GREENSBORO, N.C. – Caleb Robles (Wilmington, N.C.) was superb, accounting for over 300 yards on his own as the Guilford College football team hosted Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) action with Washington & Lee University visiting Appenzeller Field and pulling away late to claim at 40-23 victory on Saturday evening.

The Generals improve to 4-2 with the result, 3-0 in conference play, while the Quakers fall to 3-3, 0-3 in ODAC play, and have dropped three-straight out of their bye week.

Contrary to the previous two conference matches, GC has plenty to like out of this showing, starting with their first-year signal-caller. He completed 25-of-35, both career-highs, for 244 yards and two touchdowns against one interception. Additionally, gained over 100 yards on the ground, netting 67, which is also a career-best.

Robles was in-sync with Jay Daniels (Waycross, Ga.) all afternoon, finding the Quaker star for nine completions, obliterating Daniels' previous career-high of five receptions. The surging wide receiver accumulated 93 yards and a receiving touchdown. Just like last season, Shane Shapiro (Jacksonville, N.C.) had a big day against the Generals, hauling in a career-high seven catches for 61 yards. AJ Merriman (Salisbury, N.C.) returned to a full-role as well, and had a career-high for catches with five for 56 yards and a score.

Robles was GC's leading rusher, followed by Malik Woodard (Wilson, N.C.) who found the endzone for the first time since week three, accumulating 52 yards on 18 carries and nine more yards on one catch.

Devin Chavis (Laurinburg, N.C.) finished as Guilford's leading tackler with seven, two of them solo. He also combined with Avery Garner (Denton, N.C.) on a sack. Garner was even with Jaylan Richardson (Summerville, S.C.) and Bo Thompson (Fairview, N.C.) with five tackles each.

Ty Collins only threw six passes within W&L's triple-option offense on this day, completing four of them for 87 yards and a touchdown. He also netted 83 yards on the ground with a TD. Jacob Romero was his leading receiver with two catches for 47 yards while also being the Generals' top rusher with 120 and two scores. Andrew Bland had a 34-yard touchdown reception for the guests.

Jalen Todd was involved a lot for Washington & Lee defensively, accumulating 22 tackles, nine solo, including 2.0 sacks. Brennan Stout added a dozen takedowns, evenly divided between assisted and solo efforts. Charlie Flemming also added eight tackles on the night while Jack Johnson had the lone takeaway for either side.

Guilford received the football first and went on a march. With Woodard accumulating 24 yards on the ground, Evan Sullivan (McBee, S.C.) adding 15 more, and a trio of third down conversions, two through the air to Daniels and Tegan Griggs (Cheraw, S.C.), and another on the ground with Woodard. The Quakers possessed the ball for just a few ticks under ten minutes, venturing 65 yards on 18 plays. Ultimately, a sack by Stout on third down halted the drive, and the hosts had to settle for an Adriano De Castro (Rio de Janiero, Brazil) field goal from 30 yards away.

The Generals countered with a sustained drive of their own, soaking up the final five minutes of the first quarter on ten plays, completing a quarter that only saw 18 minutes of real time elapse. They polished off a 12-play, 67-yard trek of their own, with a Romero touchdown rush from three yards away, although Michael Fernandes missed the PAT.

On the ensuing drive, the Quakers went on the march once more, this time eclipsing the 10-minute mark with a 17-play journey that included two third-down conversions, another two on fourth down, including once from the two-yard line in which Robles got stuffed on a keeper, before a second effort bounced it outside the tackles to reach the line to gain. Ultimately, Woodard capped it off a play later by crossing the goal line to reclaim the advantage, although de Castro missed the point after.

W&L had an answer, "only" using about three minutes of clock to go on a ten-play, 77-yard drive. Following some controversy and conversion on a spike by Collins that may have had his knee touch the turf first, the Generals' field general connected with Bland on a quick-strike from 34-yards away on fourth down to seize the lead. GC moved the ball into Washington & Lee territory, but ultimately ran out of time in the first half with the score 13-9.

Out of the halftime break, the visitors got a strong kick return with a 50-yard rush by Romero two plays later. The Quakers kept him out of the endzone on the play, but it only prolonged the inevitable, as he would punch it in from five yards away on the following snap.

More conversions on third down, two of them to be exact, including one on a Robles scramble on third-and-12, kept Guilford moving on the following drive, but they would still be at a pivotal down with a fourth-and-four in the redzone, and rolled the dice. It would payoff again, with Robles not only throwing for the sticks, but the goal line from 12 yards out, and linked with Merriman for the touchdown to get back within one score.

The Generals got on the move again, knocking on the door for another touchdown, but the Quakers stuffed them three times inside the five to force a turnover on downs. What could have been a turning point in their favor, unfortunately ended up having the opposite effect as they could not get out of the shadow of their own endzone, barely escaping a safety on first and second downs before getting stopped shy of the line to gain on third as they were forced to punt. Wilson Axley did not have far to go, and took advantage, bringing the punt back just 40 yards for a W&L TD.

Down two scores, Guilford continued to successfully move the football, getting to at least around midfield on their next two drives, but a Collins scoring rush from 43 yards out left them little room for error, and an interception that was returned to the GC ten-yard line preceding a Burke Cigelske touchdown rush put it out of reach. Daniels would receive a score later in the quarter for the Quakers, bringing the final tallies to 40-23.

Things do not get any easier with GC making the trip up to Shenandoah for a clash with the Hornets who have taken both Randolph-Macon College and Bridgewater College to the brink this year already. The matchup with SU will kickoff at noon.

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