Wittenberg’s defense preserved the lead with a stop in the final minutes. Tyre Smith made two big plays on Washington and Lee’s final drive, making a tackle for a loss of three yards and then sacking the quarterback on 4th-and-12 at the Wittenberg 49-yard line. A pass breakup by freshman defensive gack Jeremiah Jones on third down also helped the defense stop the Generals.
Earlier in the game, Wittenberg got on the board with 6:02 left in the first half with a 77-yard touchdown pass from J.J. Miller to Kade Ray.
In the third quarter, Wittenberg tied the game at 14-14 on a 2-yard run by Miller.
On the first play of the next possession, Wittenberg linebacker Will Dix Jr. intercepted a pass. That led to a go-ahead 20-yard touchdown pass from Miller to Nikhai Daniel.
Washington and Lee tied the game with 8:41 to play on a 5-yard run by Anthony Crawford.
Wittenberg bounced back from a 31-13 loss at home to Baldwin-Wallace in its season opener on Sept. 6.
Wittenberg avoided its first 0-2 start since 2006 when it lost to Capital and Dayton to open the season. If Wittenberg had lost, it would have been the first time since 1945 it opened with two home games and lost them both.
Instead, the Tigers will take a 1-1 mark into the first of eight North Coast Athletic Conference games. They play at Ohio Wesleyan at 6 p.m. on Sept. 20.
Washington and Lee fell to 0-2. This was the first time the teams had played since 1957 and 1958. Wittenberg won those two games by a combined score of 112-26.
Washington and Lee finished 8-3 last season and placed second in the Old Dominion Conference.
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