LEXINGTON, Va. - The Washington and Lee University football team returns to Wilson Field for the second-straight week on Saturday as they take on the Hampden-Sydney College Tigers at 1 p.m.
Game Information:
When: Saturday, October 12, 2024
Where: Lexington, Va.
Stadium: Wilson Field
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
Gameday Forecast: 75°, Mostly Sunny, Wind NW 5 mph
Gameday Links: Watch |
Live Stats |
Flipcard
Series History:
This marks the 82nd meeting in program history between the two institutions. The Tigers hold a 40-39-2 record over the Generals in the all-time series but are 4-6 in the last ten match ups. The Generals and Tigers first met in 1899, where the Blue and White claimed a 6-5 victory, kick starting a 13-game winning streak that lasted until 1947. The last three meetings between the Generals and Tigers have been decided by a combined seven points.
The Generals stunned Hampden-Sydney on their home field last season, coming back from a 14-point deficit to win 21-17 at Lewis C. Everett Stadium. The Tigers jumped out to an early lead after quarterback Andrew Puccinelli connected with Braeden Bowling for a 43-yard score and Mason Cunningham for a 24-yard touchdown. W&L responded with two explosive plays from
Stephen Murrin '24 and
Jacob Romero, both scoring rushing touchdowns from 40 yards out. Murrin then led the Generals on a ten-play, 70-yard drive, capping it off with a 24-yard rushing touchdown to complete the comeback.
Romero rushed 18 times for 107 yards and one touchdown, while Murrin added 94 yards on 19 carries with two scores. Melik Frost led the Tigers with 88 yards on 17 carries, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. H-SC's Andrew Puccinelli completed 26 of 41 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with Mason Cunningham six times for 59 yards and a score.
Hunter Hawk '24 led all players with 11 tackles (six solo, five assisted), while
Jack Johnson and
Will Mahmud each added eight stops, with Mahmud recording a team-high 3.0 tackles for loss and one sack.
Scouting the Tigers:
Hampden-Sydney bounced back from a Week 1 loss to Delaware Valley (Pa.) with three straight wins over Brevard (51-30), Centre
(38-34), and Guilford (31-0). In their first conference game against Guilford
, the Tigers generated 395 yards of total offense, with a season-high 282 rushing yards and three touchdowns. H-SC intercepted two passes in the fourth quarter, leading to a touchdown run by Carter Sido and a 36-yard field goal by Elijah Swett. The 31-0 win was the Tigers' first shutout since defeating Shenandoah 26-0 on March 5 during the 2021 spring season.
Junior quarterback Carter Sido completed 10 of 22 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown while adding another score on the ground. Terry Hicks rushed 12 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Ethan Dowdy led the receiving corps with 65 yards on five catches and one touchdown. ODAC Defensive Player of the Week Brendan Wallace led all players with 13 tackles (four solo, nine assisted), including two tackles for loss and one sack. Parks Cromwell and Max Pickren each intercepted a pass in the shutout win.
Through four games this season, the Tigers are outscoring their opponents 141-105, while averaging 389.5 yards of offense per game. H-SC has a balanced attack, rushing for 195.5 yards per game and gaining 194 passing yards per game. The Tigers have the third-best offense in the ODAC, ranking third in both passing and rushing. Sido is 62-of-111 (56%) for 776 yards and 11 passing touchdowns, while adding 113 rushing yards and one score. Terry Hicks ranks third in the conference in rushing, with 334 yards on 55 carries and five touchdowns. He has scored multiple touchdowns in back-to-back games. Ethan Dowdy leads the receiving corps with 23 catches for 284 yards and seven touchdowns, having scored in every game this season, including four touchdowns against Centre College.
The Hampden-Sydney defense has allowed 385.8 yards per game so far this season while only allowing 96 yards on the ground. They lead the ODAC and rank eighth nationally in opponent fourth-down conversion percentage, allowing just one conversion on nine attempts. Brendan Wallace leads the Tigers' defense with 31 tackles, including conference-highs in tackles for loss (7.5) and sacks (5.0). Joseph Pierre follows closely with 29 tackles, while Robert Clarke, James Townsend, and Andrew Arthur-Humphrey each have 20 or more tackles this season.
Scouting the Generals:
The Generals are coming off a 35-0 win over Averett University at Wilson Field during Parents and Family Weekend. The Generals amassed 410 yards of total offense on 55 plays, including 364 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. The Blue and White defense limited the Cougars' offense, which had been averaging 371 yards per game, to just 155 yards, allowing only 83 rushing yards in the win.
Sophomore quarterback Ty Collins completed all five of his passes for 46 yards, while also adding 39 yards on the ground. Anthony Crawford led the rushing attack with 92 yards on 10 carries, scoring a career-high four touchdowns. Jacob Romero added 73 yards on 10 carries, averaging 7.3 yards per rush. Ian Evans hauled in two catches for 25 yards. First-year Brennan Stout led the Generals' defense with 10 tackles (four solo, six assisted), along with one tackle for loss and his first career sack.
The Blue and White have outscored their opponents 139-92 this season, defeating opponents 103-28 at Wilson Field. Offensively, the Generals are averaging 419 yards of total offense per game, with 325.5 rushing yards and 93.5 passing yards per game. Collins has completed 31 of 47 passes (66%) for 374 yards and five touchdowns, while also adding 101 yards on the ground. Romero leads both the team and the ODAC in rushing, with 363 yards on 60 carries and one touchdown. Crawford and Marcus Payne each have over 200 rushing yards this season, with a combined seven touchdowns. Andrew Bland and Josh Garcia are Collins' top targets, combining for 216 yards on 16 catches with two touchdowns.
Defensively, the Generals are allowing 367 yards per game while limiting offenses to 150.3 yards on the ground per game. Jalen Todd leads the defense and ranks second in the ODAC with 36 total tackles, averaging nine per game. Stout follows closely with 31 tackles, having posted back-to-back double-digit tackle games. Will Mahmud ranks third in the conference with three sacks and fourth with 4.5 tackles for loss.
National Statistical Rankings:
The Blue and White remain one of the nation's top rushing offenses, ranking fifth in Division III with 325.5 yards per game on the ground. They also rank 47th in total offense, averaging 419 yards per game, and 50th in scoring offense with 34.8 points per game. The offense ranks 45th in fourth-down conversion rate, converting 62.5% of their attempts. Additionally, the Generals have the third-best punt return unit in Division III, averaging 25.67 yards per return.
Individually, Anthony Crawford ranks 24th in Division III with six rushing touchdowns, following his four-touchdown performance in the Generals' shutout win over Averett. Jacob Romero ranks among the top 50 running backs in the country, sitting 40th in yards per carry (6.05) and 57th in rushing yards per game (90.8). Jalen Todd continues his strong senior season, ranking 52nd in the country with 36 tackles, averaging nine stops per game.
Around the ODAC:
Week 5 featured the first conference games of the season, highlighted by two shutouts, a high-scoring affair, and a one-point nail-biter. Hampden-Sydney and W&L both registered shutouts on Saturday, with the Tigers downing Guilford 31-0 and the Generals defeating Averett 35-0. Bridgewater responded to an early 6-0 deficit against Ferrum by rattling off 41 unanswered points for a 41-15 victory. Meanwhile, 25th-ranked Randolph-Macon trailed for much of the game at Shenandoah but pulled out a thrilling 22-21 road win.
Saturday, Oct. 12
Washington and Lee vs. Hampden-Sydney | 1 p.m.
Shenandoah vs. Ferrum | 1 p.m.
Randolph-Macon vs. Guilford | 1 p.m.
Bridgewater vs. Averett | 2 p.m.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
