Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
WINCHESTER, Va. – Shenandoah University used a 21-point third quarter Saturday night to fuel a 38-20 ODAC football victory over Bridgewater at a packed Sprint Field at Shentel Stadium.
Playing before 3776 homecoming night fans, Shenandoah (5-1, 3-0 ODAC) erased a three-point halftime deficit with the third quarter explosion.
Rebounding from a fumble on the second half kickoff, the SU defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing BC possession and then blocked the Eagles (3-3, 0-3) punt attempt to give itself a short field.
Quarterback Hayden Bauserman, who threw for 446 yards on 35-of-55 passing, threw the first of his three third quarter touchdown passes one play later on an 8-yard strike to Jalen Hudson and the Hornets never trailed again.
Sophomore Casey Stewart had the blocked punt, which was recovered by Nate Hill at the BC 20 and returned to the Eagles 8.
Bauserman, connected with Justin Ayers on an 11-yard TD pass at the 6:07 mark before he found Dershone Hayman for a 17-yard score with .7 remaining to give SU a 31-13 lead, had 109 of those yards in the third as he connected on 9-of-12 throws.
Bridgewater scored the initial touchdown of the fourth, on a Jay Scoggins to Craig Ward 34-yard TD pass at the 13:55 mark, but could get no closer than 11 points.
Shenandoah closed out the scoring with a six-play, 54-yard drive that ended with a Bauserman-to-Stewart TD pass in the corner of the end zone that made it 38-20 with 3:33 remaining.
BC drove all the way to the Hornets 3 on what would prove to be its final possession of the game before failing on a 4th-and-goal.
SU had to kneel one time to close out the game and earn its second consecutive victory over the Eagles.
"The blocked punt was the play of the game," head coach Scott Yoder said. "This wasn't pretty, but we will take it."
Shenandoah found itself trailing at halftime for the first time this season as Bridgewater took a 13-10 lead into the locker room thanks to Malvai Barker TD runs of 1 and 5 yards in the first and second quarters, respectively.
SU answered with a Jacob Newton 35-yard field goal at the 12:03 mark of the second along with a Michael Ashwell 46-yard TD reception with 4:30 remaining in the second, but missed a 38-yard field goal eight seconds before halftime.
Seven plays after that missed field goal, Shenandoah had a lead it would hold the rest of the way.
SU finished with 504 yards in total offense with Bauserman finding eight different receivers. Bridgewater had 408 of its own and sacked Bauserman three times.
The Hornet defense had five sacks on the night and forced two turnovers – a first quarter fumble and a Devontae Dunninterception in the third.
Shenandoah takes to the road next Saturday for a 1 p.m. ODAC kickoff at Guilford.