HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va.  — Despite a promising start, Averett fell to Hampden-Sydney College 42-12 in its season-opener on Saturday afternoon.

On the opening kickoff, Averett (0-1) forced a Hampden-Sydney fumble on the return and recovered the loose ball, giving the Cougars a first-and-goal from the Tigers' 9-yard line. Two plays later, junior quarterback Kirkland Brown found senior fullback Blake Lewis for a 6-yard touchdown pass less than a minute into the game. However, the Cougars' lead remained 6-0 after a mishap on the extra point attempt.

Things continued to go Averett's way. On Hampden-Sydney's ensuing possession, Averett sophomore cornerback Dontae Gilbert forced a fumble and junior cornerback Roderick Doggett picked it up and returned it 15 yards to the Hampden-Sydney 29-yard line. This time, however, the Cougars couldn't capitalize.

After both teams had drives stall, Hampden-Sydney (1-0) pieced together an eight-play, 90-yard drive capped by quarterback Nash Nance's 1-yard touchdown run to help the Tigers take a 7-6 lead late in the first quarter. Nance, in his second year at Hampden-Sydney after transferring from Division I University of Tennessee, continued to find his rhythm in the second quarter, leading the Tigers on two more scoring drives before the half — including one that ended with a 48-yard touchdown pass to Holton Walker — to help Hampden-Sydney take a 21-6 lead into the locker rooms at halftime.

Averett had its first drive of the third quarter go three-and-out. The Cougars defense sacked Nance on the first play following a punt, but Nance answered with a 56-yard touchdown pass to Walker, who finished with a school-record 235 yards and two touchdowns on 14 receptions.

The Cougars, who had just 78 yards of offense in the first half, put together a solid drive on their next possession. Kirkland Brown connected with sophomore running back Ray Brown for a 14-yard pass, and Ray Brown added a 20-yard run to get Averett deep in Hampden-Sydney territory. Kirkland Brown eventually found senior wide receiver Justin Gillespie for an 8-yard touchdown pass, cutting the Tigers' lead to 28-12.

Yet, Nash continued to trouble Averett. He ran for a 2-yard score late in the third quarter and tossed an 11-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to help Hampden-Sydney pull away to the 30-point win. Nash finished 24-of-28 passing for 372 yards and four touchdowns to go with eight runs for 75 yards and two touchdowns.

The Tigers outgained Averett 588-129 in total offensive yards.

"Our kids played well," Averett coach Mike Dunlevy said. "The effort was there. We just needed to be more focused. We had too many missed assignments on defense and had too many dropped balls on offense. The positives are that we can work on those things over the next week."

Kirkland Brown finished with 13 completions on 27 attempts for 63 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Chatham Currie led the receivers with three catches for 18 yards, while Ray Brown had six carries for 48 yards.

Defensively, senior safety Stefan Varner and junior linebacker Evan Jones led Averett with seven tackles each.

Averett returns to action next Saturday at home against non-conference foe Randolph-Macon College at 1 p.m. at the Cougar Den.