Randolph-Macon College Football

Game 8 – October 23, 2021

Apprentice (2-4) at #25 R-MC (6-1)

Series vs. Apprentice

This will be the 35th meeting between the Yellow Jackets and the Builders, with R-MC holding a 20-11-3 advantage. The Yellow Jackets have won seven of the past eight and 14 of the past 16 meetings. R-MC won the last encounter, 35-3 triumph in the inaugural Neptune Bowl in Virginia Beach on Nov. 23, 2019. The last regular-season matchup was a 63-14 R-MC victory in Newport News on Oct. 21, 2017.

Past 16 Meetings

11/23   2019    N         W        35-3

10/21   2017    A         W        63-14

10/9     2004    H         L          15-20

10/11   2003    A         W        19-13

10/8     1966    A         W        14-7

10/9     1965    H         W        34-0

11/10   1962    A         W        17-0

9/26     1959    H         W        15-0

9/27     1958    A         L          0-8

10/5     1957    A         W        7-0

9/28     1956    A         W        14-0

9/23     1955    A         W        27-13

9/24     1954    A         W        31-7

9/25     1953    A         W        28-0

9/26     1952    A         W        33-0

9/28     1951    A         W        20-6

2021 R-MC Results/Schedule (6-1, 2-1)

9/4       at Dickinson                      W 31-21

9/11     Catholic                             W 62-10

9/18     at Bridgewater*                W 31-13

9/25     Washington & Lee*          L 24-25

10/2     at Ferrum*                         W 44-21

10/9     Emory & Henry                W 34-31

10/16   at Guilford*                      W 58-0

10/23   Apprentice                        6:00 pm

10/30   Shenandoah*                    1:00 pm

11/13   Hampden-Sydney*           1:00 pm

Flip the Field

R-MC is first in the ODAC and sixth in the nation in net punting at 39.8. Chris Vidal has punted 14 times for 47.1 yards per kick. Six of his punts have been 50 yards or more.

Last Meeting

Burke Estes completed 11 of 15 passes for 147 yards and three touchdowns to lead     R-MC past Apprentice 35-3 in the inaugural Neptune Bowl in Virginia Beach, Va.

How it Happened:

• The Yellow Jackets took the opening kickoff and started on their own 34. Tre Frederick ran 24 yards on the first play from scrimmage. R-MC faced 3rd and 5 at the TAS 37 when Estes hit Trey Owens on a nine-yard pass for a first down. On the next play, Estes hit Owens with a pass that went down the sideline for a 28-yard TD for an early 7-0 lead.
• The R-MC defense forced a punt by the Builders, but the ball glanced off the leg of a Yellow Jacket and was recovered by TAS on the RMC 25. The Yellow Jackets kept the Builders out of the end zone, but a 40-yard field goal made it 7-3 with 6:28 left in the first period.
• The ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, giving R-MC the ball on its own 35. The Yellow Jackets used eight plays to reach the end zone, as Estes hit Marcus Bazala on an eight-yard scoring strike to expand the lead to 14-3 with 1:50 left in the first.
• R-MC twice moved deep into TAS territory but came away with no points. Erik Harris blocked a field goal attempt, giving the Yellow Jackets the ball on their own 28 with 2:13 left in the first half. Estes connected with DeAndre Gill on a 50-yard pass to the TAS 22. R-MC faced 3rd and goal from the TAS 6 when Estes found Owens again for a TD with 42 seconds left as the Yellow Jackets led 21-3 at intermission.
• Frederick had a 12-yard touchdown on his final collegiate carry to give R-MC a 28-3 lead with 6:18 remaining in the third period.
• Looking at 4th and 6 on the TAS 21, Presley Egbers scrambled 21 yards for a touchdown with 3:12 remaining to make the final 35-3.

By The Numbers:

• Frederick carried the ball 14 times for 93 yards and one score. Calvin Whitehead led the R-MC defense with six tackles.

Last Time Out

R-MC piled up 566 yards of total offense in a 58-0 ODAC victory at Guilford.

How it Happened:

• After the Yellow Jacket defense forced a punt on the Quakers' first possession,  R-MC took over on the GC 40. Justin DeLeon carried four times to reach the end zone, going five yards on the final rush to give R-MC a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the contest.
• After another GC punt, R-MC took over on its 40. Presley Egbers scored on a 29-yard run to give the Yellow Jackets a 14-0 advantage with eight minutes left in the first quarter.
• Egbers capped an 83-yard drive with a 15-yard TD run as the Yellow Jackets went up 21-0 with one minute remaining in the period.
• Following an interception in the end zone by Cade Jones, R-MC took over on its own 20 with 5:17 left in the second quarter and drove 80 yards in nine plays as Brecht Heuchan hit Joey Hunt with a nine-yard scoring pass as the lead grew to 28-0 with 1:14 left in the half. The Quakers had a bad snap on a punt that went into the end zone for a safety with 27 seconds left as R-MC would lead 30-0 at halftime.
• The Yellow Jackets would take the second-half kickoff and move 65 yards in three plays, with Aaron Acevedo scoring from 15 yards out, as the margin grew to 37-0.
• Andrew Ihle had TD runs of one yard in the third quarter and 14 yards early in the fourth to make it 51-0.
• Midway through the final period, Will Lenard hit Travis McDaniel on a 3rd-and-12 pass that went for an 80-yard touchdown pass to make the final 58-0.

