LEXINGTON, Va. -- Fifth-year quarterback Tanner Bernard (Lynchburg) scored on a three-yard run in overtime, and freshman placekicker Elijah Swett (Matthews, NC) added the decisive PAT, to lead Hampden-Sydney College to a thrilling 44-43 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football road win at Washington and Lee University on Saturday afternoon in Lexington. Bernard passed for a game-high 313 yards and three touchdowns, adding 32 yards rushing and the game-winning touchdown, while Swett added three field goals—including a 42-yarder on the final play of regulation to force OT—for the visiting Tigers en route to their road win against the host Generals. H-SC won its third consecutive game and improved to 4-3 overall, 3-1 in the ODAC, while W&L dropped to 5-2 overall, 3-1 in the ODAC.
With the victory, 23rd-year Hampden-Sydney head coach Marty Favret now totals 144 football coaching wins with the Tigers, becoming the all-time winningest football coach at the College. Coach Favret has an overall record of 144-84, surpassing the legendary H-SC Hall of Fame head coach J. Stokeley Fulton, who compiled a record of 143-99-5 over 25 seasons from 1960-84, as the program's longest-tenured football coach.
W&L led 7-0 after one quarter following a nine-yard touchdown run by Jacob Romero with 3:43 on the clock, and Arturo Ramirez added the PAT.
H-SC evened the contest at 7-7 early in the second quarter when Bernard connected with sophomore wide receiver Austin Fernandez (Warrenton) on a five-yard scoring play at 14:27, and the PAT kick was good by Swett. It was a 12-play, 75-yard possession that included pass plays of 19 yards and 15 yards from Bernard to junior running back Melik Frost (Hardeeville, SC), along with a 19-yard connection from Bernard to Fernandez.
The Generals took a 10-7 lead at 12:09 of the second quarter when Ramirez added a 44-yard field goal.
The Tigers responded with a 14-play, 58-yard drive that ended with a six-yard touchdown pass from Bernard to senior tight end David Byler (Virginia Beach) at 5:50, and the PAT by Swett had the visitors ahead 14-10. Keys to the drive were an 11-yard run by Frost, an 11-yard pass from Bernard to Fernandez, while a roughing the kicker penalty (on a successful 24-yard field goal attempt by Swett) gave the Garnet & Grey a first-and-goal at the four ahead of the touchdown.
W&L answered back with a two-yard touchdown run by Alex Wertz with just 1:30 left in the quarter, and the PAT by Ramirez had the hosts in front 17-14.
Following a quick three-and-out, H-SC got the ball back late in the half when freshman cornerback James Townsend (Hardeeville, SC) made an interception and returned it five yards to the visitor's 34-yard line with just one-second on the clock. Bernard and Fernandez connected on a 23-yard pass play, and a defensive penalty on the play allowed for a 45-yard field goal attempt by Swett with no time on the clock. Swett promptly kicked it through the uprights with distance to spare on his first official collegiate field goal attempt, and the Tigers and Generals were tied at 17-17 at halftime.
H-SC scored two unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter, the first on another six-yard scoring connection from Bernard to Byler at 8:40, and the second on a 15-yard fumble return for a defensive touchdown by freshman safety Max Pickren (Mount Pleasant, SC)—making his first collegiate start—at 6:11. The first score capped an impressive 11-play, 96-yard possession that included completions of 11 yards and 10 yards by Bernard to senior running back Landon Porter (Virginia Beach) and Frost, respectively, sandwiched around a 42-yard pass play from Bernard to freshman wide receiver Mason Cunningham (Arlington), while Frost added three rushes for 15 yards, as well. The second score happened when junior linebacker Tramell Thompson (Queens, NY) forced a fumble that Max Pickren picked-up and found his way to the end zone. The PAT kick attempt was no good after the first score, leaving it 23-17, before Bernard connected with junior wide receiver Braeden Bowling (Cary, NC) for a successful two-point conversion to give the Tigers a 31-17 advantage after three quarters.
W&L added its first touchdown of the second half early in the fourth quarter at 13:33 when Cameron Reed scored on a 10-yard run, but the PAT kick attempt was no good, making it a 31-23 contest.
