College Football Final – Hampden-Sydney 52, Guilford 0

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Junior quarterback Nash Nance passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more in Hampden-Sydney College’s 52-0 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football win at Guilford College Saturday.

The Tigers’ 14th straight victory over the Quakers (5-3, 4-1 ODAC) creates a three-way tie atop the ODAC standings between Guilford, Hampden-Sydney (6-2, 4-1 ODAC) and Randolph-Macon College (6-2, 4-1 ODAC). Each team is 4-1 in the league with two games to play. Hampden-Sydney and Randolph-Macon meet Nov. 16.

Hampden-Sydney’s defense sacked Guilford quarterback Matt Pawlowski seven times and held the sophomore to a career-low 83 passing yards one week after he threw for a career-high 394 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Randolph-Macon. The Tigers held the Quakers to seven net rushing yards and two-of-15 on third-down conversions.

Nance led Hampden-Sydney down the field on the game’s first possession. He ran for 24 yards and completed four-of-five passes for 42 yards, including a four-yard scoring toss to Eric Gorsline that capped a 12-play, 77-yard opening drive.

The Quakers did not pick up a first down until the second quarter, but had a 39-yard field-goal attempt in the first frame set up by a Satiir Stevenson interception. The kick missed to the right and Hampden-Sydney answered with an eight-play, 78-yard scoring drive culminated by Nance’s one-yard touchdown run with two seconds left in the first quarter.

Hampden-Sydney defensive lineman Scott Markland recovered a fumble at the Guilford five on the Quakers’ ensuing possession, which set up a five-yard scoring run by Nance and opened a 21-0 Tigers’ lead 14 minutes before halftime.

John Moore’s 31-yard punt return, plus a 15-yard Guilford penalty led to the Tigers’ fourth score, a one-yard Brady Macko run. Nance’s second touchdown pass of the game, an eight-yard completion to Holton Walker, sent Hampden-Sydney into halftime with a 35-0 lead.

Guilford had the second-half’s first possession, but Hampden-Sydney’s Zach Morgan picked off a Pawlowski pass and returned it 41 yards for the score and a 42-0 Tigers’ advantage.

Nance connected with Joey Kernan on a 34-yard third-quarter touchdown before sitting out the final quarter. He completed 16-of-21 passes for 197 yards and rushed 17 times for a game-best 92 yards before Kyle Farlow took over. Macko finished with 69 rushing yards and Chris Shembo added 64 for the Tigers, who outgained Guilford, 444-118, in total offense. Walker finished with seven catches for 77 yards, both game highs.

Markland paced Hampden-Sydney’s defense with 2.5 sacks among four tackles. Shaq Thomas added two sacks and Benjamin Carson and James Choulas both had one apiece. Steven Fogelman made a team-high eight tackles. The Tigers held Guilford running back Josh Schow to a season-low 29 yards on 13 carries, well off his season average of 126.7 rushing yards per game.

Stevenson and Daytwyn Rascoe both made nine tackles for the Quakers. Robert Smith had eight stops and JerMario Gooch added seven.
Guilford heads to Catholic University of America next Saturday (11/9) for a 12 noon ODAC game. Hampden-Sydney hosts Washington and Lee University next Saturday at 1:00 p.m.