CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — Wabash College opens its 139th season of football Saturday when the Little Giants welcome Hampden-Sydney College to Frank Navarro Field at Little Giant Stadium for the fifth edition of the Gentlemen's Classic. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.

Wabash returns six offensive starters and five defensive starters from a team that finished 9-2 overall and 6-2 in North Coast Athletic Conference play in 2025. The Little Giants closed the season with a 32-31 victory over Ohio Northern in the ForeverLawn Bowl. Hampden-Sydney finished 7-3 overall and 5-3 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference last season.

Senior quarterback Brand Campbell returns to direct a Wabash offense that averaged 36.6 points and 410.4 yards per game last season. Campbell threw for 2,121 yards and 21 touchdowns while completing 61.7% of his passes. He added 260 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Wide receiver Luke Adams led the Little Giants with 904 receiving yards and eight touchdown catches. Wabash ranked 27th nationally in passing offense at 275.4 yards per game and 34th in scoring offense.

Campbell enters Saturday's game on the verge of moving into the top 10 in Wabash career passing yards. He begins the season ranked 11th with 4,054 yards, needing 55 to tie Dave Harvey for 10th place and 62 to move past both Harvey and Dustin Huff into ninth.

The Little Giants were equally productive on defense last season, particularly against the run. Wabash limited opponents to 80.7 rushing yards per game, 21st in Division III, and ranked 24th nationally with 2.82 sacks per contest. The Little Giants allowed 303.2 yards of total offense per game.

Special teams also played a significant role in Wabash's success. Under special teams coordinator Tom Ferner, the Little Giants blocked 13 kicks in 2025, the most by any NCAA team across all three divisions, and led Division III with seven blocked punts. Samuel Poriah, who returns on the defensive line, tied for the team lead with three blocked kicks and returned a blocked punt 22 yards for a touchdown at Kenyon.

Hampden-Sydney presents an immediate challenge after producing one of Division III's most explosive offenses last season. The Tigers averaged 485.5 yards and 43.9 points per game, ranking eighth nationally in total offense and 12th in scoring. They also ranked 11th in rushing offense at 230.8 yards per game and scored 62 touchdowns while averaging 6.8 yards per play.

Senior running back Terry Hicks leads the returning Hampden-Sydney offense after rushing for 1,020 yards and 14 touchdowns on 195 carries last season. Junior Wendell Thompson is listed atop the Tigers' quarterback depth chart, with Connor Creech also among the options. Hampden-Sydney brings back an experienced receiving group that includes seniors Tyler Hendley, Jordan Epps, Aaron Chaney and James Bishop along with junior tight end Kam Mahoney.

The Tigers allowed 21.5 points and 335.8 yards per game defensively last season and ranked 26th nationally in passing defense at 160 yards allowed per contest. Junior linebacker Frank Brewer returns after tying for the team lead with 69 tackles. Safety Mitch Ladamus recorded 66 tackles, two interceptions and eight pass breakups, while cornerback Parks Cromwell contributed 44 tackles, two interceptions and three forced fumbles.

Saturday's meeting continues a series Wabash has controlled since the two all-male colleges first met in 2014. The Little Giants are 4-0 against the Tigers, including victories of 34-21 in 2014 and 35-3 in 2015. Wabash won a 52-48 shootout at Little Giant Stadium in 2022 before earning a dramatic 29-28 road victory in 2023. In that game, Wabash scored with 3:11 remaining and converted a two-point conversion on a pass from wide receiver Jacob Riddle to quarterback Liam Thompson to secure the victory.

Wabash also brings an extended run of success in season openers into Saturday's contest. The Little Giants own an 83-46-9 all-time record in opening games and have won their past four, including a 55-21 victory at St. Norbert to begin the 2025 season. Wabash has not lost a home opener since 2012, and its last loss when the home opener also served as the season opener came against Ohio Northern on Sept. 11, 1999.