Emory & Henry (3-1) at R-MC (4-1)

Series vs. Emory & Henry

R-MC is 29-35-1 all-time against E&H. The Yellow Jackets have won eight of the past 12 meetings, including a thrilling 13-10 overtime win this past spring in the ODAC Championship Game. R-MC has outscored E&H 141-77 over the past four seasons. The Yellow Jackets won 56-21 in Ashland in 2018. The 56 points were the most ever scored by the Yellow Jackets in the series. The Wasps last won in Ashland in 2015.    R-MC owns a 25-20 edge in ODAC matchups, dating back to the league's origin in 1976. The Yellow Jackets won nine of the first 10 ODAC contests against the Wasps.

2021 R-MC Results/Schedule (4-1, 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                1:00 pm

10/16   at Guilford*                      1:00 pm

10/23   Apprentice                        6:00 pm

10/30   Shenandoah*                    1:00 pm

11/13   Hampden-Sydney*           1:00 pm

Head Coach Pedro Arruza

Pedro Arruza is in his 18th season as head coach at Randolph-Macon. He has compiled an overall record of 108-67 (.617) and now owns the top spot on R-MC's career list with those 108 victories. Ted Keller previously headed the career wins list with 105 victories in 18 seasons (1964-81). Over the past 12 seasons, the Yellow Jackets are 81-33 (.711) under Arruza. Arruza has been named ODAC Coach of the Year four times (2008, 2016, 2018, 2020).

Flip the Field

R-MC is first in the nation in net punting at 46.7. Chris Vidal has punted nine times for 46.9 yards per kick. Five of his punts have been 50 yards or more. Opponents have returned just two punts for two yards.

Last Meeting

Presley Egbers grabbed a loose ball out of the air and scampered 13 yards for the winning touchdown in overtime as R-MC outlasted Emory & Henry 13-10.

•   Each team punted on its first possession. The Wasps then drove to the RM 19. On 4th-and-1, Aaron Cox and Jace DePriest combined to stop E&H for a one-yard loss and turn the ball over on downs.

•   The Yellow Jackets used 11 plays to move to the E&H 39 but had to punt.

•   R-MC would move to the E&H 24 early in the second period, but a missed field goal from 41 yards out kept the game scoreless. E&H drove to the RM 21, but Cox and DePriest combined on a sack and forced a punt. The teams would remain deadlocked after 30 minutes of play.

•   The teams struggled to penetrate the opponent's defense in the third period as it remained scoreless heading to the fourth.

•   Early in the fourth period, the Wasps advanced to the RM 18. On 4th-and-3, E&H first decided to attempt a field goal. Following a timeout, the Wasps went for it and a pass was picked off by Cade Jones to thwart the drive.

•   R-MC lost the ball on a fumble, but E&H went 3-and-out. A seven-yard punt gave the Yellow Jackets the ball on the E&H 29. Egbers hit Tim Hanratty with a six-yard TD pass to give the home team a 7-0 advantage with 9:37 remaining.

•   The Wasps would take the ensuing kickoff and use 12 plays to drive 76 yards for the tying score with 4:21 left.

•   E&H quickly got the ball back on an interception but could not take the lead. Regulation ended knotted at 7-7.

•   R-MC won the overtime toss and elected to play defense first. The Wasps were stopped at the RM 7 and a 22-yard field goal gave the visitors a 10-7 lead.

•   Egbers would run for nine yards on       R-MC's first OT snap. David Wallis ran a sweep for three yards to pick up the first down. On the next snap, Egbers faked a handoff to Wallis and the ball popped up into the air. Egbers grabbed the ball and took it up the middle 13 yards for the winning TD.

Last Time Out

R-MC amassed 560 yards of total offense and scored three touchdowns in a three-minute stretch in a 44-21 ODAC win at Ferrum.

