Tigers Stay Undefeated In Conference
Published 12:16 pm Tuesday, October 15, 2013
HAMPDEN-SYDNEY — Hampden-Sydney improves to 4-1 overall and a perfect 2-0 in ODAC play with an impressive 28-7 win over ODAC-rival Bridgewater College. The win is the third consecutive for the Tigers and puts them in a three-way tie for first place in the conference with Randolph-Macon and Guilford.
The Tigers put up 333 yards of offense on 59 plays while not turning the ball over and controlling the tempo of the game. Junior receiver Holton Walker (Lynchburg/Brookville) had his six-consecutive 100-yard day with 112 yards and a touchdown on eight catches. Walker has now moved into the top-five in Hampden-Sydney's career receiving yardage leaders with 2,074 yards, surpassing Neal Herndon's '02 mark of 1,978 yards.
For the second straight week Hampden-Sydney opened the game with full momentum and excitement. Last week, the Tigers opened the game with a successful onsides kick against Catholic; this week, Sidney Henry (Haymarket/Battlefield) took the opening kickoff 90-yards for the first score of the day and a 7-0 lead for the Tigers 17 seconds into the game.
The Tigers never looked back, and after the defense forced Bridgewater to punt, they scored on a 10-play, 87-yard drive that ended with Nash Nance (Calhoun, GA/Tennessee) hitting Walker for an eight-yard score for a 14-0 lead.
Neither team could find an offensive groove with three punts, one turnover-on-downs, and an interception by Charlie Shoemaker (Charlotte, NC/Myers Park) ending the next five drives early.
Bridgewater's punt on the eighth drive of the game gave Hampden-Sydney the ball on its own 21-yard line with 3:10 to play in the half. Nance orchestrated a drive in which he went 4-for-5 for 72 yards and led the Tigers to a one-yard Brady Macko (Kill Devil Hills, NC/First Flight) rushing touchdown to go up 21-0 just 30 seconds before intermission.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Tigers tacked on to their lead as a Nance scramble turned into a 35-yard touchdown run to put the home team up 28-0.
Bridgewater responded with a 17-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a Willie Logan five-yard touchdown pass to Jeffrey Moore.
With three and a half minutes left, the Tigers were able to run the clock out for the victory.
The Tigers tallied 333 yards of offense via 192 passing yards and 141 rushing yards. Nance was 14-of-24 for 192 yards and a touchdown to go with a game-high 78 rushing yards on 15 carries. Walker accounted for 112 of the 192 passing yards. Macko rushed for 43 yards and a score on ten carries.
Defensively, the Tigers allowed 292 yards on 183 passing and 109 rushing. While the Eagles were 5-of-8 on fourth down conversions, the Tigers held them to 5-of-18 on third downs. Shreve Rohle (Mechanicsville/Hanover), Josh Doggett (Mechanicsville/Atlee), and Robert Stack (Charlotte, NC/Merchant Marine Academy) each led the way with a game-high ten tackles. Each had a hand in a tackle-for-loss and broke up a combined five passes. Tyler Ikwild (Philomont/Loudoun Valley) and Shoemaker had seven and six tackles, respectively, while Shoemaker picked off a pass and returned it 29 yards.
H-SC returns to action on October 19 at 1 p.m. against Emory and Henry.