By The Numbers:

• R-MC finished with 566 yards of total offense, with 299 on the ground and 267 through the air. Heuchan was 10 of 13 for 171 yards and one TD.
• Egbers carried five times for 76 yards and two TDs. DeLeon rushed 10 times for 75 yards and one score.

Head Coach Pedro Arruza

Pedro Arruza is in his 18th season as head coach at Randolph-Macon. He has compiled an overall record of 110-67 (.621) and now owns the top spot on R-MC's career list with those 110 victories. Ted Keller previously headed the list with 105 wins in 18 seasons (1964-81). Over the past 12 seasons, R-MC is 83-33 (.716) under Arruza. Arruza has been named ODAC Coach of the Year four times (2008, 2016, 2018, 2020).

Best in ODAC

Over the past six seasons, R-MC is 45-11 overall (.804) and 31-6 in ODAC play (.838). Both marks are the best in the conference. Over the past 15 seasons, the Yellow Jackets are 103-44 overall (.701) and 67-28 in league play (.705). Both records also lead the ODAC.

Hold the Flags

The Yellow Jackets are first in the country in fewest penalties per game at 2.4. R-MC is second in the nation in fewest penalty yards per game at 23.4. The Yellow Jackets had just one penalty for 10 yards in the win over E&H and one penalty at Ferrum for 5 yards.

Beat the Clock

R-MC is first in the ODAC and ninth in the nation in time of possession at 34:55. The Yellow Jackets have had the advantage in time of possession in each of their seven games this season. R-MC held the ball for 40:05 at Dickinson and 40:05 at Ferrum.

Potent Passing

The Yellow Jackets are first in the ODAC and seventh in the nation in team passing efficiency at 188.21. Brecht Heuchan has a passing efficiency of 271.25. R-MC is eighth in yards per completion at 18.80. The Yellow Jackets are 18th in completion percentage at .669.

Strong Offense

R-MC has recorded at least 500 yards of total offense in each of the past three games and four times this fall. Over the past nine seasons, R-MC has not had more than two such games in any single season.

ODAC Standings       ODAC Overall

Washington & Lee         3-0             5-1

Randolph-Macon         3-1             6-1

Ferrum                            2-1             5-1

Hampden-Sydney          2-1             2-4

Shenandoah                   2-2             4-2

Bridgewater                   0-3             3-4

Guilford                         0-4             1-5

Saturday, Oct. 23

Apprentice at Randolph-Macon 6 pm

*Ferrum at Hampden-Sydney 1 pm

*Bridgewater at Washington & Lee 1 pm

Emory & Henry at Shenandoah 1 pm

Saturday, Oct. 30

*Shenandoah at Randolph-Macon 1 pm

Hampden-Sydney at Apprentice 1 pm

Washington & Lee at Emory & Henry 1 pm

*Guilford at Ferrum 2 pm

Record-Tying Field Goal

Chris Vidal nailed a 49-yard field goal at Ferrum. That kick tied the program record for longest field goal. It was the third-longest field goal in ODAC history. Vidal is first in the ODAC and eighth in the nation in field goal percentage at .889. He had made eight of nine attempts this season.

Potent on PATs

Chris Vidal now owns the program record for PATs made at 155. Josh Storm (2009-12) held the previous mark at 137. Vidal has the third-highest total in ODAC history. Matt Seals of E&H (2016-20) is first at 166 and Tyler Hunt of Guilford (2012-15) is second at 156.

Long Drives

Through the first seven games, R-MC has had 23 drives of at least nine plays and has scored 16 touchdowns on those drives. The Yellow Jackets have had two drives of 14 plays and both ended in turnovers. R-MC has had 32 drives of 60 or more yards and 25 have ended with touchdowns. The Yellow Jackets had TD drives of 95 and 92 yards in the fourth quarter against Catholic. R-MC has had four drives of at least seven minutes, nine of at least six minutes and 19 of at least five minutes.

Strong on the Ground

Justin DeLeon leads the ODAC and is 16th in the nation in rushing yards at 729. He tops the conference with 104.1 rushing yards per game, 10 rushing touchdowns, 11 total touchdowns and 66 points.