H-SC added to the margin when Swett made a 29-yard field goal at 7:26 for a 34-23 lead. It was an 11-play, 63-yard drive that featured 14-yard runs by both Frost and Bernard, a nine-yard run by Frost, and a 10-yard completion from Bernard to Fernandez.
The Generals fought back with two late touchdowns to take a 37-34 lead with just 38-seconds remaining in regulation. The first was a 21-yard run by Stephen Murrin at 4:34, and the second as a three-yard run by Wertz at 0:38. A two-point conversion pass attempt failed after the first score, but another two-point conversion pass attempt was good after the second—from Murrin to Romero.
H-SC, however, refused to go down—though it was not easy … beginning at its own 25 and following an eight-yard completion from Bernard to Byler, Bernard was sacked for a nine-yard loss on second down. Following its last timeout, Bernard found Bowling for 15 yards on third-and-11, and after a spike to stop the clock, Bernard and Bowling connected once-again, this time for 21 yards and another spike to stop the clock. On second-and-10 at the W&L 40, it appeared that the Generals had made a game-ending interception; however, pass interference was called on the defense, placing the ball at the 25 with one-second on the clock. Swett calmly kicked the 42-yard field goal—his third of the game—to send the contest to overtime tied at 37-37.
W&L had the ball first in the extra time, and the Generals scored on a four-yard touchdown run by Murrin, but the PAT kick attempt failed again and it was a 43-37 lead for the hosts.
H-SC took its possession and Bernard scored on a three-yard touchdown run, followed by the decisive PAT kick by Swett for the wild 44-43 road triumph. The game-winning overtime possession was kept alive by a nine-yard run by Bernard on third-and-seven, and Frost followed with a 10-yard run to the three-yard line to set-up the winning score.
Bernard passed for a game-high 313 yards (31-45) and three touchdowns with no interceptions, adding 32 yards on the ground and one touchdown for H-SC. Frost rushed for 87 hard-earned yards on 23 attempts, adding 44 yards receiving on three receptions. Fernandez had a game-high 86 yards receiving on nine receptions and one touchdown, while Byler finished with 36 yards receiving on five catches and two touchdowns. Cunningham had 61 yards receiving on four catches and Bowling finished with 46 yards receiving on four receptions.
Junior safety Will Pickren (Mount Pleasant, SC) finished with a game-high and career-high 22 tackles, and one quarterback hurry to lead the Tigers on defense. Junior linebackers Dorian Green (Martinsville) and Jaylin Jones (Rustburg) finished with nine and eight tackles, respectively, while Max Pickren added seven tackles and the fumble recovery for the defensive touchdown. Freshman safety Jaylan Long (Martinsville) had five tackles and a forced fumble, while Thompson had four tackles along with a forced fumble, and Townsend had four tackles and one interception.
Murrin passed for 62 yards (5-9) with one interception for W&L, adding a game-high 137 yards rushing on 19 attempts and two touchdowns. Wertz had 91 yards rushing on 20 attempts and two touchdowns, Romero finished with 67 yards on 10 carries and one touchdown, while Reed added 13 yards on three carries and one touchdown. David Onyejekwe finished with 11 tackles, two quarterback hurries and one pass breakup for the Generals.
It marked H-SC's first win against W&L since 2018 (24-20 in Lexington), avenging a heartbreaking 32-30 home setback last season on Fulton Field at Lewis C. Everett Stadium, and it was the Tigers' first overtime contest since 2019 (27-24 win at Christopher Newport).
H-SC returns home to welcome ODAC member Guilford (NC) College on Saturday, October 29, at 1 p.m. at Everett Stadium. It'll be Homecoming Weekend on the Hill for the Tigers.
Hampden-Sydney Takes Thrilling 44-43 Overtime Road Win At Washington and Lee For Coach Marty Favret's Record 144th Win!
/seasons/2022/boxscores/20221022_er3k.xml
2022
Hampden-Sydney
44
Washington and Lee
43
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampden-Sydney (4-3) | 0 | 17 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 44 |
| Washington and Lee (5-2) | 7 | 10 | 0 | 20 | 6 | 43 |
Oct 22, 2022