The Tigers take a look back before the 126th edition of 鈥楾he Game鈥�
HAMPDEN SYDNEY, Va. — Among rivalries in college football, the one between Hampden-Sydney College and Randolph-Macon College is one of the oldest and most storied. The two teams first met in 1893, and on Saturday the two teams will face off for the 126th time. However, the journey to this year鈥檚 version of 鈥淭he Game鈥� has been a challenging one for the Tigers of Hampden-Sydney.
The strength of this rivalry is that both teams are usually atop the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and are usually competing for the ODAC championship. However, the Tigers have found themselves in an unusual place. In 2019, Hampden-Sydney found themselves in last place in the ODAC after a 1-9 season.
In a highly competitive conference, the Tigers are third in the conference in ODAC championships with nine, with their most recent coming in 2014. This made finishing last in the conference both uncharacteristic and uncertain. At the conclusion of the 2019-20 season, the Tigers began focusing on rebuilding.
Their goal was to use their spring and summer to become a stronger and better football team. The unfortunate arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic forced Hampden-Sydney to change how they would achieve that goal. With players and coaches in isolation, there was uncertainty about whether a football season would even be played.
Without access to any gyms or facilities and limited communication, it made preparing for a rebuild more difficult. Even as lockdowns were lifted and it was announced that there would be a shortened spring season, there were no guarantees. From the end of the 2019 season to the spring season of 2021, it would be almost two years before the Tigers would play a game.
That near two-year span would be filled with workouts, lifts, practices and meetings, all while having to adhere to COVID-19 protocols. The Hampden-Sydney football team would have to endure all those obstacles if they wished to orchestrate the turnaround they hoped for.
The Tigers would begin their journey to redemption on Feb. 27, 2021, against Southern Virginia. All their efforts would come to bear success, as they won their first game in two years 21-0. That success would continue, finishing their shortened COVID-19 season 4-1 and finished second in the ODAC. While success in the 2020-21 season was certainly a positive moment for the Tigers, the work was not done.
The team would have to continue their success into the next year, where they would play a full schedule. Ahead of their match-up with Randolph-Macon, the team is 4-1 in the conference with their only loss coming to the ODAC champion, Washington and Lee. The Tigers also find themselves competing for second consecutive runner-up finish in the ODAC.
While the goal is to win an ODAC championship, the Tigers have managed to return to the top of the conference. Head coach Marty Favret commented on how his team was able to bounce back from the 1-9 season while battling a pandemic.
鈥淚t started with last year鈥檚 seniors,鈥� Favret said. 鈥淭hey stayed invested and passed a positive baton to our current veterans. It really has been a remarkable makeover. From an 0-8 ODAC record to 8-2 in this calendar year鈥� special kids.鈥�
The passing of the baton Coach Favret talked about is a huge reason why the success and overhaul carried over from the 2020 season to the 2021 season. Another reason that carryover was successful was that some of last year鈥檚 veterans are this year鈥檚 veterans. One of the few silver linings that came out of COVD-19 and the spring season was that all players were offered an extra year of eligibility.
Choosing to return for a 5th year of college football is a difficult decision. The recent success of the spring season certainly played a factor, but something much larger pushed Hampden-Sydney fifth year seniors to come back.
鈥淭he spring semester of 2019, there was a really big culture change within the program,鈥� fifth year linebacker Brendan Weinberg said. 鈥淐oach Zullinger was a very big part in this change. I saw the younger guys buy into this as well and knew we had something special.鈥�
Weinberg was not the only one that saw this drastic culture change. Ed Newman, fifth year tight end echoed his teammates comments. Newman also pointed out Coach Zullinger, Hampden-Sydney鈥檚 offensive line coach and strength and conditioning coach, as a catalyst for the change.
鈥淥ur culture my first three years in the program was very unhealthy,鈥� Newman said. 鈥淜nowing we needed a change, we added another coach to the staff to turn our program completely around and change how the team and organization operates.鈥�
Whether it came from a coach or a player, the culture change was a key in returning the program to the top of the ODAC. However, doing so during a pandemic challenged the teams leadership. It not only challenged the leadership of the team鈥檚 coaches, but their captains as well.
Dillion Costello, a fifth-year wide receiver and second year captain, spoke about the challenges of being a captain during COVID-19, following a last place season.
鈥淎fter the 1-9 season, I had to refocus myself on what kind of teammate I wanted to be,鈥� Costello said. 鈥淭o keep everyone invested, I tried holding everyone to the same standard. Everyone had to realize that everyone was needed for us to get better. And I think that is what had happened.鈥�
The Hampden-Sydney Tigers come into the 126th playing of 鈥淭he Game鈥� with a renewed focus and revitalized culture. They hope to continue improving and growing their culture in the years to come and remain in the top ranks of the ODAC. Their present focus, however, is playing Randolph-Macon.
鈥淲e are bringing a really good and spirited football team to Ashland on Saturday,鈥� Coach Favret said ahead of one of the oldest rivalries in college football. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 all I could ask for.鈥�
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