Washington and Lee University
SERIES INFO:
Time: 1:30 pm CST
Site: McGee Field (3,500)
Series: W&L leads 34-22
Last Meeting: 9/16/06 at W&L (W&L won 21-7)
First Meeting: 1892 (UOS won 22-16)
Last W&L Win: 9/16/06 at W&L (21-7)
Last UOS Win: 9/20/03 at UOS (37-13)
Current Series Streak: W&L +3
W&L vs. UOS at W&L: 24-5
W&L vs. UOS at UOS: 10-17
THE SERIES:
Washington and Lee and Sewanee will be meeting for the 57th time with the Generals holding a 34-22 advantage in the all-time series that began during the 1892 season. W&L has won eight of the last nine meetings, including a 21-7 win in Lexington during the 2006 season. The two teams had met every season since 1955 until the series halted briefly during the 2007 campaign. W&L has won three of the last four games played in Sewanee, Tenn.
THE HEAD COACHES:
Frank Miriello (East Stroudsburg '67) is in his 14th season as the head coach at W&L and his 41st year of coaching. He claims a 67-62-1 (.519) overall record and ranks second all-time at W&L in career victories. The Tigers are led by second-year Head Coach Robert Black (Sewanee '89), who is 2-8 overall, 1-0 this season.
ALL-TIME RECORD:
W&L has compiled a 454-488-39 (.483) all-time record over 115 seasons of football. The Generals have been linked to the first intercollegiate football game played in the South, an 1873 matchup with neighboring VMI, though the University officially recognized football as a varsity sport beginning in 1890.
LAST TIME OUT:
(Franklin & Marshall 24, W&L 0; September 6, 2008 - Lancaster, Pa.)
The Franklin & Marshall football team limited Washington and Lee to just 51 yards of total offense and two first downs en route to a 24-0 victory over the Generals on Saturday afternoon at Sponaugle-Williamson Field. The game took place at the height of Tropical Storm Hanna and featured strong winds and heavy rain as W&L was shut out for the first time since a 42-0 loss at Wilkes in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. The Generals’ best scoring opportunity came early in the first quarter when junior linebacker David Love blocked a punt and W&L took over on the F&M 11 yardline. However, the Generals could not punch it across for a touchdown and the snap was fumbled on a 26-yard field goal attempt ending the threat. The Diplomats opened the scoring with 6:15 left in the first half as Paul Sousa nailed a 21-yard field goal following a W&L fumble on its own 11 yardline. F&M pushed out to a 10-0 lead with 2:10 left in the first half on a 1-yard touchdown run by John Kaschak and carried the 10-point lead into halftime. F&M stretched to a 17-0 lead on a 17-yard touchdown pass from John Harrison to Matt Jenschke with 4:54 left in the third quarter and Jarrell Diggs provided the final margin with a 49-yard punt return for a touchdown with 6:12 left in the contest. Senior running back Stuart Sitterson led the Generals with 191 all-purpose yards. He rushed 20 times for 23 yards and amassed 168 yards on returns. Senior linebacker Chris Ballantyne paced the defense with 10 tackles, including 2.0 stops for a loss. Kaschak rushed 38 times for 112 yards and one touchdown to lead the F&M offense. James Gregory recorded eight tackles to pace the defense.
LAST MEETING WITH SEWANEE:
(W&L 21, UOS 7; September 16, 2006 - Lexington, Va.)
