GREENSBORO, N.C. – Senior quarterback Matt Pawlowski passed for 251 yards and a season-high five touchdowns in Guilford College's 41-21 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football win over visiting Randolph-Macon College Saturday.
The victory moved the Quakers to 6-1 (3-1 ODAC) for the second straight season and the sixth time in school history.
Pawlowski, who threw three scoring strikes to classmate Adam Smith, became the second quarterback in ODAC history to reach the 10,000 passing yards and 100 passing touchdowns plateaus in his career, joining former Quaker signal caller Josh Vogelbach '09. Smith matched his career high with three scoring catches and moved into second place among ODAC leaders with 41 career touchdown receptions, two shy of the league record.
The Quakers grabbed a 7-0 lead when Pawlowski hit Rontavius Miller for a 76-yard scoring strike on the game's first offensive play. Pawlowski connected with Austen Thompson on a five-yard scoring strike late in the first quarter, which triggered a 27-0 Guilford run over the next two quarters. Pawlowski threw a 12-yard touchdown to Smith that made it 28-7 at halftime and connected with Smith from eight yards out for the third quarter's lone scoring.
The injury-riddled Yellow Jackets (1-6, 0-4 ODAC) started their fourth quarterback in six games and emphasized a ball-control offense. They held the ball for 40 of the game's 60 minutes, but converted just three-of-10 third-down opportunities. Dom Kaopua's two-yard touchdown run capped a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive that chewed up over six minutes of the fourth quarter. The score drew the Yellow Jackets to within 34-14. The Quakers botched the ensuing kickoff, which the Yellow Jackets converted into another touchdown when Eric Hoy scored out of the Wildcat formation from three yards out. The extra point made it a 34-21 game, but the Yellow Jackets drew no closer.
Pawlowski capped his day with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Smith with 1:21 left, which marked Smith's third receiving score of the day. He finished with seven grabs for 79 yards, both game highs.
Guilford's De'Eric Bell scored on a 47-yard punt return in the second quarter, which marked his third straight game with a kick return for score. He returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown Oct. 10 versus Shenandoah University and took the opening kickoff 100 yards for a score in last Saturday's victory at Bridgewater College. Bell also returned a punt for a score in the season-opener at Greensboro College. He finished with 90 punt return yards on three attempts Saturday and compiled 158 all-purpose yards. Bell paced the Quakers' rushers with 61 yards on 11 carries.
The Quakers' defense spent a large portion of the day on the field and responded with two turnovers and a season-best four sacks. Senior safety Robert Smith led all defenders with 15 takedowns, recovered a fumble and also had his second interception of the year. Daytwyn Rascoe and Karl Roberts both made 10 tackles and Gibson Ziah had a career-high two sacks among his six tackles.
Randolph-Macon's Kaopua gained a game-high 79 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Blanco finished with 65 rushing yards and Hoy added 59 on 20 carries. Freshman quarterback Joe McBride completed 16-of-26 passes for 135 yards and a score. Six of his passes went to Christian Redman for 57 yards.
Guilford visits league-rival Catholic University of America Saturday (10/31) at 12 noon.