Box Score BRIDGEWATER, VA – Thaddeus Scruggs ran for 122 yards and three touchdowns to lead Randolph-Macon to a 51-36 ODAC road victory over Bridgewater College on Saturday.
With the win, R-MC improves to 7-2 overall and 3-2 in league play. R-MC has now won seven games two straight years for the first time since the 1997 & 1998 seasons. Bridgewater falls to 5-4 on the season.
Placekicker Josh Strom put R-MC up 3-0 on the first drive of the game with a 39 yard field goal. The score would stay that way until there was 5:26 to go in the first half when Drake Sanders scampered 15 yards for a touchdown to put R-MC up 10-0.
R-MC then forced a quick three and out by BC, got the ball back and needed just six plays to go 66 yards with Sanders capping the drive with a three yard run, pushing R-MC in front 17-0 with 1:28 to go.
BC then got the ball back and used a 42 yard strike from Carols Gonzalez to Leigh Bradley to get on the board. The Eagles two point conversion would fail, keeping the score at 17-6.
The late half fireworks would continue on the ensuing kickoff when R-MC's Brandon Harrison returned it 83 yards for a touchdown with just 13 seconds remaining on the clock, sending the Jackets to the locker room with a 24-6 lead.
BC opened up the second stanza scoring on a pass from Gonzalez to John Lezcano on its opening drive, cutting the R-MC advantage to 24-14.
Scruggs pushed the R-MC lead back to 17 at 31-14 with a 52 yard scoring run with just over five minutes to go in the third quarter.
The Eagles then battled back, scoring 21 unanswered points, pulling within three at 31-28 on a Gonzalez toss to Cassidy Burns with 9:44 to go in the game.
Randolph-Macon got the ball back and needed to just four plays to score on a three yard plunge by Scruggs, making it 38-28 R-MC. Scruggs' run was set up on a screen pass to him by quarterback Zac Naccarato.
Bridgewater turned the ball over on downs on its next possession, giving Randolph-Macon the ball back at the BC 37 yard line.
Naccarato hit tight-end Zach Midulla on an 18 yard pass, and then Naccarato ran 22 yards for touchdown to put Randolph-Macon up 45-28 with five minutes to go in the game.
Naccarato finished the day 10-of-15 passing for 153 yards. Sanders complimented Scruggs' effort with 94 yards via the ground as well.
Jeremy Bowry made nine tackles on the day to lead R-MC and recovered a fumble as well. Will McGhee had seven stops, while Tom Solak made seven tackles and had a sack.
Randolph-Macon will close out its season next Saturday when it hosts archrival Hampden-Sydney in the 117th edition of "The Game." Stay logged onto www.athletics.rmc.edu for all the up to day information on the contest as the week progresses.
-Yellow Jackets-
