FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[hscathletics]

Hampden-Sydney Alumni:

We look forward to meeting you on Saturday, September 5th.  As of this writing, the reservations for the Wabash tailgate number just over 250 and is growing daily. The tailgate will start at 11:00 AM in the parking lot next to the TigeRec facility.  We hope you stop by for a visit.  The campus looks similar in size to Wabash - how long will it take to tour the campus on foot?  Secondly, will the bookstore be open before the game? I hope to pick up some HSC swag while on campus.

Two weeks and counting...

Wabash is 60 acres HSC is 1200.  HSC is much more sprawling campus than Wabash.  It depends on what you'd like to see as for the length of time to walk.  I suggest starting at the Walter Bortz Library then to the bookstore, then the commons, then the HSC Hall of Fame. total time assuming you spend about 10 minutes at each about an hour.

It's a beautiful place. Safe travels. By the way, Wabash tailgate may start at 11:00 but the gates open at 8:00 am. HSC tailgate starts at 8:01, ends at 12:55, starts again at halftime, ends again in 18 minutes, starts again immediately after the game and ends after dark. At this time the bands start up at the frat houses and this lasts until late into the night.

If you start at the library, might be more direct to go to the commons before the bookstore. Would be doing some double-backing if you went to the bookstore before. And the commons houses our dining hall and the Tiger Inn restaurant.

Not sure if the bookstore will be open or not, but last year they started setting up an operation under a tent by the press box. That was really successful from what I gather so I have to imagine they will be doing that again.

Another stop could be the H-SC museum if it's open. They have given guided tours on the weekends in the past as part of special events like Virginia History Weekend or something like that.

If cemeteries are your thing, there are three on campus. One beside the library, a larger one across the road from the chapel, and one right beside the chapel. The chapel is just up the road from Kirk Athletic Center. Kirk is beside the football stadium and houses the Hall of Fame.

All of our Athletic Facilities are pretty much together as well. Baseball stadium directly beside the football stadium, then down by the lake is Kirby, which houses our fitness center and basketball facility, and lagoon field, which is primarily an intramural/club sport field. Up the hill is a baseball field used for intramurals and as a football gameday parking lot, a soccer field, tennis courts, football practice fields, turf field, and grass practice field. We just resurfaced the turf field so it's looking right sharp at the moment.

There's also another lake behind the commons and another behind the wooded area over by Kirby.

If you're in to walking or running on nature trails, there is the Wilson Trail that starts at the bottom of the hill behind the alphabet dorms (Carpenter X, Y, and Z). They are the dorms you can see across the road from the football press box towards the left.

That's about all I can think of for now. It's one of those big deal weekends so they may be having some stuff going on just for the weekend but I haven't heard anything yet.

[hscathletics]

As someone who visits the Hampden-Sydney campus regularly for summer college (and to occasionally get a game of golf in with Jim Simms after summer college is completed), you do want to take a tour of the campus. Twice the size of Wabash with plenty of space and beautiful landscaping.

Just up the hill from Kirby Fieldhouse is the Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest. The Center will also host an open house on the lawn (which overlooks the football field) beginning at 11 a.m. I will be there for a brief time before I get ready to broadcast the game for the Wabash fans. Make plans to stop by and learn more about H-SC from the students, faculty, and staff gathered at the event.

I might even have to stop at that. H-SC has a strong and storied tradition with the armed forces (Google Black Hawk Down Hampden-Sydney, for example) dating back to the Revolutionary War so it should be a pretty interesting open house for the Wilson Center.

[hscathletics]

Looks like the Atkinson Museum (the museum I previously referred to) is hosting the below through October 3. Opens 10 am - 5 pm.

"REALISM: THE COMPELLING ILLUSION PAINTINGS & DRAWINGS BY DAVID DODGE LEWIS & SANDY WILLCOX"

Other than the Wilson Center open house and the soccer game at 7 pm, nothing else on the college calendar right now. First open house of the academic year, and combined with the football home opener and soccer being home too, campus is going to be a zoo.

[wally_wabash]

I'm really looking forward to next Saturday's game day, gentlmen.  I hope to get down to Farmville early enough to do a little bit of exploring around the campus, but that fate ultimately lies with the I-95 gods and whether or not they smile on me that morning. 

[bman]

I'm really looking forward to next Saturday's game day, gentlmen.  I hope to get down to Farmville early enough to do a little bit of exploring around the campus, but that fate ultimately lies with the I-95 gods and whether or not they smile on me that morning.

Add time...the I-95 gods do not smile on anyone...and they are especially angry at travelers between Baltimore and Richmond...

[hasanova]

The Ferrum Panthers scrimmage the Quakers at 4 pm tomorrow, 27-August, at Armfield Stadium on Guilford's campus in Greensboro.  Yay, football!

[hasanova]

Quakers lead FC Panthers 22-0 with 1:26 to go in 2nd Qtr of scrimmage.  Two FGs, one running TD, one passing TD and a safety.  Dominating so far.

[hasanova]

GC 30-3 over FC in scrimmage ... Quakers solid on both sides ... rare 2 safeties.  I didn't see a lot of offensive threats out of Panthers, but, as expected, many players in for both sides

[HSCTiger fan]

As curiosity I looked back at HSC QB's debut seasons under coach Favret. The average first starting season for an HSC QB under coach Favret is 2836 yards passing, 23 TDs, and 13 INTs.  Certainly, gives me optimism about the next guy up at HSC.

