HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. – It was a career-day for Jay Daniels (Waycross, Ga.) who eclipsed the century mark for receiving yards for the first time in his collegiate tenure, however, as a whole the offense of the Guilford College football team had trouble finding traction at Fulton Field at Lewis C. Everett Stadium on Saturday afternoon, getting blanked, 31-0, by Hampden-Sydney College in their opening contest of Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) action.

The Quakers suffer their first defeat of the season, falling to 3-1, 0-1 in conference play, halting their top start to a season since 2016 when they began the season 4-0 before taking their first loss of the year, also at the hands of the Tigers. H-SC, meanwhile, evens GC's overall mark at 3-1, but are 1-0 in league play.

Efficient through the air over his first six quarters and change at the collegiate level, Caleb Robles (Wilmington, N.C.) struggled to find his rhythm completing just 10-of-25, albeit with an impressive 20.6 yards per completion mark, finishing with 206 yards through the air while throwing his first interception of the season. Jay Fletcher (Shallotte, N.C.) entered the game and threw one pass in relief that was picked off as well.

The Quaker ground attack, that had to this point been so great, was held in check by H-SC's top-40 nationally ranked rushing defense, as Malik Woodard (Wilson, N.C.) finished as GC's top runner, collecting just 49 yards on 15 totes. Evan Sullivan (McBee, S.C.) added 41 on nine carries while Josh Campbell (Reidsville, N.C.) was the most efficient of the bunch with 31 yards on five rushes.

Daniels became the first player for the cardinal and grey to pile up 100 or more receiving yards this fall, with the last instance being Shane Shapiro (Jacksonville, N.C.) who dropped 105 against Washington & Lee in week five last season. On just five catches, Daniels finished with 129 in the game, the highest total by a Quaker since Eric Mays '23 had 166, also at Hampden-Sydney on October 29, 2022. JuJu Rice (Raleigh, N.C.) also hauled in three passes for 53 yards.

Avery Garner (Denton, N.C.) continued his tremendous start to the season, leading Guilford in total tackles with eight, including 0.5 sacks. Ayden Carpenter (Albermarle, N.C.) added seven takedowns with 1.0 sacks and Eli Davis (Pikeville, N.C.) contributed five tackles, including four solo efforts that were tied for a game-high and 1.0 for a loss. Tristan Bailey (Statesville, N.C.) extended the GC defense's streak of seven-straight games with a takeaway with his second interception of the year.

Hampden-Sydney controlled this game using the same script that the Quakers did in their first three games, by pounding the rock. Terry Hicks carried the ball a dozen times for 97 yards and two scores while Kaelan Ferris added 91 on 11 rushes.

The Tigers' most productive rusher was actually their signal-caller, Carter Sido who accumulated an even 100 yards on the ground on 15 carries, finding paydirt once. His contributions with his legs nearly out-did those with his arm as against the GC secondary he only completed 10-of-22 for 113 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Sophomore sensation Ethan Dowdy was Sido's preferred target, continuing his torrid scoring pace with his seventh touchdown catch among his five receptions overall for 65 yards. Sutton Lasso was the only other Hampden-Sydney receiver to have double-digit receiving yards with 31 on two grabs.

Brendan Wallace had a game-high 13 tackles, nine of them assisted, with 2.0 tackles for a loss and 1.0 sacks. Robert Clarke and Andrew Arthur-Humphrey followed with eight total tackles apiece. Max Pickren and Parks Cromwell each came away with interceptions for the hosts.

Receiving the opening kickoff, Guilford got a chance to return the boot, and has often been the case this season, Daniels made the most of it, romping all the way to midfield before getting brought down. The offense picked up a first down, but failed to convert on fourth down in no-man's land at the H-SC 34. They got great field position again after a three-and-out that included a sack followed by the punt by the home team. After setting up shop at their own 46, the Quakers would pick up two fresh set of downs, getting into field goal range, but then suffered a special teams delay of game penalty, their second such flag of the drive, forcing them to go for it and they once again could not convert.

Having run just a trio of plays over the games first nine minutes and change, Hampden-Sydney put together a drive that spanned seven plays, four of them on the ground, and was aided by a ten-yard penalty before Dowdy capped it off from 31 yards away to give the hosts the lead, 7-0, following the Elijah Sweat PAT.

On their ensuing drive, GC got near midfield, but punted the ball away after the quarter break and neither team could get on the board in the second. The Tigers twice got within the Guilford 30-yardline, but once committed a turnover on downs from the 15 before Bailey came down with his takeaway in the endzone on a heave from the 30 as the contest was a defensive struggle at just 7-0 through 30 minutes of play.

Out of the locker room, the home team got a monstrous return to set up in Quaker territory. Starting at the 30-yardline, the guests stuffed the run play on the first play, and broke-up a pass on the second, but a completion on third made it fourth-and-one, and Hicks broke loose from 21 ticks away to double the Tiger advantage following the extra-point.

Just two drives later, they added on with another quick strike. Opening at their own 25, Hampden-Sydney needed just four plays to add on with the big chunk coming on a Ferris 49-yard rumble. While Jaylan Richardson (Summerville, S.C.) stopped him short of the goal line, it merely delayed the inevitable with Hicks punching it in from three-yards away for his second score of the stanza.

Trying to mount a comeback, Robles committed his first turnover of the year on GC's first drive of the fourth quarter, with the return putting Tigers at the Quaker ten. Sido would bring it home from five-yards away four plays later before Fletcher got picked on Guilford's ensuing drive and the hosts took their time with this one. They used nine plays to traverse 64 yards, ending in a field goal, to bring the final tally to 31-0.

It will be another hyphenated foe in week six for the Quakers, as they visit Randolph-Macon College on Saturday, October 12. Kickoff is set for 1 PM.

#GoQuakes