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H-SC piles up 550 yards of offense in handing Hawks first loss of the season MONTGOMERY, AL (November 8, 2008)–Needing to bounce back after a tough conference loss two weeks ago, and with star running back Josh Simpson (Richmond, VA/Mills Godwin) still hampered by a nagging injury, Hampden-Sydney's football team turned to two of its captains, senior quarterback Corey Sedlar (Richmond, VA/Mills Godwin) and junior linebacker Andrew Sellers (Roanoke, VA/Cave Spring). It's safe to say that both delivered on Saturday. Behind Sedlar's 489 yards and four touchdowns through the air and Sellers' game-high 14 tackles, Hampden-Sydney (8-1) earned a satisfying 38-34 conference win over previously unbeaten Huntingdon College (8-1) in balmy Montgomery, Alabama. The Tigers held a narrow 17-14 advantage heading into the locker room at halftime behind two Sedlar touchdown tosses to E.K. Smock (Manassas, VA/Osbourn) and J.C. Miller (Gulf Shores, AL/Bayside) and a 24-yard, T.C. Stevens (Alton, VA/Halifax) field goal. Hampden-Sydney wasted little time in taking control of the contest early in the second half, scoring on its first two drives of the third quarter while holding the Hawks scoreless in the frame. Adam Gillette (Franklin, VA/Nanesmond Suffolk), who continued his hot streak with career-best numbers of ten receptions for 191 yards, was the beneficiary of Sedlar's third scoring strike, a 31-yard connection that capped a 68-yard, 1:07 drive to open the second half. The Tigers' lead ballooned to 31-14 when Simpson, who was held to 27 yards on 15 carries, found the end zone on a two-yard leap over the pile with 4:46 to play in the third period. That touchdown run ended an impressive 16-play, 72-yard drive that melted 7:18 off the clock. The Hawks, however, seeking their first postseason berth in program history, fought back in the fourth period. Following a Justin Ridgeway 24-yard touchdown pass that drew Huntingdon within 31-21, the Hawks' defense caught a break when Sedlar's pass to the flat ricocheted off a Huntingdon player's helmet and into the arms of the Hawks' Mike Watts. After a successful fourth down conversion on the ensuing drive, Ridgeway scampered in on a quarterback draw from seven yards out to cut the Tiger lead back to three, 31-28, with 10:59 remaining in the game. But Hampden-Sydney turned once again to its signal caller for guidance on its next possession, and Sedlar came through, capping a back-breaking nine-play, 60-yard drive with a gorgeous 23-yard fade route to Anthony Mancini (Richmond, VA/Benedictine) for a 38-28 lead at the 6:12 mark. The Tigers surrendered a score just over a minute later, but Hampden-Sydney's offense never gave the football back to the Hawks, running out the final five minutes to earn a pivotal non-conference win heading into Macon Week. Sedlar finished the day completing 35-of-52 passes, and despite the four scoring strikes, was intercepted three times. Sedlar completed a pass to 12 different receivers, including Smock (6-72, TD), Mancini (4-82, TD) and senior Aaron Williams (Centreville, VA/Fairfax), who snared four passes for 29 yards. Sellers led the defensive effort with his seven solo and seven assisted stops. The Tigers' Thomas Hovis (Richmond, VA/St. Christopher's) tallied four tackles, one sack and two tackles-for-loss while safety Bill Doody (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Cardinal Gibbons) picked off his team-leading fifth pass of the season. The Hampden-Sydney defense held the vaunted Huntingdon rushing attack to well below it's season average, surrendering just 121 yards to a squad that averaged 279.6 per-game entering Saturday's match up. The Tigers out-gained the Hawks 550-322. Hampden-Sydney returns to action Saturday, November 15 when it welcomes arch-rival Randolph-Macon to Lewis C. Everett Stadium for Senior Day. If Hampden-Sydney can manage a victory over the Yellow Jackets, it would need Bridgewater to upset Catholic in Washington, D.C. in order to claim its second consecutive ODAC title. Game time against R-MC is scheduled for 1 pm. www.hsc.edu/athletics |
