LEXINGTON, Va. – The Bridgewater College football team fell to Washington and Lee, 31-21, at Wilson Field in ODAC play on Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles drop to 6-3 on the season with a 4-2 record in ODAC games, while the Generals improve to 7-2 overall behind a 5-1 record in league action.
Washington and Lee elected to receive to start the game and used the first drive to put point on the board as the Generals put together a nine-play 73-yard drive as Anthony Crawford ran in from four yards out for a touchdown with 11 minutes left in the first. WLU added a field goal after another nine-play drive to go up 10-0 with 3:35 left in the opening quarter.
After a three-and-out from Bridgewater, the Generals added another score before the end of the quarter on a second Crawford touchdown. After a PAT from Arturo Ramirez, the score was 17-0 after 15 minutes.
Bridgewater got in on the scoring as it moved the ball 62 yards on 10 plays capped off by a
Kennedy Fauntleroy touchdown from a yard out to make the score 17-7 with 11:14 left in the half.
The Generals got on the board one more time as Giorgio Antonacci dove across the goal line to finish off a 13-play drive to give the home side a 24-7 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the home team scored again on a 25-yard pass-and-catch from Stephen Murrin to Marcus Payne as the Generals went ahead 31-7.
Bridgewater took over on downs with just over 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter and moved the ball 61 yards on 11 plays ending with a
Malcolm Anderson rushing touchdown to get the Eagles back in the game. A two-point conversion attempt found
Ian Browne in the back of the end zone to make the score 31-15 with eight minutes left in the game.
Shawn Harris punched a ball lose that
Aaron Nice fell on during the ensuing Washington and Lee drive to give BC possession in great field position. The Eagles were close to another score as a fourth down attempt saw an open receiver over the middle, but the pass was batted down at the line of scrimmage to give WLU the ball back with five minutes and change left in regulation.
Bridgewater took advantage of another miscue by the Generals' offense as an errant pitch on an option play hit the ground and was picked up by the BC defense. Bridgewater moved the ball quickly to get another score on the board as
Montez Green hauled in a 29-yard touchdown catch from Anderson. The two-point conversion attempt failed, and the score moved to 31-21 in favor of Washington and Lee.
After a failed onside kick, the Generals took a knee to end the game and give the home team a 31-21 victory.
Jaicere Bateman started at quarterback and was 8-for-15 through the air, while
Jaylen Wood was 4-of-6 through the air. Anderson finished 5-for-10 for 101 yards and a touchdown.
For the Generals, Murrin completed eight passes for 191 yards and a touchdown.
On the ground, Fauntleroy finished with another 100-yard game as he totaled 136 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown. Anderson also had a rushing touchdown and ran for six yards.
Green led the team with seven catches for 52 yards, including his 29-yard touchdown near the end of the game. Fauntleroy had three grabs for 31 yards, while
Freddie Watkins and Browne each had two catches on the day.
Defensively,
Aaron Moore led the game with 16 tackles (five solo) for a new career best.
Aaron Nice was right behind him with 15 stops (nine solo), including 1.5 TFL and 1.0 sacks. He also had a fumble recovery.
Val West pitched in eight tackles and Harris had seven with 1.0 TFL to go with his forced fumble.
Zach Koller and
TJ Lowery each picked up fumbles, as well.
The Generals outgained the Eagles 459-302, but the BC defense forced three turnovers compared to zero from the Eagles' offense.
Washington and Lee went 7-of-12 on third downs, while Bridgewater was held to just five third-down conversions on 15 tries.
The Eagles return to action for Senior Day at the Jopson Athletic Complex. The team wraps up the regular season against Guilford on Nov. 11, with kickoff set for 2 pm.
