GREENSBORO, N.C. – Quarterback Alec Cobb passed for two touchdowns and ran for another in Hampden-Sydney College's 21-18 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football win at Guilford College Saturday.
The Tigers (3-2, 2-0 ODAC) controlled possession and limited the Quakers (2-3, 0-1 ODAC) to one third-down conversion in 12 attempts for their second straight win. Hampden-Sydney had the ball for 38 of the game's 60 minutes and ran 92 offensive plays to Guilford's 59.
Cobb threw two second-quarter touchdowns to tight end Patrick Kline, which staked the guests to a 12-10 halftime lead. The first score was a 14-yard strike down the middle that capped a 16-play, 85-yard drive. The pair connected on a similar play from 23 yards out with two minutes left in the first half. Tigers failed on both point-after touchdown conversion attempts.
Guilford scored after Hampden-Sydney's first touchdown when Harrison Kiser chipped home an 18-yard field goal. A 29-yard run by quarterback Karsten Miller followed by three straight completions set up a first-and-goal scenario from the Tigers' seven-yard line, but Hampden-Sydney's defense held and forced the field goal.
The Quakers took their lone lead of the game when Terry Singleton stepped in front of a Cobb pass and streaked untouched 30 yards into the end zone for his first college touchdown and interception. Kiser's PAT gave Guilford a short-lived 10-6 advantage.
Cobb's one-yard run with 9:12 left in the third quarter opened an 18-10 Tigers' margin and Steven Hall connected on a 28-yard field goal with 7:08 left in regulation that opened a 21-10 lead. Hall's field goal finished a drive that lasted seven minutes and covered 75 yards.
Guilford got back to within a field goal on a one-yard run by Miller followed by a his two-point conversion pass to teammate Ronatvius Miller with 4:20 left in regulation.
Hampden-Sydney recovered Guilford's on-side kick on the ensuing kickoff, but gave the ball back to Guilford a play later when Jarrod Russ forced a Carter Cunningham fumble at the Tigers' 47-yard line. C.J. Nash III recovered for Guilford with 4:10 remaining, but a penalty, followed by three straight incomplete passes resulted in the Quakers' 10th punt of the game.
Hampden-Sydney's Mike DeMasi ran for three first downs on what proved the final drive as the Tigers ran out the clock.
DeMasi ran for a game-high 111 yards on 27 carries, including 82 second-half yards on 19 carries. Cobb completed 29-of-43 passes for 247 yards and two scores. Cam Johnson was Cobb's favorite target with 13 catches for 116 yards, 10 in the first half. Kline finished with five receptions for 59 yards and two touchdowns. Griffin Davis led the Tigers' defense with nine tackles, three and a half for loss, including one and a half sacks. Brian Gwaltney made a third-quarter interception in the Tigers' end zone to thwart a Guilford scoring chance.
Hampden-Sydney held Guilford's all-purpose standout De'Eric Bell to 123 total yards, less than half of his season average. The Tigers' limited the redshirt junior to 28 rushing yards on 10 carries. Hampden-Sydney also harried Karsten Miller into 20-for-36 passing for 210 yards and an interception. Guilford's Tyriek Russell caught seven passes for 60 yards. Nathan Campbell was the Quakers' top tackler with 11 stops.
Coach Chris Rusiewicz's Quakers visit league-rival Washington and Lee University Saturday (10/14) at 1:00 p.m.