 ODAC) started their drive at the 25-yard line. They opened the scoring after an 11-play, 75-yard drive, which ate up six minutes of game clock, with an 11-yard rushing touchdown from Mitchell Johnson to give the visitors an early lead.
- On the Blue and White's first drive, they marched down to the RMC 21-yard line. On fourth-and-two, Ty Collins dropped back to pass but was pressured by Tim Semisch and Tate Smith, forcing an incompletion and a turnover on downs.
- RMC's next drive extended into the second quarter, and on third-and-five at the W&L 43-yard line, Mac Palmer stuffed Mitchell Johnson to force the first punt of the afternoon.
- W&L responded on its next drive, moving down the field on a 22-play, 86-yard drive that saw nearly 11 and a half minutes come off the game clock. Collins found the end zone on third-and-two from the RMC 12, but a penalty nullified the score and moved the Generals back to the 17-yard line. Five plays later, Ryan Clemens bullied his way into the end zone for a three-yard score before a missed extra point made it a 7-6 ballgame.
- With 29 seconds remaining in the first half, quarterback Jake Mulhern completed passes to Mitchell Johnson and Malakiah Moore for 52 yards, moving the Yellow Jackets to the W&L 13-yard line with five seconds remaining. Henry Ross came on to attempt a field goal, knocking down the 31-yard attempt to send the Yellow Jackets into the break with a 10-6 lead.
- Both teams were forced to punt on their opening drives of the second half. The Blue and White started their second drive at midfield with 7:42 remaining in the quarter. W&L chipped away at the RMC defense before Fidel Small gained 17 yards on a speed option to put the Generals inside the red zone. Collins rushed for eight yards on second down before calling his own number on the next play, scampering in from 11 yards out to give the Generals a 13-10 lead.
- Randolph-Macon ate up seven minutes of game clock on its next drive, which extended into the fourth quarter. Mulhern connected with Moore for a 20-yard passing touchdown to reclaim a 17-13 lead.
- W&L put together an impressive scoring drive on its next possession, driving 75 yards on 13 plays, which ran through nearly eight of the final 11 minutes of the game. After getting down to the RMC 15-yard line, Collins sprinted right on a speed option and beat a defender to find the end zone and give the Generals a 20-17 lead with 3:10 remaining in the game.
- Randolph-Macon started its drive at its own 19-yard line before Mulhern got the Yellow Jackets to midfield with a 24-yard completion to Russell Jackson and added seven yards on the ground. Following an illegal touching penalty that resulted in a loss of five yards and a loss of down, Mulhern dropped back and couldn't connect with Basit Qadri streaking across the middle, forcing a turnover on downs and securing the 20-17 win for the Generals.
W&L GAME NOTES
- The Generals improved to 4-1 on the season while notching their second win in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play. The win marked their first victory over the Yellow Jackets since 2021 and their first win in the series at home since 2014.
- The Blue and White dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 37 minutes of game time. W&L registered 338 yards of total offense on 72 plays, rushing for a season-high 304 yards with three touchdowns while completing three passes for 34 yards.
- W&L converted 11 of its 17 (65%) third-down attempts while going 3-of-4 (75%) on fourth down. The Generals made four trips to the red zone, finding the end zone three times.
- Defensively, the Generals held Randolph-Macon to its second-lowest output of the season, allowing 285 yards of offense, including 116 yards on the ground and 169 yards through the air. They also forced two punts while holding the Yellow Jackets' offense to 4-of-7 (57%) on third down and 1-of-2 (50%) on fourth down.
- With the win, Head Coach Garrett LeRose '07 notched his 50th career win at the helm of the program. He is the third coach in the 135-year history of the program to reach 50 wins, joing Gary Fallon and Frank Miriello. During his nine season, LeRose has led the Blue and White to a 50-27 (.649) overall record.
RMC GAME NOTES
- The Yellow Jackets fell to 3-2 on the season with a 1-1 mark in league play, marking their first conference loss in five seasons.
- Randolph-Macon produced 285 yards of offense on 46 plays, throwing for a game-high 169 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 116 yards on 25 carries with a touchdown.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Jake Mulhern led all passers, going 13-for-19 (68%) from the pocket for 162 yards and a touchdown while rushing once for seven yards. Ty Collins went 3-of-5 (60%) through the air for 34 yards while leading the team with a career-high 109 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns.
- Ryan Clemens added 100 yards on the ground on 22 carries with a touchdown, marking the first time the Generals had two ball carriers rush for over 100 yards since Clemens and Dominic Hahn did so in the Generals' win over Averett last season.
- Malakiah Moore caught a game-high seven passes for 92 yards and a touchdown, while Teddy Sparrow led W&L's receiving corps with one catch for 15 yards.
- Quentin Mankin led the game's defensive efforts with 17 total tackles, including seven solo stops. Christian Daniel (16) and Matthew MacNichol (14) both reached double figures for the Yellow Jackets. Brennan Stout paced the Generals' defense with 15 tackles, including four solo stops and a tackle for loss. Arnez Dowe posted a game-high 1.5 tackles for loss, while RMC's Tim Semisch registered the lone sack of the afternoon.
UP NEXT
- The Generals continue ODAC play next Saturday, October 17 as they travel to Bridgewater College for a 2 p.m. kick off.
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.
