LEXINGTON, Va. – Junior quarterback Charlie Nelson (Redding, Conn. / St. Luke's) rushed for 154 yards and threw for 104 more as Washington and Lee knocked off 23rd-ranked Guilford by a score of 20-17 on Saturday at Wilson Field.
The win improved W&L to 4-0 overall for the first time since the 2000 season and the Generals begin ODAC play 1-0. It was also W&L's first win over a ranked opponent since knocking off 23rd-ranked Centre on Sept. 15, 2012.
The Quakers (3-1, 0-1) came into the game averaging a Division III-best 63.3 points and 639.3 yards per game, but were limited to just three points in the opening half as the teams entered the break deadlocked at 3-3.
Guilford drew blood first, scoring on the second play of the second quarter as senior placekicker Tyler Hunt (Gibsonville, N.C./Eastern Guilford) ended a 6-play, 52-yard drive with a 44-yard field goal at the 14:06 mark.
The Generals drove the ball successfully throughout the first half, but had drives thwarted by penalties and two turnovers while progressing deep into Guilford territory. W&L got on the board with 4:33 left when junior placekicker Matt Underhill (Bethesda, Md. / Landon) booted a 31-yard field goal. On the prior possession, Guilford senior quarterback Matt Pawlowski (Greensboro, N.C./Northwest Guilford) was knocked out of the game and the Quakers turned to senior Mitch Ferrick (Centreville, Va./Centreville) under center for the rest of the game.
W&L forced a Guilford punt on the first drive of the third period and then marched 86 yards on 13 plays to assume a 10-3 lead with 5:37 left in the third quarter. Nelson hit sophomore wide receiver Witt Hawkins (Memphis, Tenn. / Memphis University School) for a 43-yard gain on a 3rd-and-14 during the drive and junior running back Evan Hinkle (Glen Allen, Va. / Deep Run) finished things off with a 1-yard touchdown run.
The Generals' defense forced a 3-and-out on the next drive and the offense cashed in again with a 10-play, 81-yard drive that made it a 17-3 game with 13:57 left in the contest. Another big pass play spearheaded the drive as Nelson found junior running back Jimmy Dugan (Rye, N.Y. / Rye) for a 45-yard gain on a 3rd-and-5, and Nelson found paydirt from 5-yards out seven plays later.
Ferrick led Guilford on its first touchdown drive of the day on the next possession, as the Quakers marched 75 yards on 15 plays to make it a 17-10 game with 9:56 remaining. Ferrick found junior tight end Trey Dill (Indian Trail, N.C./Porter Ridge) with an 8-yard touchdown pass for the score.
W&L responded on the next possession, taking 5:35 off the game clock and driving 37 yards to the Guilford 34-yardline before stalling out. Underhill then booted a 51-yard field goal for a 20-10 lead with 4:14 remaining. Underhill's kick was the longest field goal in W&L history, bettering the record of 47 done three times by two players.
Guilford responded once again as Ferrick led the Quakers on a 75-yard drive that resulted in a 21-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Daniel Woodruff (Tobaccoville, N.C./North Forsyth) with 2:43 left in the game. GC executed an onside kick, but the officials ruled the ball had not traveled 10 yards before being recovered by the Guilford placekicker. The Generals then picked up a pair of first downs, running out the clock for the victory.
W&L racked up 485 yards of total offense led by Nelson's outstanding effort. Hinkle rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and junior running back Marshall Hollerith (Richmond, Va. / St. Christopher's) tallied 69 yards on 22 carries. Hawkins grabbed two passes for 59 yards. Senior defensive end Jimmy Moynahan (Sandwich, Mass. / Boston College High) and sophomore linebacker Max Garrett (Fairfield, Conn. / Choate Rosemary Hall) led the Generals' defense with 11 tackles each.
W&L held Guilford to just 358 total yards in the contest. Sophomore running back De'Eric Bell (Jackson, Ga./Jackson) paced the Quakers' offense with 107 yards rushing on 23 carries. He also caught four passes for 32 yards. Ferrick completed 13-of-24 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns, while senior wide receiver Chad Christopher (Clyde, N.C./Tuscola) caught four passes for 65 yards. Senior defensive back Robert Smith (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds) totaled a team-best 11 tackles.
Washington and Lee returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Hampden-Sydney for a 1:00 pm contest. The Generals will be looking for their first 5-0 start since the 1961 team went 9-0.