LEXINGTON, Va. - The Washington and Lee University football team found the end zone with 28 seconds remaining to complete a second half comeback to defeat Gettysburg College, 27-23, on Saturday night at Musselman Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After three punts opened the game, the Generals (2-0) marched 54 yards on eight plays before lining up for a field goal on fourth-and-6 from the Gettysburg 12-yard line. Grant Snyder's 29-yard attempt was blocked by Anthony Gatiano, keeping the game scoreless.
- The Bullets (1-1) capitalized on the blocked field goal, putting together an 11-play, 52-yard drive that ended with an Isaac Parks-Gill 45-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. The Blue and White reached the Gettysburg 27-yard line on their ensuing possession but turned the ball over on downs on fourth-and-5. The Bullets responded with another Parks-Gill field goal to extend their lead to 6-0.
- Following another W&L punt, Gettysburg pushed its advantage to 9-0 as Parks-Gill connected on his third field goal of the game to cap a 13-play, 63-yard drive.
- The Generals received the second-half kickoff and found the end zone for the first time. Starting at their own 28-yard line, the Blue and White marched 72 yards on nine plays before Ryan Clemens capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 9-6.
- Gettysburg answered on its ensuing possession to extend the lead to 16-6. Facing third-and-12 from the W&L 21-yard line, Sean Clark connected with Gabriel Diaz for a 21-yard touchdown to finish a nine-play, 78-yard drive.
- W&L's ensuing possession carried into the fourth quarter as the Generals methodically worked their way to the Gettysburg 2-yard line. Anthony Crawford capped the 15-play, 73-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to pull the Blue and White within two, 16-14.
- The Bullets responded with a 10-play, 65-yard scoring drive of their own. Clark capped the possession by rolling to his left and scrambling into the end zone from 4 yards out, extending Gettysburg's lead to 23-14 with 9:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.
- Washington and Lee pulled within two with under four minutes remaining following another lengthy drive that took nearly 5 1/2 minutes off the clock. Quarterback Tommy Acosta capped the 14-play, 75-yard possession by calling his own number on second-and-1 and finding the end zone from 10 yards out for his first collegiate touchdown to make it 23-21.
- The Generals' defense came up with a crucial stop on Gettysburg's ensuing possession, forcing a three-and-out to give the offense the ball back with two minutes remaining. RJ Corbey opened the drive with a 22-yard reception to move the Blue and White to the Gettysburg 28-yard line. Facing third-and-3 later in the drive, Carter Shallcross picked up the first down to give W&L first-and-goal from the 7.
- Clemens gave the Generals their first lead of the night on the next play, punching it in from 7 yards out to put W&L ahead, 27-23, with 28 seconds remaining.
- Gettysburg kept its hopes alive as Clark connected with Jayden Lee on back-to-back plays for 40 yards to reach the W&L 37-yard line. Facing second-and-6, Clark scrambled to extend the play before heaving a pass toward the end zone, where the Generals' defense knocked it down as time expired to secure the 27-23 comeback victory.
W&L GAME NOTES
- The Generals moved to 2-0 for the first time since 2018. The win also marked the first over the Bullets since 1976.
- The Blue and White produced 381 yards of total offense on 76 plays, rushing for 280 yards and four touchdowns while airing it out for 101 yards. The Generals possessed the ball for 31 minutes while converting 8 of their 16 (50%) third down attempts and 4 of their 5 (80%) on fourth down attempts.
- Defensively, W&L limited the Bullets' offense to 120 yards on the ground while allowing 249 passing yards.
GC GAME NOTES
- The Bullets fell to 1-1 on the season, dropping their 2026 home opener.
- Gettysburg racked up 369 yards of total offense on 62 plays, throwing for a game-high 249 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 120 yards and a score. They went 7 of 14 (50%) on third down conversion while converting their one fourth down attempt. They put points on the board in all four trips to the red zone while knocking down three field goals.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Sean Clark led all passers, completing 24 passes for 249 yards and one touchdown. Ty Collins completed 6 of 12 passes for 87 yards while adding 41 yards on the ground. Tommy Acosta completed 2 of 6 passes for 14 yards and rushed for 36 yards and a touchdown.
- Ryan Clemens led all rushers with 111 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, while Gettysburg's Carson Shoffner rushed 17 times for 77 yards. Jayden Lee hauled in eight passes for 73 yards, while Gabriel Diaz caught six passes for 61 yards and the Bullets' lone receiving touchdown. Teddy Sparrow paced the Blue and White receiving corps with three catches for 44 yards.
- Brennan Stout led the Generals' defensive effort with 15 tackles, including four solo stops and 1.5 tackles for loss. Marcus Canton added nine tackles and a team-high two pass breakups, while Tucker Washburn registered a career-high seven tackles, including three solo stops. Randolph Smith and Zach Cruet combined for the Generals' first sack of the season, while Smith added a tackle for loss.
- RJ Weiss led the Bullets with 13 tackles, including six solo stops, while Ryan Weems (12) and Ty Can (10) also reached double figures.
PROGRAM RECORD NOTES
- With the win, Head Coach Garrett LeRose '07 moved into third all-time in career wins, tying Lee McLaughlin with 48 career wins.
- Senior Anthony Crawford moved into the top five for career rushing touchdowns with his one this evening. He is now tied with Brett Murray '13 at No. 5 with 29 career scores.Â
UP NEXT
- The Generals are back on the road next week as they make the trip to Salisbury University to take on the 17th-ranke Sea Gulls on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
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.
