LEXINGTON, Va. -- Washington and Lee junior running back Marc Watson (Marietta, Ga./Walton) set W&L game records for rushing yards (281) and all-purpose yards (382), but the Generals could not overcome key penalties and turnovers as Hampden-Sydney prevailed, 45-28, on Saturday afternoon.
W&L committed eight penalties for 87 yards and turned the ball over three times which led to two Hampden-Sydney touchdowns.
Hampden-Sydney (3-3, 2-2) claimed a 7-0 lead on the game's first snap as freshman wide receiver Conrad Singh (Fort Washington, Md./Gonzaga) tossed a 67 yards touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Neal Herndon (Dry Fork, Va./Tunstall).
Washington and Lee (4-2, 2-2) responded with 7:35 remaining in the first quarter as Watson scampered 50 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. The Generals went up 14-7 with 2:52 remaining in the quarter as sophomore quarterback Bobby Littlehale (Villa Park, Ill./Willowbrook) called his own number and scored from one-yard out.
The Tigers cut the W&L lead to 14-10 on a 30-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Doug Van Der Mallie (Jacksonville, Fla./Episcopal) with 9:08 left in the second quarter. The teams would play scoreless for the rest of the half.
W&L struck first in the third stanza as Watson reeled off a 23-yard touchdown run with 12:29 remaining to put W&L ahead, 21-17. However, Sydney would answer just 2:16 later as Herndon hauled in his second of three touchdowns on the day, this time a 43-yarder from sophomore quarterback Mac Russell (Selma, Ala./Morgan Academy).
The Generals would again reassume the lead (28-24) with 3:24 remaining in the third as Watson took a Littlehale pass 25 yard for a touchdown, his third of the day.
The Tigers then took the lead for good at 31-28 as Russell found senior wide-out Jeff Woody (Lynchburg, Va./Brookville) on a 16-yard scoring strike. Junior fullback Kevin Tucker (Chester, Va./Thomas Dale) added a three-yards touchdown run with 9:23 remaining and sophomore cornerback Chris Scott (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) sealed the win with a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown with just 2:13 remaining.
For the game, Russell completed 15-of-24 attempts for 243 yards and three touchdowns, while Herndon caught seven passes for 156 yards and three scores.
W&L was paced by Watson's record-breaking day. His 281 rushing yards broke the record set by Tom Mason during the 1993 season and his 382 all-purpose yards broke his own record set two weeks ago against Randolph-Macon.
Littlehale completed 11-of-18 attempts for 133 yards and one touchdown.
Scott led the Hampden-Sydney defense with 12 tackles and two interceptions. Sophomore linebacker Matt Stavish (Sterling, Va./Park View) paced the Generals' defense with 14 tackles, including three for a loss.
The Generals return to action next Saturday as they host Sewanee in a 1:30 pm contest.
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