DANVILLE, Va. — Averett University football ended its season with an exclamation point with a 38-10 dominant conference win over rival Ferrum College as the Cougars celebrated Senior Day on Saturday afternoon on Daly Field at Frank R. Campbell Stadium.
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Averett (5-5, 2-5 ODAC) jumped out to a 24-0 lead, including a 21-0 advantage by halftime. Late in the first, the Cougars got on the board with fifth-year quarterback
Bryce Jackson hit sophomore
Jamahrie Owens across the middle for a 21-yard touchdown pass. Averett's lead doubled early in the second quarter as fifth-year defensive end
Jahlin Russell strip-sacked Ferrum's quarterback, and fifth-year linebacker
Qumar Price scooped it up and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. Jackson and Owens connected again just before halftime on a 58-yard bomb on the first play from scrimmage of the drive.
Fifth-year kicker
Will Caviness drilled a 29-yard field goal early in the third quarter to go up 24-0. Although Ferrum answered with a 44-yard field goal for its first points of the day, Averett went three plays in 45 seconds, finishing with a 59-yard pass from Jackson to junior
Shawn Watlington for a touchdown to extend Averett's lead to 31-3.
Although Ferrum scored a touchdown on a 5-yard quarterback run near the start of the fourth quarter, the Cougars all but sealed the win with sophomore
Dreylan Martin's 20-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth to give Averett a 38-10 cushion.
Jackson threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns on nine completions, while sophomore running back
Isaiah Lytton rushed 20 times for 126 net yards — his third 100-yard rushing game of the season. Watlington finished with four catches for 135 yards and a touchdown to give him 14 for the season — adding to his new Averett single-season record.
Defensively, redshirt junior linebacker had 11 tackles to lead the way for Averett. Russell also had a big game in his final performance. The reigning Old Dominion Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week had 10 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two quarterback hurries to set a new program record for sacks in a single season with 12 — which surpassed the old mark of 10 by Tristan Quick in 2021. Price added seven tackles in addition to his fumble return for a touchdown.
Russell finished his career with 17 sacks, which ranks second all-time on Averett's sacks list.
The Cougars finished the season with a two-game win streak to finish .500 overall in their second season in the ODAC.
Prior to the game, Averett honored 31 football student-athletes, one football team manager, one dance team member, three cheer team members and two student athletic trainers as part of Senior Day.
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