Randolph-Macon dropped a hard-fought 36-27 road contest to Hampden-Sydney on Saturday at Lewis C. Everett Stadium, concluding the regular season with a 7-3 overall record and a 5-2 mark in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), Randolph-Macon College reported.
The Yellow Jackets struck first when Christian Daniel jumped a passing lane and returned an interception into the end zone for a touchdown just 2 minutes and 31 seconds into the game. Hampden-Sydney responded with a 13-play, 78-yard drive capped by an eight-yard receiving touchdown from Connor Creech to Terry Hicks, though a missed extra point left Randolph-Macon ahead 7-6.
The Tigers claimed a 12-7 lead early in the second quarter on a rushing touchdown by Hicks. Randolph-Macon answered when Mitchell Johnson completed an eight-play drive with a one-yard touchdown run, though a missed extra point kept the margin at 13-12.
Hank Webb kicked a 22-yard field goal to put Hampden-Sydney back in front before Jordan Pence intercepted Jake Mulhern at the five-yard line. Creech immediately connected with Manning Lasso for a touchdown, sending the Tigers into halftime with a 22-13 advantage.
Jaedyn McAdoo ignited the Yellow Jackets in the third quarter with a 15-yard touchdown scamper to narrow the deficit to 22-20. Hicks struck again shortly after for Hampden-Sydney, scoring his third touchdown of the day to extend the lead to 29-20. Johnson countered with a three-yard touchdown run to cap a 65-yard drive, bringing Randolph-Macon within 29-27 with 4:11 left in the third quarter.
The Yellow Jackets threatened early in the fourth quarter, but Hampden-Sydney blocked a 28-yard field goal attempt by Henry Ross with 11:34 remaining in regulation. The Tigers then milked the clock with a 16-play, 80-yard drive that consumed over nine minutes. Hicks punched in his fourth touchdown of the game on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line with 2:12 left, sealing the 36-27 victory.
Hampden-Sydney outgained Randolph-Macon 388 to 313 in total offense, holding a 191-to-140 edge in rushing yards. Mulhern finished 12-of-20 passing for 173 yards for the Yellow Jackets. Johnson led the backfield with 76 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, while McAdoo added 18 yards and a score on two attempts. Tristan Overbay paced the receiving corps with six catches for 80 yards.
Defensively, Khamari Veney recorded 15 tackles and one tackle for loss. Quentin Mankin added 14 tackles, and Daniel contributed 11 tackles alongside his pick-six interception. With his two scores, Johnson tied Nick Hale ’23 for the most career rushing touchdowns in school history with 40.
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | Record | ODAC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randolph-Macon | 7 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 27 | 7-3 | 5-2 |
| Hampden-Sydney | 6 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 36 | 9-1 | 7-0 |
The loss drops Randolph-Macon to second place in the final conference standings behind Hampden-Sydney, which finished its conference slate at 7-0 and improved to 9-1 overall.
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