HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. -- Hampden-Sydney College welcomes Southern Virginia University for an Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football game on Saturday afternoon, February 27, at 1 p.m. on Fulton Field at Lewis C. Everett Stadium. It's been 469 days since the Tigers last played on the gridiron, and begins a long-awaited, yet abbreviated five-game season this spring. The game can be heard locally on WFLO Radio, 95.7 FM, and live video will be streamed online at hscathletics.com.

Hampden-Sydney vs. Southern Virginia | Live Stats | Audio | Video | Online Gameday
Location: Fulton Field at Lewis C. Everett Stadium | Hampden-Sydney, VA
Date: Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021
Time: 1 p.m.
Radio: Cannon Watson (play-by-play), Rob Stanley (analyst)

The Tigers
H-SC is led by 21st-year veteran head coach Marty Favret who is the second-winningest coach in school history with 131 victories in 20 seasons, including 14 winning campaigns, and is a five-time ODAC Coach of the Year. His program is 83-45 in ODAC games, while earning five ODAC Championships and making six NCAA Division III Football Championship playoff appearances. The Tigers return 44 lettermen among the 104-man roster, including 18 starters with significant career playing time, while the roster includes 48 newcomers to the program, as well.

Top returners at the skill positions include junior all-purpose running back Kaleb Smith/Rocky Mount—a two-time All-ODAC honoree who has rushed for 964 career yards on 245 carries with nine rushing touchdowns, adding 103 career receptions for 953 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns, along with senior wide receivers Dillon Costello/South Riding, Blake Page/Richmond and Nick Kallivokas/Purcellville, senior tight end Ed Newman/Farmville, as well as senior running back Cole Becker/Spring Lake, NC. Costello has 98 career receptions for 906 yards and 10 touchdowns. Page has 78 career receptions for 876 yards and four touchdowns. Kallivokas has 32 career receptions for 272 yards and one touchdown. Newman, a local standout from the Fuqua School, has 40 career receptions for 553 yards and four touchdowns. Becker has rushed for 313 career yards on 84 carries with two rushing touchdowns.

Defensively, H-SC returns seniors Riggs Jordan/Spencer and Phil Pullen/Manassas—Jordan a versatile veteran defensive back and Pullen with plenty of experience on the defensive line. Jordan is a two-time captain and has started 14 of 29 career games with 82 total tackles, including 46 solo and 36 assists, 9.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception (returned for a touchdown) and one blocked kick. Pullen has started 19 of 27 career games with 80 total tackles, including 37 solo and 43 assists, four sacks, 14 tackles for loss and one forced fumble—he is the Student Body President at H-SC during this academic year.

Other top defensive returners include senior linebacker Brendan Weinberg/Apex, NC, senior defensive back Brad Jeffers/Warrenton, junior linebacker Stephen Cash/Kill Devil Hills, NC, along with junior cornerbacks Jordan Fields/Chapel Hill, NC and Dallas Robinson/Lorton. Weinberg has started 26 of 27 career games with 188 total tackles, including 109 solo and 79 assists, 20.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, four interceptions and six broken up passes—he earned All-ODAC honors in 2018. Jeffers has started eight of 23 career games with 73 total tackles, including 37 solo and 36 assists, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one interception and three broken up passes. Cash has started eight of 10 career games with 56 total tackles, including 27 solo and 29 assists, four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Fields has started six of 10 career games with 23 total tackles, including 16 solo and seven assists, and one interception. Robinson has started five of 15 career games with 29 total tackles, including 19 solo and 10 assists, 2.5 tackles for loss and four broken up passes.

Please see the complete season preview online.

The Knights
SVU is coached by third-year head coach Edwin Mulitalo, who has an overall record of 8-13. He played in the NFL for 10 years, including a Super Bowl Championship with the Baltimore Ravens (XXXV). The Knights are led by returning junior quarterback Davis Pinkston, who passed for 1,491 yards (135-258) and 14 touchdowns with 13 interceptions in 2019, adding 250 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Sophomore Matthew Johansson is the top wide receiver back for SVU after 15 receptions for 119 yards and five touchdowns a season ago. Sophomore running back Cade Nelson is the top back returning with 24 carries for 82 yards in 2019.

The Series
H-SC and SVU are meeting for just the second time, as the Knights won last year's first-ever contest between the two schools by a score of 29-17 in Buena Vista.

Last Year
SVU scored 22 unanswered fourth-quarter points for the home win, taking advantage of four second-half interceptions, while getting three long scoring runs from Akiva Wedge—two in the final quarter—in its first-ever ODAC contest. The visiting Tigers led 17-7 at halftime, but were unable to put any points on the board over the final two quarters.

Clay Vick passed for a game-high 279 yards (31-49) and one touchdown with five interceptions. Kaleb Smith rushed for 110 yards on 23 carries with one touchdown and a two-point conversion, adding four receptions for 51 yards. Major Morgan had a game-high seven receptions for a game-high 81 yards, including a long reception of 33 yards. Blake Page finished with six catches for 73 yards, including the 47-yarder, Ed Newman had a game-high seven receptions for 52 yards and Dillon Costello added three catches for 21 yards and the touchdown. Rhett Andersen added a 34-yard field goal, as well.

Brendan Weinberg had 12 tackles, including three for loss, and one sack to lead H-SC, while Griffin Davis added eight tackles, including one for loss. Tyler Frink had six tackles for the Tigers, while Jameel Siler (one interception), Stephen Cash and Phil Pullen (0.5 tackles for loss) each contributed five tackles.

Davis Pinkston finished with 167 yards passing (13-23) and one touchdown with one interception for SVU. Wedge led the Knights with a game-high 237 yards rushing on 19 carries and the three touchdowns, adding 34 yards receiving on four catches. Josh Newman had 54 yards receiving on two catches.

Jacob Taloa led the SVU defense with a game-high 15 tackles, including four for loss, and one interception. Bishope Apodaca added 10 tackles, while Albert Green IV had two interceptions.

2020-21 Team Captains
Leading the Tigers will be seniors Dillon Costello, Tyler Howerton/Alexandria, Riggs Jordan and Phil Pullen. Jordan becomes a two-time team captain after serving in the leadership role during 2019, as well. Costello started all 10 games a year ago and had 52 receptions for 337 yards and five touchdowns, while tied for sixth in the ODAC in receptions and tied for eighth in receiving TDs.

Howerton started all 10 games last season on the offensive line at either center or right guard, and off the field, became only the sixth H-SC student to receive the Goldwater Scholarship, which represents the highest level of undergraduate achievement in natural sciences, math, and engineering. In addition, he was named one of 12 finalists for the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, as announced by The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame. Howerton is the first-ever Hampden-Sydney finalist for college football's premier scholar-athlete award that annually recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.

Jordan started nine of 10 games a year ago and had 41 total tackles, including 17 solo stops and 24 assists, with 7.5 tackles for loss, one interception—returned for a touchdown, and a blocked extra point attempt. He tied for the team lead in tackles for loss and blocked kicks (tied for third in ODAC). Pullen started all 10 games last season and had 47 total tackles, including 16 solo stops and 31 assists, with 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble (tied for ninth in ODAC).

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Up Next
H-SC will travel to play at ODAC member Shenandoah University on Friday night, March 5, at 7 p.m. in Winchester.