College Football Final – Randolph-Macon 34, Guilford 21

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Freshman Presley Egbers threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in visiting Randolph-Macon College’s 34-21 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football win at Guilford College Saturday. The Yellow Jackets (4-1, 3-0 ODAC) captured their fourth-straight win of the season and their fourth in as many years over the Quakers (1-4, 0-3 ODAC).

Egbers threw a 22-yard touchdown to Nariq Bailey late in the third quarter and had a five-yard toss to Jordan Foster early in the fourth frame. Field goals by Gavin Stone (26 yards) and Colin Booker (33 yards) bookended the touchdowns in a decisive 20-0 Randolph-Macon run over three quarters. Foster compiled 280 all-purpose yards, including 241 yards in kick returns, which gave Randolph-Macon consistently good field position. The Yellow Jackets did not turn the ball over and were six-for-six in the red zone.

Egbers’ scoring toss to Bailey capped a 13-play, 80-yard scoring drive that consumed over six minutes and was set up by the game’s lone turnover, a pivotal Guilford fumble. Trailing 17-14 at the half, the Quakers took the second half’s opening possession and efficiently moved down the field. On a third-down-and-three play from the Yellow Jackets’ 28, Guilford quarterback Derrien Phillips (Hickory, N.C./Hickory) kept the ball and carried around the right side for a 22-yard gain. Randolph-Macon linebacker Calvin Whitehead (Richmond, Va./Heritage) hit Phillips from behind at the Yellow Jackets’ six-yard line and jarred the ball loose. It squirted into the end zone and out of bounds for a Randolph-Macon touchback.

The Quakers went three and out on their next possession and Foster delivered a 21-yard punt return to the Yellow Jackets’ 41-yard line. A personal foul penalty on Guilford moved the ball into Quakers’ territory before Egbers completed five straight passes on the seven-play scoring drive. He sustained the drive with a 17-yard completion to Tim Hanratty on a third-and-six play.

Egbers completed 16-of21 passes for 160 yards and added 16 rushing yards. He connected with seven different receivers, including Foster, who made a team-high six catches for 27 yards. The senior receiver also returned six punts for 116 yards and three kickoffs for 125 yards. Tre Frederick led Randolph-Macon’s ball carriers with 52 rushing yards on 10 carries. Whitehead and Matthew Vergara shared team-high honors with 11 tackles. Whitehead added two stops for loss, a pass breakup to his critical forced fumble.

Phillips ran for a game-high 80 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries in his first varsity start. The sophomore also had the best passing game of his career with 18 completions on 33 attempts for 183 yards. Jermaine Russell (Durham, N.C./Southern Durham) was his favorite target as the junior made a game-best eight catches for 88 yards. The Quakers had one more first down than Randolph-Macon (18-17) and outgained the Yellow Jackets, 338-299. Khayree Lundy’s (Greensboro, N.C./Eastern Guilford) eight tackles led Guilford’s defense.

Coach Chris Rusiewicz’s Quakers visit league-rival Ferrum College Saturday (10/12) at 1:00 p.m.