WINCHESTER, Va. – The football team won its second consecutive game Saturday night at Shentel Stadium with a 31-13 Dixie Conference victory over Averett University.
Shenandoah (3-5, 3-2) won for the third straight time over fellow third year program Averett with its strongest rushing output of the season. The Hornets piled up 376 yards rushing on 57 plays and had two rushes better than 35 yards.
Junior Anthony McGhee (Reston, Va./South Lakes) led this effort with a season high 182 yards on 18 carries while senior Wes Karns (Martinsburg, W. Va./Glenville State) added 50 on six carries to help the Hornets achieve their first win with freshman JJ Brown (King George, Va./King George) starting at quarterback. Brown, who replaced the injured Wayne Hogwood (Arlington, Va./Wakefield) last week in the win over Chowan, was 3 for 10 for 41 yards and a touchdown through the air.
Brown threw the touchdown pass on Shenandoah's first offensive series of the game; he drove SU 41 yards on eight plays before hitting Karns on a nine-yard pass to give the hosts a lead they would never relinquish.
The Hornets made it 14-0 13 minutes later when senior Dennis Robart (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Potomac State) capped an 11 play, 58 yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run.
SU threatened to make it blowout two plays later when the defense scored a touchdown off of a turnover for the second straight week. On 2nd and 10 from the Averett 26, AU quarterback Scott Swann saw the shotgun snap from center sail over his head and land inside the 10 yard line. The ball continued to roll until Shenandoah defensive back Kenny Weaver (Ruckersville, Va./William Monroe) fell on it in the endzone. Junior Morgan Linkenauger's (Lanexa, Va./Lafayette) extra point then made the score 21-0 SU with 11:44 to play in the second quarter.
Averett (1-6, 0-4), which was held to just 211 yards in total offense (76 rushing, 135 passing) and committed four turnovers, stiffened up on defense and got itself back into the game by bookending two touchdowns around the halftime intermission.
The Cougars got on the board at the 3:06 mark of the second on a nine-yard TD pass to Matt Soyars from Swann and then made it 21-13 SU (the first extra point was missed) with 5:09 left in the third when Swann connected with Tracey Smithers for a six-yard TD pass. That play finished a 12 play, 60 yard drive.
Just as things got interesting, McGhee broke Averett's hearts by ripping off a 56 yard run on 3rd and 2 from the SU 33 to set up a 1st down on the Averett 11. Linkenauger drilled a 20 yard field goal to give the Hornets a little breathing room four plays later.
McGhee then capped his fabulous night on the next offensive series by scoring the final touchdown of the evening on a 30 yard jaunt. McGhee punctuated the run by diving across the goalline from the 5.
Senior Greg Anderson (Clifton, Va./Robinson) had 11 tackles and sophomore Eddie Freeman (Ruther Glen, Va./Caroline County) nine to lead the defensive effort while Anthony Morris and Jermaine Moore both had 12 tackles for AU.
A complete box score and play by play can be found at http://www.su.edu/athletics/fb/2002/110202.htm
Shenandoah completes its non-conference schedule next Saturday afternoon at Utica (NY) College.
