/seasons/2022/contrib/20221008y7pznl

Picks Turned into Points for No. 16 R-MC Football at AU

DANVILLE, Va. – The Yellow Jackets turned four interceptions into touchdowns and senior Nick Hale (Vinton, Va./William Byrd) had three scores as the No. 16 Randolph-Macon football team registered a 55-8 ODAC victory at Averett on Saturday.

The Basics:

Score: Randolph-Macon 55, Averett 7

Location/Venue: Danville, Va./Daly Field at Frank R. Campbell Stadium

Records: Randolph-Macon 5-0, 2-0 ODAC; Averett 2-3, 0-2 ODAC

How it Happened:

  • On the first possession by the Cougars, junior Silas James (Greenville, N.C./JC Rose) picked off a pass and took it 40 yards to the end zone to give the Yellow Jackets a 7-0 lead 58 seconds in the contest.
  • Following an AU punt, R-MC drove 79 yards in 13 plays, as Hale took it in from three yards out to make it 14-0 with 3:28 left in the first period.
  • On the first play from scrimmage on AU's next drive, senior Erik Harris (Carrollton, Va./Smithfield) snagged an interception and returned it to the AU 9. Junior Drew Campanale (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury) hit senior JoJo Marinella (Franklin, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) on a nine-yard scoring pass to make it 21-0 with 2:49 left in the first quarter.
  • Early in the second period, Hale powered in from 10 yards out to give the visitors a 28-0 advantage.
  • The Cougars scored late in the second quarter to trail 28-7 at halftime.
  • R-MC received the second-half kickoff and on the first play from scrimmage, Hale rumbled for 55 yards for his third touchdown to make it 34-7.
  • Junior Kwasi Clarke (Reigelwood, N.C./North Brunswick) had a four-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 41-7.
  • An interception by sophomore Brandon Evans (Frederick, Md./Frederick) interception gave R-MC the ball on the AU 5. Freshman Jason Moore (Craven County, N.C./Havlock) reached the end zone from two yards out for his first career touchdown, making the score 48-7 midway through the final period.
  • A second pickoff by Evans gave R-MC the ball on the AU 38. Gage Pennington (Robbins, N.C./North Moore) had an 11-yard TD run with one minute left to make the final 55-7.

By The Numbers:

  • R-MC recorded 412 yards of total offense, including 249 on the ground and 163 through the air.
  • Hale had 94 rushing yards on 12 carries with three touchdowns. Clarke had 20 carries for 76 yards.
  • The Yellow Jacket defense held the Cougars to 40 rushing yards, most of which came in the fourth quarter.
  • Harris led the defense with six tackles, including one tackle for loss.
  • The Yellow Jackets had two interceptions in their first four games and snared four at Averett.

For The Record:

  • R-MC scored a season-high 55 points. The Yellow Jackets have tallied at least 40 points in each of the first five contests for the first time in program history. The Yellow Jackets had 40 points in their first four games in 1968 and 2010.

Up Next:

  • R-MC will return to Ashland on Saturday, Oct. 15 for a 1 p.m. ODAC contest with Bridgewater in a battle of unbeaten teams. It will be Homecoming for the Yellow Jackets.
Dec. 15: All times Eastern
Final
Cortland 38, at North Central (Ill.) 37
@ Salem, Virginia
Video Box Score Recap Photos
Dec. 9: All times Eastern
Final
North Central (Ill.) 34, at Wartburg 27
Box Score Recap
Final
Cortland 49, at Randolph-Macon 14
Box Score Recap Recap Recap Photos
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