By Parker Stanley
Staff Writer
All along University Avenue, observers could spot students dressed in their game day best, moving in droves toward Hardee-McGee Field to watch the Sewanee Tigers take on the Emory & Henry Wasps. Noise filled the outskirts of campus as the dull roar of tailgaters mixed with the cheers of “Tigers, tigers, leave ‘em in the lurch” resonating from the stadium; the pre-game excitement only growing as students filed into the stadium to take their seats in preparation for the opening kick-off.
From the first whistle, the Sewanee Tigers burst out of the gate, recovering an onside kick to steal Emory & Henry’s first possession from right under their noses. The Tigers would capitalize on this momentum and score on their next three drives, two touchdowns coming behind the legs of quarterback Cody Daniel (C’16), to take a quick 20-0 lead. However, Emory & Henry would manage to score right before halftime, radically shifting the momentum of the game.
The Wasps would put up the only score of the third quarter and would score just a few minutes into the fourth to take their first lead of the game, 21-20. The Tigers, however, were not ready to lay down, and on the next drive, Daniel would outrun three Wasp defenders for a remarkable 87-yard touchdown run to give Sewanee the lead. Unfortunately, despite Daniel’s dazzling performance, turnovers and two blocked punts would doom the Tigers as Emory & Henry would score four straight touchdowns to close out the game with a final score of 44-27 in favor of the Wasps.
Despite the disappointing loss, Sewanee’s offense showed just how potent their running game can be, especially when Daniel is able to break off some long runs. The junior quarterback from Tracy, California ran for 232 yards in the loss, one of the highest single game totals in Sewanee football history. Four games into the season, Daniel has rushed for 542 yards, which puts him on pace to break Sewanee’s record for rush yards in a single season.