Rushing for 200

Justin DeLeon rushed for a career-high 202 yards in the win over Emory & Henry. The last time a Yellow Jackets eclipsed the 200-yard mark for rushing yards was Tre Frederick, who had 238 yards on 31 carries with three touchdowns in a 44-41 double-overtime win over Bridgewater.

Day Field Drama

R-MC has had multiple close games at home decided late in recent years.

10/9/21 R-MC 34, Emory & Henry 31

  Brecht Heuchan hits Joey Hunt with 3-yard TD pass with 19 seconds left.

9/25/21 Washington & Lee 25, R-MC 24

  Generals score TD & 2-point conversion with no time left.

4/3/21 R-MC 13, Emory & Henry 10 OT

  Presley Egbers grabs ball out of the air and runs it in for a TD from 13 yards out in OT.

11/2/19 R-MC 36, Washington & Lee 35

  After Presley Egbers hits Mike Avent with a 6-yard TD pass with 39 seconds left, Chris Vidal executes a successful onside kick and hits a 38-yard field goal with 2 seconds left.

10/20/18 R-MC 44, Bridgewater 41 2OT

  Burke Estes hits Robby Owens with 2-yard TD pass in second OT for win.

20/28/17 Washington & Lee 17, R-MC 14

  Generals score TD with 38 seconds left.

High Point Total

The Yellow Jackets tallied 62 points in the win over Catholic. The last time R-MC scored as many as 62 points was October 6, 2018, when the Yellow Jackets topped Guilford 63-34.

High Total Offense

The 694 yards of total offense against Catholic was the most for the Yellow Jackets since Sept. 12, 2015, in a 49-28 win at Averett. R-MC had 340 rushing yards and 376 through the air against the Cougars.

Brothers Put Points on the Board

Freshman Kyle Ihle made the final three extra points for R-MC against Catholic and the final two at Guilford. His brother, senior Andrew, was the holder for those five kicks.

Potent Passing, Part 2

R-MC had two QBs throw for at least 200 yards in win over Catholic. Starter Presley Egbers was 11 of 17 for 230 yards and three TDs. Brecht Heuchan came off the bench to go 6 for 6 for 213 yards and two scores.

Players of the Week

R-MC has had three ODAC Players of the Week this season.

10/10 ODAC Defensive Player of Week

Jace DePriest, senior defensive tackle

Led Yellow Jackets with 8 tackles in 34-31 home victory over Emory & Henry. Had two tackles for loss. Forced a fumble in the second quarter that led to an R-MC TD.

9/19 ODAC Defensive Player of the Week

Dominic Gray, sophomore linebacker

Led all players with 11 tackles in 31-13 win at Bridgewater. Had 6 solo stops. R-MC defense held Eagles to 27 yards rushing on 24 carries.

9/12 ODAC Offensive Player of the Week

Justin DeLeon, senior running back

Registered 174 all-purpose yards and scored 3 touchdowns in 62-10 win over Catholic. Rushed 20 times for 105 yards & 2 scores. Had 2 catches for 68 yards and 1 TD.

2021 ODAC Football Preseason Poll

1 Randolph-Macon (6) 36 pts.

2 Hampden-Sydney 27 pts.

3 Bridgewater 26 pts.

4 Washington and Lee (1) 25 pts.

5 Shenandoah 14 pts.

6 Ferrum 13 pts.

7 Guilford 6 pts.

ODAC Titles

For the 2020 season, played this past spring, R-MC claimed its 12th ODAC title and third in five years. The Yellow Jackets won ODAC crowns in 1976, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1993, 1997, 2008, 2016, 2018 and 2020. In the 46-year history of the ODAC, R-MC has won the most championships with 12. Pedro Arruza has led the Yellow Jackets to four titles, while Ted Keller and Jim Blackburn followed with three ODAC titles as R-MC head coach. Scott Boone and Joe Riccio both led the Yellow Jackets to one title.

Returning All-Conference Performers

R-MC returns several All-ODAC selections from this past spring.

Off. Player of the Year: QB Presley Egbers

First Team

QB Presley Egbers

OL Will Jackson

OL Nehemiah Nixon

PK Chris Vidal

DL Tyler DeBerry

LB Matt Vergara

DB Cade Jones

Second Team

WR David Wallis

OL Connor Denning

OL Tre Fortune

DB Stephen Richardson

All-Americans

This past spring, kicker Chris Vidal and offensive lineman Will Jackson were All-America Second Team by D3football.com.

Double Century Mark

Twice last season, R-MC had two players rush for more than 100 yards in the same game. Against Bridgewater, running back Justin DeLeon had 22 carries for 109 yards and quarterback Presley Egbers rushed 24 times for 103 yards. At Shenandoah, Egbers rushed for 174 yards on 19 carries. Running back Nick Hale ran 18 times for 102 yards.