DANVILLE, Va. – Averett University football could not overcome an offensive barrage from visitors Randolph-Macon on Saturday afternoon at Daly Field at Frank R. Campbell Stadium, as the Cougars fell to the Yellow Jackets, 42-7.
Averett (2-4, 0-3 ODAC) got off to a blistering start, but not on the offensive end. Randolph-Macon (4-2, 2-1 ODAC) took the ball first, and on just the third play from scrimmage, Yellow Jackets quarterback Jake Mulhern was picked off by freshman defensive back
Jahlil Bryant, immediately taking control of the contest early.
The visitors settled back in on the Cougars' first offensive drive, forcing a three-and-out to take the ball back. At the 12-minute mark in the first period, Randolph-Macon methodically drained the clock on a 10-minute drive, which ended with a four-yard rushing score from Mitchell Johnson to put the Yellow Jackets on the board first, 7-0.
The visiting squad proceeded to add three more rushing touchdowns in the second quarter, as Averett's offense stalled out. Two rushing scores from Detric Brown extended Randolph-Macon's lead to 28-0 at the break.
The Yellow Jackets extended their lead to 35 when Mulhern connected with Malakiah Moore with a nine-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, and Brown completed his personal scoring trifecta with an additional rushing score early in the fourth to make the score 42-0 in favor of Randolph-Macon.
With just under six minutes left in the game, sophomore signal-caller
Brandon Saunders took the field at his own 37-yard line, and drove the offense down the field on seven plays, personally responsible for all of them. Three passing completions and two rushes eventually led to a designed quarterback running score from the sophomore from four yards out, preventing the shutout, and gave Saunders his second rushing score of the season.
Saunders finished the afternoon with four completed passes on five attempts, 59 passing yards, and a team-leading 10 rushes for 38 yards and a score. Freshman
Cole Perry saw action on the afternoon, as he went nine-for-13 with 77 passing yards, and recorded 32 yards on the ground.
Redshirt sophomore
Amontrae Scott hauled in six passes for a Cougar-leading 66 yards, and graduate student wideout
Quinton Freeman had 43 receiving yards on just two receptions.
Freshman defensive back
Chaz Penwright totaled eight total tackles, while three separate Cougars each had a tackle for loss, that being freshmen defensive linemen
Tykeem Ross,
Lahai Massaquoi, and
Grayson Patterson. Along with Bryant's interception, freshman defensive back
Josiah Taylor knabbed his first collegiate pick. Freshman defensive back
Kori Moates had a productive outing on kickoff returns, as he recorded 117 kickoff yards with a long of 41.
Averett takes to the road for two consecutive conference contests, starting with a trip to in-state Salem to take on Roanoke College next Saturday, Oct. 24. Start time is set for 2 p.m.
Â
