LEXINGTON, Va. - The Washington and Lee University football team will open up their 2026 campaign at home for the second consecutive season on Saturday afternoon as they welcome the Tigers of Wittenberg College to Wilson Field for a 1 p.m. tilt.

Game Information: 
When: Saturday, September 5, 2026
Where: Lexington, Va.
Stadium: Wilson Field
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
Gameday Links: Watch | Live Stats | Flip Card

How to Watch on FloCollege: The Old Dominion Athletic Conference is in year two of a five-year media rights agreement with FloSports ensures that all ODAC and W&L home contests will stream live on FloCollege with a subscription. Games will also be available on demand immediately for all subscription holders and new for the 2026-27 year, for free, on FloCollege, 24 hours after their conclusion on FloCollege.com.

FloSports/FloCollege can be accessed through the FloSports app or on major streaming platforms, including Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, and Google Chromecast which  provides access to FloSports' full library of more than 40,000 events across 25 sports. Subscriptions can be purchased here.

Admission to regular-season home games is free, while ODAC semifinal and championship games and any NCAA postseason contests will require paid admission regardless of host institution. Fans planning to attend should review W&L's tailgating and parking operations HERE.

Generals in the Season Opener: The Blue and White head into the 2026 season with a 7-18 overall record in their last 25 season openers including a 6-7 home record and a 1-11 tally on the road. The have dropped their last six openers with their last win coming on Sept. 1, 2018 where they defeated Dickinson College 16-10 in overtime in Carlisle, Pa.


Series History: The Generals and Tigers are meeting for the fourth time in program history and the second time in as many seasons. The two squads will face each other in a season opener for the first time in series history. The Tigers hold a 3-0 series lead over the Blue and White, outscoring W&L 136-47 since their first matchup in 1953.

W&L jumped out to an early 14-0 lead behind a pair of touchdown passes from Ty Collins. J.J. Miller connected with Kade Ray for a 77-yard touchdown to cut the lead to seven before halftime. Out of the break, Miller led the Tigers' offense to a pair of scores, capping an eight-play, 38-yard drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown before finding Nikhai Daniel for a 20-yard touchdown to give Wittenberg a 21-14 lead. Anthony Crawford tied the game early in the fourth quarter with a 5-yard rushing touchdown, but Sumner Shroyer connected on a 24-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 24-21 lead with 3:45 remaining. The Wittenberg defense held on the ensuing possession, sacking Collins on fourth-and-12 to secure the three-point victory.

Miller completed 17 of 26 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns while adding 19 rushing yards and a score. Collins completed 13 of 20 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Crawford carried the ball 38 times for 177 yards and a touchdown for the Blue and White, while Ray led all receivers with four catches for 107 yards. Tyre Smith led all defenders with 20 tackles, including seven solo stops, one tackle for loss and a sack. Will Mahmud '26 led the Blue and White with 14 tackles, while Randolph Smith recorded W&L's lone sack.

Scouting the Tigers: The Tigers are coming off a 4-6 record in 2025 with a 3-5 mark in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) play. Wittenberg is led by an entirely new coaching staff, including first-year head coach BJ Coad '08, who helped the Tigers win two NCAC titles and advance to the national quarterfinals in 2009.
Wittenberg returns three starters on the offensive side of the ball, all of whom are offensive linemen. Left tackle Zach Chambers and left guard Scott Arnold return for their senior seasons, while right guard Josh Gonzalez is back for his junior campaign. The trio helped the Wittenberg offense produce 311.4 yards per game last season, including 204.3 yards through the air and 107.1 yards on the ground. The offensive line allowed just 16 sacks while helping quarterback JJ Miller throw for 1,810 yards and 12 touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers return three starters from last year's squad, including Third Team All-NCAC selection Will Dix Jr. The junior linebacker from Parma Heights, Ohio, registered 58 tackles, including 23 solo stops, while ranking second on the team with 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He also hauled in a team and conference-high five interceptions, returning two for touchdowns. Seniors Charlie Grier and Austin Woods return along the defensive line for Wittenberg. The duo combined for 44 tackles, four sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss during their junior seasons.
 
Scouting the Generals: The Blue and White are coming off a 7-4 overall record in 2025 with a 6-2 mark in conference play, highlighted by a 14-12 win over Lycoming College in the Cape Charles Bowl. The bowl victory marked the second in program history, while W&L became the first Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) or Landmark Conference institution to win both the Cape Henry and Cape Charles bowls.

W&L returns seven offensive starters from last season, including four All-ODAC performers. Ty Collins enters his third year as the starting quarterback of the Generals' multifaceted offense. Collins, an Atlanta, Ga., native, earned Third Team All-ODAC honors last season after completing 77 of 136 passing attempts for 1,004 yards and seven touchdowns while rushing for 326 yards and five scores.Second Team All-ODAC and Third Team All-Region selection Ryan Clemens returns after a breakout rookie campaign with the Blue and White. Clemens, a Doylestown, Pa., native, took over as the starter in Week 7 and rushed for 1,086 yards on 159 carries with 10 touchdowns, averaging 98.7 yards per game. Anthony Crawford returns to the backfield to form a potent one-two punch with Clemens. Prior to a season-ending injury, Crawford rushed for 701 yards on 134 carries with nine touchdowns, averaging 116.8 yards per game.

