MEMPHIS - It was a chilly after in Memphis for the 2017 Rhodes College Homecoming, featuring one of the oldest rivalries in college football. The Orgill Cup between Rhodes and Sewanee dates back to 1954 and Rhodes' 28-10 victory Saturday gave the Lynx a 35-28-1 all-time series record. The two Southern institutions met for the 85th time and Rhodes victory tied the all-time series from 1899 (41-41-3). Rhodes is now 3-5 on the year.
"I thought our offense started fast and did a great job securing a lead in the first half," commented head coach Jim Ryan. "I'm also very proud of our defense. We stopped the run and generated turnovers.
Pregame
It was a pregame unlike any other for members of the team who walked into the locker room mid-warmup for a surprise jersey switch. The Lynx ran out onto the field for the game revealing new all-red personalized jerseys for the occasion.
Breakdown and Highlights
On a chilly and windy day, kickers battled 12 mph winds as temperatures continued to drop from 55 degrees at the start of the 2 p.m. scheduled contest.
Rhodes' tallied 418 yards of total offense and held Sewanee to 275 yards. The Lynx ran the ball for 184 yards and completed 22 of 40 passing attempts for 234 yards.
Settles led the game with 122 rushing yards while Josh Lucas tallied the game-high 124 receiving yards including a 27 yard reception.Lucas, Jace Franklin and Carter Kingaveraged 11.3, 11.0 and 11.3 yards per catch respectively.
Defensively, Duke Sherrell's nine total tackles edged all other Lynx. He and Cody Stockton each recorded four solo tackles.
Sewanee fumbled the ball on their first play of the game as Eric Monroe came up with the interception for the Lynx.
Carter King's 12-yard reception on Rhodes' first drive of the game was good for a touchdown. The Lynx finished first-quarter scoring on a four-yard rush by PJ Settles.
On their first drive of the second quarter, King came up with an eight-yard touchdown as the Lynx ran up a 21-0 lead by halftime.
Rhodes held Sewanee scoreless for 35 minutes before the Tigers recorded a 19-yard field goal in the third quarter.
Rhodes held Sewanee to just 18 yards on the ground in the first half and held the Tigers to 70 yards on 32 carries.
On the first play of the second half, Sewanee tried to spark their offense with an onside kick, but the Lynx recovered the ball, only to commit their first turnover in just over six quarters on a fumble. Sewanee forced two turnovers from the Lynx in the third quarter, but Rhodes returned the favor.
The Lynx defense recorded five sacks to put Sewanee back 26 yards while the special teams unit got a hand on a Tiger field goal attempt in the third quarter.
Micah Battle tallied an interception which he ran back for 17 yards.
Rhodes scored with just under seven minutes to take a 28-3 advantage after Settles rushed up the middle for a three-yard touchdown. Sewanee's Calid Shorter ran back a kickoff for 64-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter. Settles threw an interception with 4:23 to go in the game which turned into a 20-yard reception for six points even though Tiger quarterback Sam Hearn felt the hit from Elliott Tostrud. The extra point would be the final point on the scoreboard with over four minutes to play.
Sewanee came up with their onside kick but the Rhodes defense eliminated the threat on the ensuing play as Sam McLain roped up Hearn for the sack. McLain pressured Hearn on the next play for an incomplete pass. His defensive efforts were rewarded when freshman Koby Philalom recorded his first collegiate sack to force a turnover on downs with two and a half minutes to play. On Sewanee's final drive of the game, D'On Coofer sacked Hearn and stripped the ball for a 12-yard loss which was picked up by Jack Skipper, ensuring the final score of 28-10.
Up Next
Rhodes will travel to Hendrix in a tough SAA battle next Saturday before hosting Austin College on Nov. 11th in their final home game of the year.
New Gear mixes with Old Traditions as Lynx secure Sixth Consecutive Orgill Cup Victory over Sewanee
/seasons/2017/boxscores/20171028_zlnn.xml
2017
Sewanee
10
Rhodes
28
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sewanee (3-6) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Rhodes (3-5) | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
Oct 29, 2017