EMORY, Va. – Whoa Nellie, it was a barnburner Saturday afternoon on the Emory & Henry campus as the Bluefield University Rams rallied from a three touchdown deficit to defeat the Wasps 46-45 in a battle of Southwest Virginia schools.
E&H took the early lead only to see the Rams tie the game on a Josh Nelson 44-yard pass to Antonio Strickland, and a PAT by Tanner Griffith. Just two minutes later Latravious Johnson ran three yards for a Rams TD. Griffith added the extra point to make it 14-7 and that is where it stood at the end of the first quarter.
Emory & Henry scored three times in the second quarter – a short pass and two TD runs to take a 28-14 lead. All three scores occurred within a three-minute span. Just before the halftime break Griffith booted a 32-yard field goal and the Wasps carried a 28-17 lead into the intermission.
In the third E&H tacked on a touchdown and field goal, while the Rams added a touchdown.
The fourth quarter scoring began with Strickland running one yard for a score. The Wasps then scored on a 21-yard pass play to lead 45-24. Then the rally began.
The Rams scored three touchdowns within four minutes to pull ahead. All were within the final five minutes of the game. Nelson passed to Jaquan Ebron from 29 yards out with 4:55 to play. Strickland then caught a nine-yard pass from Nelson with 3:33 remaining. Griffith's kicks were good following each touchdown. The final strike came with 1:07 on the clock when Nelson and Matthew Trevillian hooked up on an eight-yard scoring play. Nelson passed to Ebron for the two-point conversion and the winning margin.
Nelson, starting in place of opening game starting quarterback Nathan Herstich, who was injured late in last week's game against Thomas More, completed 27-of-53 passes for 365 yards and four touchdowns with an interception. Nelson had three targets with seven receptions apiece – Ebron for 167 yards, Strickland for 80 yards, and Trevillian for 46 yards. Latravious Johnson led the Rams rushing attack with 69 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown.
Defensively KeDarrius Phinazee led BU with 11 tackles. Damarcus Wimbush finished with eight and Jayden Campbell intercepted a pass. Griffith punted twice for 76 yards and was five-for-five  on extra points.
The Rams remain on the road next week at UPike. Kickoff is 6 p.m. in Pikeville, Ky.