BRIDGEWATER, Va. - The Bridgewater College football team returns from the bye week as it takes on nationally-recognized Hampden-Sydney.

When: Saturday, November 8, 2025
Where: Farmville, Va.
Stadium: Lewis C. Everett Stadium
Kickoff: 1:00 pm 
Gameday Forecast: Partly Cloudy and Warm, 75F
        0% Chance of rain
Series Record: HSC Leads, 62-18

I'LL TAKE THAT: The Bridgewater defense ranks third in the ODAC and ranks 26th in Div. III in fumble recoveries. Aaron Nice leads the ODAC as he averages 0.38 forced fumbles per game. The former All-American selection also ranks 17th in Div. III with that tally as well. The BC defense registered just its third interception of the season last time out against Washington and Lee before the bye week.

THE HOV PROFILE:  Jaicere Bateman is in his third season leading the Eagles' offense and sits among the ODAC leaders. Bateman sits second in the ODAC in passing yards despite being stifled by a solid WLU defense two weeks ago. The junior also ranks third in the league in completion percentage (59.4%) and has completed over 70% of his passes three times this season. The Lynchburg native's 18.9 completions per game is second in the ODAC and inside the top-50 nationally. Bateman also has six rushing scores to his credit.

STOPPING THE ATTACK: The Bridgewater defense will be asked to stop one of the nation's top offenses on Saturday as Hampden-Sydney ranks fifth in Div. III in total offense. Bridgewater's defense ranks 97th in total defense, allowing 331.9 yards per game, with its strength being against the pass. BC ranks 85th in Div. III in passing yards allowed at a mark of 185.4 yards per game. 

STOPS BEHIND THE LINE:  Aaron Nice and Shalin Green rank among the ODAC leaders in sacks per game. Nice ranks 17th in Div. III in sacks per game (0.9) and 24th in tackles for loss per contest (1.7), while Green ranks ninth in the ODAC averaging 0.4 sacks per game. BC ranks in the top half of the conference with 5.8 stops behind the line per game, but that total ranks outside of the top 100 in Div. III. 

SPECIAL TEAMS MATTER:  Bridgewater earned another ODAC Special Teams Player of the Week after their last contest as Agustin Miguel made a trio of field goals, highlighted by two from 40+ yards, in the OT loss to Washington and Lee. The Eagles are among the national leaders in all things special teams, including leading Div. III in net punting. BC ranks 16th nationally in kick returns, anchored by Brendan Robinson, who sits in the top 50 in Div. III in the category as an individual. Aiden Grefe sits third nationally, averaging 44.2 yards per punt. Agustin Miguel also ranks 50th nationally in field goals per game with 0.8 kicks made per game. 

SCOUTING THE TIGERS: Hapmden-Sydney sits in a tie for second in the ODAC Standings and is still within striking distance of an ODAC Crown with two weeks to go in the regular season. The Tigers are led by a high-powered offense that ranks fifth in Div. III in total offense. HSC sits seventh in the country in rushing offense at 255.1 yards on the ground per contest, while ranking 57th through the air, led by quarterback Carter Sido. The Tigers' defense ranks third in the ODAC in total defense, but Hampden-Sydney has struggled to stop the run at times in 2025, ranking 147th in Div. III in the category.

HAMPDEN-SYDNEY HEAD COACH:  Vince Luvara is in his second season at the helm of the Tigers program after serving as the defensive coordinator at Washington & Jefferson, where the Presidents' defense was one of the best in the conference and all of Div. III. Luvara's defensive unit registered 63 All-PAC honors and, in 2022, allowed an impressive 12.7 points per game, 15th in all of Division III. Luvara also served as the recruiting coordinator under current W&J head coach Mike Sirriani, who has been at the helm of the Presidents' program for 22 years. Mike Sirriani's brother Nick is the current head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. 

SIDO, CUNNINGHAM & HICKS: The high-powered Hampden-Sydney offense is led by the explosive trio of Carter Sido, Mason Cunningham and Terry Hicks. Sido ranks second in all of Div. II in yards per completion, while his favorite target, Cunningham, paces the conference in all things receiving. Hicks leads the ODAC in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns to go along with combining with his conrads to take up four of the six podium places in the league in scoring and points responsible for. The trio fuels Div III's ninth-best scoring offense, as the Tigers average 47.9 points per game. 

BOUNCING BACK: Bridgewater fell in overtime on Saturday to Washington and Lee, 20-17, in the program's first game past the advertised distance since 2018. Since 1999, Bridgewater has played in 10 overtime contests and holds a 5-5 record in those games. Following the five losses, the Eagles are 5-0, including a victory over Shenandoah following their last overtime loss to Randolph-Macon in 2018. This will also be their first contest under such circumstances under head coach Scott Lemn.

NINETY-SIX YEARS AS FOES: The Eagles and Tigers have met 80 times on the gridiron, dating back to 1929. Hampden-Sydney won the initial meeting and went on to win the first 24 matchups in the series before the Eagles broke through with a 7-3 victory in 1968. Each side has dominated the series at different points, but the sides have split the last 10 meetings right down the middle, with five wins each.

ROAD WARRIORS: BC hits the road for the final time in 2025 on Saturday and is 1-3 away from Jopson this season. BC is 13-12 on the road under Scott Lemn, and picked up a victory in Farmville in its last trip there. BC has won three of its last five road finales, with one of those losses being in the 2021 road finale at Hampden-Sydney.

Catch the action live on FloCollege at 1 p.m.