Disclaimer no stats for '02,'03 season were on the HSC website. The stats above are from averaging the debut seasons of Russell '00, Ricca '04, Sedler '07, Lane '10, and Nance '12.

[jknezek]

As curiosity I looked back at HSC QB's debut seasons under coach Favret. The average season for an HSC QB under coach Favret is 2836 yards passing, 23 TDs, and 13 INTs.  Certainly, gives me optimism about the next guy up at HSC.

Disclaimer no stats for '02,'03 season were on the HSC website. The stats above are from averaging the debut seasons of Russell '00, Ricca '04, Sedler '07, Lane '10, and Nance '12.

I think anyone expected a massive drop off for HSC is not seeing the pattern under Coach Favret. I also think anyone expecting HSC to be as good as they were last year is hoping for quite a bit. I can easily see 6-4/7-3 for the Tigers. I don't think they can hang with Wabash. I believe Wabash will be better than last year. At CNU isn't going to be easy either. I also don't see HSC running rampant in the ODAC. Can Guilford break their HSC curse? I don't know, but this is the year to do it. E&H isn't going to be a pushover, Bridgewater will be competitive, and The Game seems to be a real stumbling block for HSC lately (1-3 the last 4 years).

So I'd be surprised if HSC didn't come into conference play with at least one loss. And they have a nasty habit of dropping a conference game they should win (as do most ODAC front-runners!), and then the question is will they win a conference game they maybe shouldn't. It could be a long season for the Tigers if Wabash and CNU get them off on the wrong foot.

But the games start next weekend, and the proof will come in November. It is always likely, not just possible but likely, Coach Favret will have his team fighting for the crown.

[HSCTiger fan]

JK I agree with that accessment. Considering that the CNU game is away, I'd think every team in the ODAC would be underdogs if they were playing HSC's first 2 games.  The debut play of past QBs doesn't assure HSC anything. If the Tigers are going to compete for a three-peat the QB will have to be very good.

HSC has won 5 ODAC championships since 2007. RMC has 1 and WL has 2. HSC has 3 of the last 8 without Nance and Walker. The road to the ODAC still goes thru HSC until it doesn't.  HSC was good before those future HSC HOF players. There's no reason why they can't continue being good.

I just was curious and as much as anything was looking to jump start some conversation on this board. Where the heck is the excitement? 

[jknezek]

JK I agree with that accessment. Considering that the CNU game is away, I'd think every team in the ODAC would be underdogs if they were playing HSC's first 2 games.  The debut play of past QBs doesn't assure HSC anything. If the Tigers are going to compete for a three-peat the QB will have to be very good.

HSC has won 5 ODAC championships since 2007. RMC has 1 and WL has 2. HSC has 3 of the last 8 without Nance and Walker. The road to the ODAC still goes thru HSC until it doesn't.  HSC was good before those future HSC HOF players. There's no reason why they can't continue being good.

I just was curious and as much as anything was looking to jump start some conversation on this board. Where the heck is the excitement?

I don't disagree with any of this, except I think the road to the ODAC goes through Guilford this year. I also think that last year, when HSC was hit by injuries, we got to see the quality of the depth. It wasn't there. The team that lost to Bridgewater, RMC, and Wesley was a shell that would not have done as well against the early ODAC schedule. That shell did pull out the win over Guilford, but I honestly believe that Guilford crumbled under the pressure early before pulling it together. I don't expect that to happen this year in Greensboro.

Really I think what has tempered my expectations for this HSC team versus the other pre-Nance teams is we got that sneak peak last year, and it wasn't real pretty versus where HSC has been recently. How much better they get, and what rabbit Coach Favret WILL pull out of his hat is going to determine how the HSC story is written this year.

[HSCTiger fan]

That's fair and I agree that GC is the team to beat. When I say the road goes thru HSC it's because no one except WL and HSC has won an ODAC title in the last 5 seasons. Close last year does not put a ring on your finger. 

I somewhat agree that you got a peak last year. I only somewhat agree because Walker and Nance were such a huge parts of the offense. Nance played on a bad ankle and Walker was either injured or out in 3 of last 4 games last year. This year's offense will certainly be different than the offense HSC ran with Nance at the helm. An example - Nash ran for over 950 yards the last 2 years. Lane, the QB prior ran for 189 in his 2 years as a starter. I know Nance was the starter in those last 4 games but he was hampered with either not having Walker or his own bad ankle.  In other words, Nance was not Nance and it was a little too late in the season to retool the offense.  I'm confident that coach will play on the strengths of the talent he has - an experienced OL for example might mean more running, maybe by both the RB and QB. Everything I've read from coach indicates more running. I don't know what to expect except that if history has taught us anything about the HSC offense it will be effective.

[wally_wabash]

That's fair and I agree that GC is the team to beat. When I say the road goes thru HSC it's because no one except WL and HSC has won an ODAC title in the last 5 seasons. Close last year does not put a ring on your finger. 

Didn't four teams share that thing last year? 

[HSCTiger fan]

4 way tie Wally but only 1 champion. That "thing" is a conference championship. It's been a while since the LGs have won one. So understand why you might be confused.