Bridgewater Outlasts Football
WINCHESTER, Va. - Visiting Bridgewater College combined a strong second quarter with a power running game to outlast Shenandoah 28-23 in a non-league football game on the Sprint Field at Shentel Stadium turf.
BC (2-0) scored 14 points in the second quarter and then used a heavy dose of running back Darrin McKenzie to down the Hornets (1-1) in the final non-conference meeting between the two schools.
Next season, with Shenandoah joining the ODAC, this contest will be a league game.
The two teams are scheduled to meet in week four next fall.
McKenzie helped the Eagles to their 12th victory in 14 lifetime meetings between the two schools with 28 carries for 186 yards and three touchdowns.
McKenzie scored Bridgewater's final three TD's, including a nine-yard run at the 10:47 mark of the fourth that proved to be the game-winning score.
SU, which led 6-0 and 23-22, fought back with a Qiydaar Murphy 19-yard TD reception with 7:24 to play, but could not get the go-ahead score.
The Hornets final possession ended on their own 39 when the squad failed to pick up a 4th and 3.
BC then ran out the final 2:12 of the contest and took a knee on the Shenandoah 2 after forcing the Hornets to exhaust their final timeout.
SU outgained its visitors, 397 to 355, and held a 293 to 97 yard advantage through the air.
Quarterback Daniel Wright was 23 for 36 for the 293 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
This interception, by Jeff Mehlhaff, went for a pick six. Mehlhaff had a 32-yard return on the play for the Eagles first score.
Murphy and Rico Wallace both had 108 yards receiving. Murphy had nine catches and Wallace five.
Larry Gibbs paced the defense with 12 tackles with Byron Mitchell adding 11 and both Jajuan Johnson and Josh Rogers 10 each.
Shenandoah is back in action next Saturday afternoon at Randolph-Macon.
