Hawks push winning streak to seven games with victory over Greensboro

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Huntingdon football team struck fast and cruised past Greensboro College 52-7 on Saturday.                          

The Hawks scored on their first four possessions and pushed their winning streak to seven games.

Behind two touchdown runs from Vic Jerald (1 and 3 yards), a 22-yard field goal by Chase Young and a 5-yard touchdown run by Dontavion Cunningham, Huntingdon jumped out to a 24-0 lead. The Hawks led 31-0 at the half and built a 45-point lead before Greensboro scored late in the third quarter.

Records: Huntingdon (7-1, 5-0 USA South); Greensboro (1-7, 0-5 USA South)

The Turning Point: Other than two first-half turnovers and a missed field goal in the third quarter, Huntingdon made very few mistakes against the Pride. The offense scored on seven of its first 10 possessions.

Following the first four scoring possessions of the game, the Hawks added scores on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Chip Taylor-to-Cody Dwyer and a 55-yard touchdown run by Taylor. A 30-yard touchdown strike from freshman quarterback Michael Lambert to freshman Jacob Hawkins made it 45-0 with 4:40 left in the third quarter. It was the first collegiate touchdown pass for Lambert and the first collegiate touchdown reception for Hawkins.

While the offense was clicking, the Huntingdon defense smothered Greensboro, limiting the Pride to 128 yards of offense for the game. The 128 yards are the fourth fewest allowed in Huntingdon history.

The Hawks held Greensboro to 24 yards of offense on 25 plays in the first half and did not give up a first down until less than five minutes remained in the second quarter. As Greensboro began its third possession of the second half, the Hawks had allowed the Pride to gain 16 yards on 34 plays.

The defense closed the scoring for Huntingdon as linebacker Cedrick Lowe returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Stat Leaders

Offense

Passing: Chip Taylor: 16/22 for 228 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs

Receiving: Otis Porter: 4 receptions for 65 yards        

Rushing: Vic Jerald: 13 rushes for 93 yards, 2 TDs

                    Chip Taylor: 4 rushes for 67 yards, 1 TD

                    Eric Thomas: 10 rushes for 61 yards

Kicking:  Chase Young: 7/7 PAT; 1/2 field goals, 4 touchbacks

Defense

Tackles: Brandon Williams (6), Austin Washington (6), Charlie Jones (5), Cedrick Lowe (5)

Tackles For Loss: Brandon Williams (3), Austin Washington (2), Cameron Compton (1.5), Cedrick Lowe (1), Oaklee Williams (1), Troy Mandris (1), Ryan Struck (1), Eddie Sims (1)

Sacks: Troy Mandris (1), Ryan Struck (1), Eddie Sims (1)

Forced Fumbles: Eddie Sims (1)

Interceptions: Cedrick Lowe (1)

Quick Facts: The win was Huntingdon's fifth straight over Greensboro since the series began in 2013 ... Cedrick Lowe's interception return for a touchdown was the 11th time in Huntingdon history a Hawk has returned an interception for a score and the first time since 2015 … Chase Young's 22-yard field in the first quarter was his ninth of the season, setting a new single-season record for the Hawks … the Huntingdon defense allowed 96 passing yards on Saturday, the eighth lowest total ever allowed by the Hawks

Head Coach Mike Turk on Saturday's win: "I was happy with the way we came out to start the game. After the off week, I was a little worried about how we would come out, but we started fast and played with energy on both sides of the ball.

"We were able to put the game away quickly and we were able to play a lot of guys. It's always good when you can get younger guys in and let them gain experience."

Turk on the Hawks' attitude with two conference games remaining: "The thing I am trying to emphasize to the team is we've been in this position before and had success and we've been in this position before and failed to accomplish what we wanted.

"To this point, we have done what we needed to do to put ourselves in good position. But we have not accomplished anything yet. We still have to come out and continue to improve each week. That is what we have done to get to this point and it's what we have to continue to do."

Coming Up: Huntingdon returns to Samford Stadium to play Methodist on Nov. 4. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (Central).