EMORY, Va. – The Hampden-Sydney College Football Team (6-1, 3-0 ODAC) picked up a 38-36 victory over Emory & Henry College (4-3, 1-2 ODAC) in thrilling fashion Saturday afternoon at Fred Selfe Stadium.
Sophomore quarterback Kyle Boden (Knoxville, Tenn.) had a record-breaking day as he went 51-for-65 through the air for 390 yards and three touchdowns. Boden's 51 completions sets a new ODAC and E&H top mark while his 65 attempts is now the Emory & Henry record and is good for seventh on the league charts. The Karns HS graduate's 390 yards is second all-time by a Wasp, with only Todd Woods' 488-yard performance against Hampden-Sydney in 2003 ahead of him.
E&H junior wide receiver Preston Jennings (Banner Elk, N.C.) set a new school and Old Dominion Athletic Conference record for receptions in a game with 21 catches for 111 yards and one touchdown on the day.
Hampden-Sydney stormed out to a 19-0 lead in the contest, scoring touchdowns on three of its first four possessions. Evan King and Kirk Rohle each punched the ball in from one yard out and Travis Lane found Sean Cavanagh from 15 yards out for the third score. The Tigers' second PAT kick was blocked and their attempt at a two-point conversion on the next score was unsuccessful.
The Wasps got on the board on the first play of the second quarter. A pass by sophomore wide receiver Chad Williams (Elkton, Va.) found senior wideout Corey Ware (Buchanan, Va.) on a misdirection play in the back of the end zone for the 24-yard score, cutting the H-SC lead to 19-7.
The Tigers answered immediately, going 80 yards on eight plays covering just 2:22. Lane connected with Eric Gorsline for a 35-yard completion, setting up three straight runs by Rohle including a seven-yarder for the score.
E&H got back in the saddle on offense, covering 60 yards in 11 plays for the touchdown. Boden found five different receivers on the drive highlighted by Jennings' six-yard catch for the score, to cut the margin to 26-14.
After sophomore defensive back DeMikael Burse (Charlotte, N.C.) picked off a Hampden-Sydney pass and returned it 44 yards to the Tigers' 13 yardline, the Wasps' drive stalled and E&H was forced to settle for a field goal.
Hampden-Sydney recorded a field goal of its own as time expired in the half, a 43-yarder by David Prizzia, to take a 29-17 lead into intermission.
After the break, Emory & Henry picked off another H-SC pass and drove 53 yards in seven plays to cut the margin to 29-24. Junior running back William Pearl (Atlanta, Ga.) scored from one yard out, the Wasps' only rushing touchdown on the day.
The Tigers added nine points on a 35-yard field goal by Prizzia and a one-play drive that saw Lane find Cavanagh for a 21-yard score. Prizzia's PAT attempt was blocked, making the score 38-24.
Emory & Henry scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, as Boden found junior wide receiver DaVon Ross (Glen Wilton, Va.) for 16 yards, cutting the lead to 38-30 after a bad snap on the point after touchdown attempt.
The Wasps recovered the onside kick at their own 49-yardline and drove 61 yards in nine plays. E&H scored from eight yards out on the final play of the game as Boden and Ross linked up for their second-straight touchdown to close the gap to 38-36. E&H was unable to get the two-point conversion to send the contest into overtime.
Emory & Henry threw for 435 yards in the contest and rushed for 32 for 467 yards of total offense compared to 458 yards (291 pass, 167 rush) for Hampden-Sydney. The Wasps also held the advantage in first downs (27-24) and time of possession (32:22-27:38).
Defensively, E&H was paced by senior defensive end Daniel Preston (Kingsport, Tenn.) with nine tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Junior defensive back Tyler Houk (Galax, Va.) had eight tackles and an interception return for 17 yards. Junior linebackers Ross Ellis (Abingdon, Va.) and Devan Sproles (Norton, Va.) made nine and eight stops, respectively. Senior defensive back Michael Young (Lawrenceville, Ga.) and junior defensive back Anthony Jones (Bristol, Va.) each had two passes defended and a blocked kick in the contest.
For Hampden-Sydney, Alex Price led all players with 16 tackles and also had an interception. Kenny Fryman registered 12 tackles while August Berling had 11 tackles including two for loss. Zach Morgan made nine stops and had an interception with a 34-yard return.
Emory & Henry will travel to Our Nation's Capital next Saturday to take on Catholic University of America. Kickoff between the Wasps and Cardinals will be at 1:00 p.m.
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