Football Release (2005-06) -Guilford Football Downs Randolph-Macon 37-29 - Guilford College

 

      Greensboro, NC (10/29/05) -- Redshirt-freshman quarterback Josh Vogelbach threw for 334 yards and a school record-tying five touchdowns in Guilford's 37-29 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football win over visiting Randolph-Macon Saturday. The Quakers' (3-5, 2-2 ODAC) posted consecutive wins for the first time since 2002 and matched their most victories in a season since the same year. The Yellow Jackets (2-6, 1-3 ODAC) had a two-game winning skein stopped.

 


      The Quakers overcame strong efforts by Randolph-Macon quarterback Tyler Ball, who completed 31 of 58 passes for 404 yards and two touchdowns, and receiver Khalil Shareef, who made 16 catches for 189 yards, both career highs, and a touchdown.


      After Guilford opened a 28-7 second-quarter lead, Randolph-Macon chipped away at the deficit. Two fourth-down stands in the final quarter, one at Guilford's 14-yard line, the other at the Quakers' 39-yard line, kept the Yellow Jackets off the board. Guilford's offense struggled to gain first downs and take time off the clock, which gave Randolph-Macon hope for a comeback.


      The Yellow Jackets finally pulled to within 35-29 with 6:31 left after Steve Ahonen's two-yard touchdown run, his second short scoring run of the day. A penalty pushed the point-after attempt back 15 yards. A botched snap led to Ahonen, the holder, passing to Kyle Wiggins for a two-point conversion and a six-point game.
 

      The Quakers' offense finally picked up three first downs on the ensuing possession before stalling at Randolph-Macon's 34-yard line. Punter Travis Frazier pinned the guests on their own four-yard line and a penalty pushed the Yellow Jackets back to the two with 1:53 left in the game. On third and four, Guilford's Kelby Brooks sacked Ball in the end zone for a safety, which gave the Quakers two points and the ball with 1:23 left.
 

Despite allowing career days to Ball and Shareef, the Quakers' defense made key stops down the stretch and set up three second-quarter touchdowns with takeaways. Turnovers helped Guilford score three touchdowns in a two-minute, eight-second span in the period. After Vogelbach's 42-yard touchdown pass to Joe Joyner gave the Quakers' a 14-7 lead, Devon White picked off Ball on the first play of the ensuing possession and returned it to Randolph-Macon's 32-yard line. On the next play, Vogelbach's 32-yard scoring strike to Micah Rushing gave the Quakers a 21-7 edge. Guilford's Bryan Cook  intercepted Ball again on the first play of the next possession and five plays later Vogelbach connected with Chris Barnette from 19 yards out for a 28-7 Quakers' lead.
 

Vogelbach, a transfer from East Carolina, threw five touchdowns for the fourth time in five games. He set school season records for touchdowns (28), pass attempts (342), passing yards (2527) and total offensive yards (2608) in today's game, which gives him nine school records this year. Barnette, who made six grabs for 92 yards, tied Geoff Clark's '72 35-year-old school mark with 70 catches in a season. Rookie Kevin Vaughn caught six passes for 82 yards and two scores, all career highs.


      The Quakers visit league-rival Catholic next Saturday (11/5) while the Yellow Jackets visit league-leading Bridgewater the same day.

 

-Photos courtesy of John Bell.