GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Washington and Lee University team rushed for a season-high 471 yards en route to a 47-3 win at Guilford College on Saturday evening in the Gate City.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Guilford (1-7, 0-5 ODAC) received the opening kickoff and struck first. The Quakers put together a 10-play, 38-yard drive that consumed five and a half minutes before Colby Tucker connected on a 55-yard field goal to give the home team a 3-0 lead.
- The Generals (5-3, 3-2 ODAC) responded with a scoring drive of their own. Michael Schoenberg opened the possession with a 14-yard rush before W&L gained another 27 yards on the ground to reach the Guilford 30-yard line. Ty Collins capped off the drive with a 30-yard rushing touchdown, but the Quakers blocked the ensuing extra-point attempt, giving W&L a 6-3 lead.
- On the Quakers' first possession of the second quarter, Brennan Stout forced a fumble that was recovered by Gabe Joyner. The turnover led directly to points for the Blue and White. Facing second-and-6 at the W&L 43-yard line, Schoenberg broke free for a 37-yard gain to reach the Guilford 20-yard line. A few plays later, Ryan Clemens found the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run to extend the Generals' lead to 13-3.
- The Generals' defense forced a three-and-out on Guilford's next possession, giving W&L the ball at its own 30-yard line with 2:18 remaining in the half. The Blue and White executed a seven-play, 70-yard scoring drive to take a 19-3 lead into halftime. After advancing to the Guilford 13-yard line, Collins dropped back and connected with Teddy Sparrow in the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown pass.
- Coming out of the break, the Generals extended their lead to 26-3 as Anthony Crawford capped off an eight-play, 77-yard drive that spanned three minutes with a 2-yard rushing touchdown.
- Following another Guilford punt, the Generals extended their advantage to 30 points with a 14-play, 70-yard drive that consumed seven minutes. W&L picked up significant gains from Ian Gallimore (15-yard rush) and Crawford (14-yard rush) to advance to the 1-yard line. Fidel Small finished off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Blue and White a 33-3 lead.
- W&L's defense forced another three-and-out on Guilford's ensuing possession, giving the Generals the ball at their own 32-yard line. The Blue and White gained 12 yards on consecutive rushes from Aaron Ayodeji and Crawford to open the drive. On the third play, Ayodeji called his own number and sprinted 56 yards to the end zone for his first career touchdown, extending W&L's lead to 40-3.
- Facing fourth-and-28, Guilford quarterback Nick Danciu dropped back and targeted Josh Long, but Graham Geshke broke up the pass to force a turnover on downs and give W&L possession at its own 35-yard line.
- The Blue and White put together a 12-play, 65-yard drive that consumed eight minutes of game clock to seal the 47-3 victory. The Generals marched to the Guilford 4-yard line on 11 rushing attempts before James Lancaster punched it in from four yards out for his first career touchdown.
W&L GAME NOTES
- The Blue and White snapped their two-game losing streak to improve to 5-3 overall with a 3-2 mark in ODAC play. The victory also marked the Generals' seventh consecutive win over the Quakers, improving their all-time series record to 25-14.
- W&L's offense produced 530 yards of total offense on 72 plays, averaging 7.4 yards per play. The Generals rushed for a season-high 471 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. They also completed four passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. The Blue and White controlled possession for 37 minutes, converting 9-of-12 (75%) third-down attempts and 2-of-3 (66%) fourth-down opportunities while scoring on all five trips to the red zone.
- Defensively, the Generals limited Guilford to 218 yards of total offense, holding the Quakers to just 58 rushing yards and 160 passing yards while surrendering only three points. W&L also recorded four sacks, forced a pair of fumbles and forced four punts.
GC GAME NOTES
- The Quakers fall to 1-7 on the season and 0-5 in league play.
- They produced 218 yards of offense with 58 yards on the ground on 19 carries while completing 16 passes for 160 yards.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Nick Danciu completed 15-of-25 passes (60%) for 155 yards. Ty Collins completed all four of his passes for 59 yards and a touchdown while adding 61 rushing yards and a score on nine carries.
- Ryan Clemens led all rushers with 97 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, while Aaron Ayodeji, Anthony Crawford, James Lancaster and Fidel Small each added a rushing score. Malik Woodard led the Quakers with 29 yards on seven carries.
- Shane Shapiro hauled in a game-high seven passes for 74 yards, while Teddy Sparrow caught two passes for 27 yards and a touchdown.
- Ben Finkelstein led all tacklers with 12 stops, while Garrett Wilson (11), Joshua Ricks (10), Simeon Reid (10) and Owen Whelan (10) each reached double figures. Brennan Stout led the Generals with nine tackles and a forced fumble.
- Arnez Dowe led the Generals with two sacks and two tackles for loss while also forcing a fumble. Tanner Krug added a sack, while Chase Wilson and Randolph Smith each recorded half a sack in the win. Jaden Shively and AJ Norfus Jr. teamed up for a sack for the Quakers.
TOP TEN UPDATES
- Ty Collins moved up to No. 4 all-time in career touchdowns with his two this evening. Collins is tied with Brett Murrary '13 and Marc Watson '01 with 36 total touchdowns.
- Anthony Crawford notched his 31st career touchdown this evening which ranks tenth in program history, sitting one behind Jack Martin '08. It also moved him to No. 5 in rushing touchdowns, one behind Marc Watson '02.
UP NEXT
- The Generals are back at Wilson Field for the final time during the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 7 as they take on Shenandoah University at 1 p.m. The Blue and White will honor their 18 senior members prior to 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.