How it Happened:

• The Panthers missed a field goal on their first possession. The Yellow Jackets moved the ball to the FC22, where Chris Vidal hit a 39-yard field goal to give the visitors a 3-0 lead with 8:30 left in the first period.
• FC answered with a 75-yard TD drive to take a 7-3 lead with 5:47 remaining in the first quarter.
• Brecht Heuchan directed a five-play, 65-yard scoring drive, with Justin DeLeon finding the end zone from 20 yards out as R-MC reclaimed the lead at 10-7 with 3:19 left in the first.
• Following a Panther punt, the Yellow Jackets moved to the FC 16 and Vidal hit a 33-yard field goal to give R-MC a 13-10 lead 10 seconds into the second period.
• Following a pair of punts, the Panthers added a touchdown to go up 14-13 with 7:55 remaining until halftime.
• Presley Egbers would score on an eight-yard TD run to finish a 10-play, 65-yard scoring drive as the Yellow Jackets took a 20-14 lead with 2:23 left until halftime.
• Tony Skinner recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and DeLeon scored from two yards out with 59 seconds remaining as R-MC led 27-14 lead at intermission.
• On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Heuchan hit Tim Hanratty on a 69-yard TD pass as Hanratty fought his way into the end zone as the Yellow Jackets went up 34-14.
• Following a punt, R-MC used eight plays to move 66 yards. Egbers hit Joey Hunt on an 11-yard TD pass as R-MC took a 41-14 lead midway through the third period.
• Owen Arruza snared his second interception of the season and Vidal nailed a career-best 49-yard field goal, matching the school record, as R-MC took a 44-14 lead with 4:49 left in the third quarter.
• Ferrum would add a touchdown with 10:41 left to make the final 44-21.

ODAC Standings       ODAC Overall

Washington & Lee         3-0             4-1

Randolph-Macon         2-1             4-1

Hampden-Sydney          2-1             2-3

Shenandoah                   1-1             3-1

Ferrum                            0-1             3-1

Bridgewater                   0-2             2-3

Guilford                         0-2             1-2

Saturday, Oct. 9

Emory & Henry at R-MC 1 pm

*Shenandoah at Guilford 12 pm

Apprentice at Washington & Lee 1 pm

*Ferrum at Bridgewater 2 pm

Saturday, Oct. 16

*Randolph-Macon at Guilford 1 pm

*Shenandoah at Ferrum 1 pm

Hampden-Sydney at Emory & Henry 1 pm

Apprentice at Bridgewater 2 pm

Best in ODAC

Over the past six seasons, R-MC is 43-11 overall (.796) and 30-6 in ODAC play (.833). Both marks are the best in the conference. Over the past 15 seasons, the Yellow Jackets are 101-44 overall (.697) and 66-28 in league play (.702). Both records also lead the ODAC.

Beat the Clock

R-MC is first in the ODAC and third in the nation in time of possession at 36:00. The Yellow Jackets have had the advantage in time of possession in each of their five games this season. R-MC held the ball for 40:05 at Dickinson and 40:05 at Ferrum.

Hold the Flags

The Yellow Jackets are first in the conference and second in the country in fewest penalties per game at 2.6. R-MC is fourth in the nation in fewest penalty years per game at 22.8.

Plead the Fourth

R-MC is first in the ODAC and ninth in the nation in fourth down conversion percentage at .800. The Yellow Jackets have run 10 fourth-down plays and been successful on eight of them. R-MC went 2 for 2 on fourth down in the win at Ferrum.

Strong on Third Down

The Yellow Jackets are first in the ODAC and 10th in Division III in third down conversion percentage at .544. R-MC has been successful on 37 of 68 third down plays.

Potent Passing

The Yellow Jackets are first in the ODAC and 13th in the nation in team passing efficiency at 179.93. R-MC is 14th in the country in completion percentage at .683.

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.

Potent on PATs

Chris Vidal now owns the program record for PATs made at 145. 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 five games, R-MC has had 19 drives of at least nine plays and has scored 14 touchdowns on those drives. The Yellow Jackets have had two drives of 14 plays and both ended in turnovers. R-MC has had 22 drives of 60 or more yards and 17 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, eight of at least six minutes, 16 of at least five minutes and 20 of at least four minutes.

Strong on the Ground

Justin DeLeon leads the ODAC in rushing yards at 452 and is second with 90.4 yards per game. He rushed for at least 100 yards in each of the first two contests. DeLeon tops the conference with seven rushing touchdowns, eight total TDs and 48 points.

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. His brother, senior Andrew, was the holder for those three kicks.

Potent Passing, Part 2

R-MC had two quarterbacks throw for at least 200 yards in the 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 ODAC Player of the Week each of the past two weeks.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.