H-SC | Athletics: Football

WASHINGTON, DC (October 20, 2007)—Hampden-Sydney College amassed 539 yards of total offense in an exciting 49-39 victory over Catholic University on Saturday at Cardinal Stadium in Washington, D.C.. The Tigers benefited from several impressive performances from the skill positions, while Hampden-Sydney's Michael Ware (Goochland, VA/Goochland) created the game's only turnover. With the victory, Hampden-Sydney improves to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, while the Cardinals drop to 4-3 and 0-3 in the conference.

Hampden-Sydney tallied 174 yards on the ground and scored three rushing touchdowns as running back Josh Simpson (Richmond, VA/Mills Godwin) recorded a game-high 150 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries. Catholic was led by junior running back Greg Brown, who led the team with 36 yards rushing on 13 carries.

In the first quarter, Catholic's Noah Rogers scored on a four yard pass following a blocked punt to give the Cardinals a 7-0 advantage only six minutes into the game. The Tigers answered as Josh Baumgartner (Vinton, VA/William Byrd) caught a five yard touchdown pass from Corey Sedlar (Richmond, VA/Mills Godwin) to tie the game, 7-7.

With 11:59 remaining in the second quarter, Simpson gave the Tigers the lead, 14-7, on a touchdown run from 11 yards out. The Tigers and Cardinals would trade touchdowns throughout the second period, including two touchdown receptions by senior Drew Smith (Richmond, VA/Mills Godwin). Smith's second touchdown reception came with only 27 seconds remaining until halftime, giving the Tigers the 28-21 advantage at the break.

On the Tigers first series in the second half, Sedlar connected with senior receiver Michael Brooks (Glen Allen, VA/Hermitage) for a 43 yard touchdown pass, giving the Tigers the 35-21 lead. The Cardinals answered with a Brendan Deluca 22 yard field goal, but the Tigers increased their lead to 18 points on a another touchdown run by Simpson.

The Tigers took a 19-point lead over the Cardinals on Simpson's third touchdown of the afternoon, making the score 49-30. After Ware's interception, the Cardinals were able to get a safety and scored with only to two seconds remaining to make the score closer, but the Tigers came away with the 49-39 victory.

Sedlar completed 27-of-39 passes for 365 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, while Catholic's Keith Ricca completed 32-of-55 passes for 305 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Drew Smith led all receivers with 11 catches for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Baumgartner also had a solid game as he recorded seven catches for 67 yards and one score. Noah Rogers was the leading receiver for the Cardinals with eight catches for 60 yards and one score, while three other players recorded six receptions.

The Tiger defense turned in a solid performance as they held the Cardinal running attack to just 43 yards on the day. The Tigers were led by freshman Michael Ware as he recorded a career-high 13 tackles and the first interception of his career, while senior linebacker Kyle Booker (Gloucester, VA/Fork Union) recorded 11 tackles on the afternoon. Bill Gross and Anthony Delborrell led the Cardinals with 14 total tackles, while Gross recorded five tackles-for-loss.

Hampden-Sydney will have a week off before returning to action on Saturday, November 3, as the Tigers will host Huntingdon College on Hall of Fame Weekend at 1 pm, at Everett Stadium and Fulton Field.