Tigers swat Hornets, 37-34
Published 10:54 pm Monday, November 7, 2016
The Hampden-Sydney College football team returned to the win column Saturday, taking a dramatic 37-34 win over Shenandoah University in the Tigers’ final road game of the season.
With the win, the Tigers improve to 3-6 on the season and 3-3 in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play, while the Hornets drop to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the ODAC.
The Tigers offense rolled to 471 yards without a turnover and dominated the time of possession, having the ball for nearly 41 minutes to Shenandoah’s 19.
Hampden-Sydney gained 263 yards through the air and 208 yards on the ground.
Tigers sophomore quarterback Alec Cobb (Jamestown, N.C./Ragsdale) was 24-of-31 passing for 263 and a touchdown. He also ran for five yards and two touchdowns.
Senior wide receiver Owen Costello (South Riding/Paul VI) and freshman wide receiver Major Morgan (Onancock/Broadwater) each had 85 yards receiving on a combined 13 catches.
Junior running back Mike DeMasi (Virginia Beach/Frank W. Cox) had a monster game, piling up 231 yards, including 187 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries.
The deciding points in the contest ended up coming from senior kicker Jordan Chalkley, who hit a 23-yard field goal with 2:32 left in the game to give Hampden-Sydney a 37-27 lead.
Defensively, the Tigers allowed 377 yards of offense on 311 passing and 66 rushing. Kendall Blankenship (Appomattox/Appomattox) and Brian Gwaltney (Colonial Heights/Colonial Heights) each had a team-high eight tackles. Griffin Davis (Charlottesville/William and Mary) and Bender Vaught (Ashland/Patrick Henry) each had four stops, while Vaught intercepted a pass and returned it 12 yards.
Hampden-Sydney will wrap up its season Saturday as it hosts arch-rival Randolph-Macon College in the 121 edition of “The Game.” Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.