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Last week, new head coach Vince Luvara got his first win with Hampden-Sydney. This time around, the Tigers helped him secure his first home victory at Fulton Field. In a back-and-forth contest that went down to the wire, Hampden-Sydney beat Centre (KY) College 38-34 on Saturday afternoon. 

“Great team effort over a very good Centre team,” said Luvara. “Once again, with our backs against the wall, the team found a way to come together and make plays in the critical moments. Really proud of this team’s effort for four quarters.”

It was also a day for record breaking. Junior quarterback and team captain Carter Sido passed for 264 yards and five touchdowns, both career highs. Four of those touchdowns went to sophomore wide receiver Ethan Dowdy, who also posted career highs of nine receptions for 101 yards. We also had a third player register career highs, as freshman running back Fain Barton added 103 yards rushing in his first collegiate start. On the defense, Hampden-Sydney junior cornerback James Townsend had a career high 10 tackles, to go with a late game-sealing interception. 

A tale of two halves

It was really a tale of two halves on Saturday. Going into halftime, the host Tigers trailed the visiting Colonels 20-17. But then Hampden-Sydney came out in the second half and outscored Centre College 21-14. 

Things got started fast after halftime, with Sido finding Dowdy over the middle for two quick touchdowns. The first was a 28-yard connection at 13:23 in the third quarter. The second was a 16-yard pass at 9:18 in the third. That made it 31-20 in favor of Hampden-Sydney. Centre answered with a 33-yard scoring play of their own, failing to finish the two-point conversion. That made the score 31-26. Centre then added another touchdown in the fourth quarter, taking the 34-31 lead with 9:59 left in the game. This time, the two-point conversion worked. 

That lead didn’t last long, however. Hampden-Sydney took the ball and drove 75 yards on seven plays, with Sido connecting with Dowdy for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 7:32 left to play. Key to the game-winning drive was a 13-yard connection between Sido and Dowdy on a third-down play, along with a 17-yard run by Barton, while a pair of pass interference penalties helped, as well.

The Colonels managed to drive to the Hampden-Sydney 13-yard line on its next possession, but freshman cornerback Parks Cromwell ended things with his first collegiate interception. The Garnet & Grey tried to run out the clock, but were forced to punt, allowing the visitors one more opportunity with the ball and only 22 seconds remaining. Townsend made his clinching interception on the first play and one kneel down ended the contest for the Tigers and secured the first home win for Coach Luvara.

What’s next for Hampden-Sydney?

The Tigers have a bye weekend upcoming and will play at home again in two weeks during Family Weekend at the College. They will play host to ODAC member Guilford (NC) College on Saturday, October 5, at 1 p.m. at Everett Stadium.