#24 Washington & Lee pulled away early in the second half as the Bridgewater College football team fell 45-23 to the Generals on Saturday in Lexington, Va.
Kevon White rushed for 93 yards and a score on 19 attempts, and also added a 12-yard touchdown reception for the Eagles. Quarterback Ross Rushing was 24-of-37 for 216 yards, one TD and two interceptions, while Jeffrey Moore caught six balls for 62 yards and a score.
Defensively, Jason Monroe made 10 solo tackles and finished with 11 total hits to go with a fumble recovery. Isaac Evans totaled 10 tackles on the day.
The Generals, who came in with Division III’s top-rated rushing attack, racked up 506 yards on the ground. They were led by Duncan Maxwell (9 carries, 101 yards, TD), Marshall Hollerith (14 carries, 101 yards, 2 TDs) and Connor Chess (10 carries, 78 yards, 2 TDs).
After the Eagles had gotten themselves back into the game with two straight touchdowns to end the first half, Bridgewater had a disastrous start to the second 30 minutes.
The Generals drove right down the field for a Hollerith score to take a 28-16 lead. W&L then picked off Rushing’s pass and scored three plays later (all double-digit yardage gains on the ground).
Bridgewater responded with an offensive drive down inside the 10 yardline but Peter Monteleone couldn’t hold a fourth-and-goal pass. Washington & Lee took 11 plays and under four minutes to go 94 yards for the score. Three plays later the Eagles threw another interception, with Jake Barr picking off Rushing.
Just as the proceedings threatened to get away from the Eagles late in the first half, White scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes to cut a deficit to five points.
White’s nine-yard rush made it 21-10, with Bridgewater getting a second try on the PAT after a Washington & Lee penalty. Another flag on the hosts brought back a long run deep into BC territory, and Davey Hardesty forced a fumble to recover possession with 1:10 remaining in the half.
Rushing went to work, hitting Moore for 13 yards and then picking up a fourth-and-7 to Kevin Barr. Rushing hit Zane Grudzinski for 20 yards down to the 12, and White finished off a swing pass to make it 21-16 Generals at the break.
The Generals had also fumbled a pitch on their opening drive of the game, with Monroe recovering for Bridgewater. The Eagles couldn’t convert on the short field however and were forced to punt.
Washington & Lee put together two 85-yard drives in the first quarter to go up 14-0. Maxwell’s 35-yard rush set up Hollerith’s five-yard score, and McKenna Johnston’s 26-yard scamper led to a four-yard TD by Chess.
Bridgewater drove all the way down to the three-yard line but had to settle for a field goal. W&L responded with a third straight touchdown drive, as Maxwell slipped a tackle and took it home from 35 yards out.
Washington & Lee (7-0, 4-0 ODAC) won its 500th game as a program, celebrating their Homecoming weekend with the milestone achievement.
Bridgewater falls to 3-4, 1-3 ODAC and will conclude its run of the conference’s top four teams next Saturday with a trip to Hampden-Sydney.
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