Senior Teddy Sparrow, a Second Team All-ODAC selection in 2025, returns at tight end for the Generals. During his junior campaign, Sparrow led the team with 14 receptions for 340 yards and three touchdowns, including a 75-yard touchdown in W&L's upset win over Hampden-Sydney on Oct. 4. Three of the Blue and White's offensive linemen return to help lead the potent rushing attack, including D3football.com Second Team Preseason All-American Wesley Howenstein, sophomore Thomas Wakefield and junior Jack Clayton. The trio helped the Generals rush for more than 3,600 yards while ranking second in Division III and fourth across all NCAA divisions with 316.9 rushing yards per game. As a unit, the offensive line ranked third nationally in sacks allowed, surrendering just four all season.

On defense, the Blue and White return five starters, including Second Team All-ODAC selection Brennan Stout. The junior from St. Clairsville, Ohio, enjoyed a breakout sophomore campaign, leading the team with 116 tackles, including 28 solo stops, while registering three tackles for loss. Senior Mac Palmer joins Stout in the linebackers room and will serve as a captain. In 2025, Palmer recorded 49 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks while intercepting one pass and breaking up three others.

O'Keefe McKinney, a senior from Lawrenceville, Ga., is the lone returning starter on the defensive line. He recorded 14 tackles last season, including two solo stops, while adding a quarterback hurry. W&L also returns a pair of seniors in the secondary in Allan Gushue and Gabe Joyner. Gushue recorded 37 tackles last season, including 18 solo stops, while breaking up two passes and forcing a fumble. Joyner tallied 28 tackles, including 19 solo stops, while leading the team with two interceptions and adding three pass breakups, the second-most on the Generals' defense.

ODAC Preseason Poll: The Generals received 38 points in the poll to tie with Hampden-Sydney for the No. 2 spot in the league. 25th-ranked Randolph-Macon was tabbed as the preseason favorite for the eighth-straight year, receiving seven of the eight first place votes and 49 points. H-SC secured the final first place vote while Shenandoah University sits in fourth place with 33 points. Bridgewater and Roanoke both received 23 points, tying for fifth while Guilford (7th) and Averett (8th) round out the preseason poll. You can read the entire ODAC Preseason Preview HERE.
 
1. Randolph-Macon (7) | 49 pts.
2. Hampden-Sydney (1)  | 38 pts.
2. Washington and Lee  | 38 pts.
4. Shenandoah | 33 pts.
5. Bridgewater | 23 pts.
5. Roanoke | 23 pts.
7. Guilford | 12 pts.
8. Averett | 8 pts.
National Rankings: D3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) each released their preseason polls for the 2026 season, with both rankings producing identical top fives. North Central College (Ill.) received every first place vote in each poll after a National Runner-up finish in 2025. Bethel (Minn.) was slotted second after a 12-1 campaign followed by Mount Union (11-1) in third. Johns Hopkins was ranked fourth following a National Semifinals appearance and a 12-2 record while Wheaton (Ill.) rounded out the top five following a 11-3 campaign.

The Generals will take on a pair of opponents who appeared in both the D3football.com and AFCA preseason poll. In week three, W&L will travel to Salisbury, who was ranked 17th in both polls, before taking on conference rival Randolph-Macon in week six. The Yellow Jackets were ranked 25th in the D3football.com poll and 22nd by the AFCA.

National Statistical Rankings: The Generals' offense ranked among the top 15 nationally in three categories last season, including ranking second in Division III and fourth across all NCAA divisions in rushing offense at 316.9 yards per game. The offensive line ranked third in Division III in sacks allowed, surrendering just four all season, while the Generals ranked 12th nationally in time of possession, holding the ball for an average of 33:31 per game.
Ryan Clemens ranked among the top 30 nationally in a pair of rushing categories last season, finishing ninth with 6.8 yards per carry and 30th with 1,086 rushing yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Brennan Stout ranked eighth in Division III with 11.6 tackles per game.

Around the ODAC:
Thursday, September 3rd
Roanoke at Virginia University of Lynchburg | 6 p.m.

Friday, September 4th
#22/25 Randolph-Macon at Dickinson | 6 p.m.
Shenandoah at Methodist | 6 p.m.
Bridgewater at Stevenson | 7 p.m.

Saturday, September 5th
Hampden-Sydney at Wabash (Ind.) | 12 p.m. (CT)
Averett vs. N.C. Wesleyan University | 6 p.m.
Guilford at Greensboro | 6 p.m.

---

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.