Running back Stuart Sitterson totaled 156 all-purpose yards and one touchdown to lead Washington and Lee to a 21-7 victory over Sewanee at Wilson Field. The Generals marched 53 yards in seven plays on their opening drive of the game, capped off by a 21-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Colton Ward from quarterback Hunter Dawkins with 11:17 remaining in the first quarter. Neither team could crack the scoring column again until Sitterson scored on a 3-yard run with 7:26 left in the third quarter, giving W&L a 14-0 lead. Sewanee countered on its ensuing possession, stringing together a 12-play, 65-yard drive that resulted in a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Wesley Satterfield with 2:11 remaining in the third period. W&L added an insurance score with 8:53 left in the fourth quarter as Dawkins found wide receiver Jack Martin with a 15-yard scoring strike for a 21-7 lead. The W&L defense, which allowed the Tigers just 216 total yards and forced four turnovers, held up the rest of the way as the Generals claimed their 10th-straight home victory over the Tigers. Linebacker Bryant Fulk paced the W&L defense with eight tackles and 1.5 sacks. Linebacker Ryan MacPhee added six stops and 1.5 sacks. On offense, Sitterson led the way for the Generals with 21 rushes for 73 yards and one score and three receptions for 27 yards. He also totaled 56 return yards on the day. Ward caught five passes for 76 yards and one touchdown, while Martin snared three passes for 37 yards and one touchdown. Dawkins completed 15-of-19 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Sewanee was led offensively by Satterfield, who completed 13-of-27 passes for 112 yards and one interception. He also rushed 20 times for 46 yards and one score. Fullback Blake Mears rushed 15 times for 49 yards and caught two passes for 14 yards. Defensive end Bakari Faulkner led the defense with seven tackles and one sack.
SCOUTING SEWANEE:
The Tigers are 1-0 on the season following a 26-14 victory at Westminster (Mo.) on Saturday. Sewanee trailed 14-7 at halftime, but scored 19 unanswered points after the break for the 12-point win, its first since defeating Westminster in last season's opener. Junior running back Trey Reliford shouldered the offensive load, rushing 36 times for 156 yards and one touchdown. Junior quarterback Patrick Shelton completed 8-of-15 passes for 84 yards and rushed four times for six yards and one touchdown, while junior wide receiver David Craig hauled in a team-best four passes for 36 yards. Junior defensive back Stuart Rast led the Tigers' defense with seven tackles and a pair of interceptions.
CLOSER LOOK AT SEWANEE SERIES:
W&L has won three-straight games over the Tigers and the defense has been the key in each of those victories. The Generals have allowed an average of just 167.3 yards and 4.7 points per game over the three games and have produced a total of nine turnovers.
BEEN A WHILE:
Washington and Lee struggled offensively in the season-opener, due in large part to the weather conditions brought on by Tropical Storm Hanna. In fact, the Generals managed just 51 yards of total offense, the fewest since totaling just 46 yards in a 47-0 loss at Catholic during the 2000 season.
ALL-PURPOSE BACK:
Senior running back Stuart Sitterson continues to be one of the Generals' top threats on offense and special teams. Sitterson notched 191 all-purpose yards in the loss to F&M and has now totaled better than 140 all-purpose yards in six-straight games dating back to last season. Over that same span, Sitterson is averaging 248.0 all-purpose yards per game and he finished the 2007 season ranked seventh in Division III in all-purpose yards per game (192.8). With his total on Saturday, Sitterson now claims 4,076 career all-purpose yards, a total which ranks third all-time at W&L. Below are Sitterson's career rankings at W&L in all-purpose yards, kickoff return yards and punt return yards:
Career AP Yards
1. Chris Sullivan, 5,931
2. Marc Watson, 5,184
3. Stuart Sitterson, 4,076
Career KR Yards
1. Chris Leiser, 1,774
2. Colton Ward, 1,586
3. Marc Watson, 1,354
4. Stuart Sitterson, 1,324
Career PR Yards
1. Dave Brooks, 987
2. Dave Waters. 806
3. Stuart Sitterson, 708
THE DRIVE FOR FIVE:
W&L is pursuing its fifth-straight winning season during the 2008 campaign. Since going 3-7 during the 2003 season, W&L has gone a combined 26-15 with four winning campaigns. W&L has not posted five-straight winning seasons since a string of six-straight from 1980-1985.
NEW DIGS:
Washington and Lee will begin play this season in a brand new, state of the art stadium. The new Wilson Field features seating for 4,000 and includes a new press box, scoreboard and team meeting room, among other amenities. To view pictures of the new stadium, visit the following website: http://www1.wlu.edu/x7982.xml.
-- GENERALS --