ASHLAND, Va. – Senior quarterback Bubby Morgan (Stafford, Va./Mountain View) rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown in his first collegiate start as the Randolph-Macon football team dropped a 31-21 decision to Emory & Henry on a soggy and windy afternoon in the ODAC opener for both teams.

Morgan carried the ball 22 times and had a long run of 41 yards. Freshman Tre Frederick (Angier, N.C./West Johnston) had 77 rushing yards on 11 carries and a TD for the Yellow Jackets (1-3, 0-1 ODAC), while senior John Byrd (Manassas Park, Va./Manassas Park) rushed 19 times for 73 yards and a score.

After the Wasps (3-1, 1-0 ODAC) scored a touchdown on their second possession of the contest, R-MC put together an impressive 6:44 drive to go 78 yards in 17 plays for the tying touchdown. Byrd rushed for 21 yards on the drive. Morgan picked up 27 yards through the air and 28 on the ground, including the final one into the end zone to knot the score at 7-7.

The Yellow Jackets recovered a fumbled punt return on the E&H 34 early in the second quarter and moved to the E&H 3 before a fumbled snap stopped the drive.

Late in the second period, junior Conner Lane (Manassas, Va./Osbourn) picked off a pass on the E&H 44 and returned it for a touchdown, but it was called back for an illegal block on the return. The Wasps scored a touchdown with 37 seconds left in the first half to give the visitors a 14-7 advantage at intermission.

The Yellow Jackets took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove 75 yards in nine plays for the tying touchdown, scored by Frederick on a 26-yard run. E&H answered later in the quarter to take a 21-14 lead into the fourth quarter.

On the second play of the final period, freshman Brandon Baucom (Smithfield, N.C./West Johnston) recorded his first collegiate interception and gave R-MC the ball of the E&H 35. It took four plays for Byrd to go in from three yards out and knot the score at 21-21.

The Wasps answered quickly with the go-ahead touchdown and added a field goal with 6:06 remaining to make the final score 31-21.

Lane finished with 15 tackles, including 10 solo stops. He also had one tackle for loss and one pass breakup along with his interception.

Randolph-Macon returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 10, for a 1 p.m. ODAC contest at Catholic.