LaGRANGE, Ga. – Berry College lost at LaGrange College, 28-27, in two overtime periods on Saturday.
With a chance to tie the game, the Vikings ran a fake on the PAT which fell incomplete, and LaGrange squeezed out the win.
BC dropped to 0-2 and the Panthers improved to 2-0.
The Panthers scored a touchdown in the second overtime period, which forced BC to do the same. Dale Jackson connected with Trey Ciresi to pull within one point.
Berry lined up in kick formation on the PAT, but holder Methus Weldon took the snap and tossed a pass. Weldon, however, could not connect with an open Alex Adams for the winning two points.
The courageous call by Head Coach Tony Kunczewski was indicative of a courageous game played by a team seeking its first varsity victory.
"I would make the same call again in a heartbeat," said Kunczewski. "We came down here to win, not to play it close."
Berry did not sneak into a close game, rather they were ahead or tied for all of regulation. In fact, LaGrange did not lead until the second OT period.
Additionally, the Vikings went toe-to-toe with LaGrange's high-powered "Air Raid" offense. The Panthers had a slight lead in total offense, 429 to 401 yards. Led by freshman running back Jalen Tuggle (22 carries, 75 yards), however, BC posted a big edge in rushing yards, 129-55.
"I'm proud of our team," Kunczewski said. "Our defense played incredibly. Good things are going to happen to this group."
Jackson completed 19-42 passes for 242 yards and had four touchdown passes and two interceptions. His counterpart, Graham Craig, was 38-51 for 374 yards and had the identical four TDs and two interceptions.
Wide receiver Chris Lilly had a game-high 141 yards on his nine receptions. On defense, Preston Stewart had nine tackles and four sacks.
The Vikings got off to great start. Matt Farinella (11 tackles) intercepted a Panther pass in his end zone to thwart an early drive.
Berry scored the first points of the game after Dale Jackson connected with Ciresi
(five receptions, 83 yards) on a 25-yard strike. A Campbell Harrison PAT pushed the score to 7-0 with 1:54 left in the opening quarter.
LaGrange responded with a 24-yard TD pass in the second quarter. Craig's toss to Micahel Gray knotted the game at 7-7 with 14:14 left in the second period.
The Vikings led 14-7 after Jackson and Lilly hooked up on a 27-yard passing play. The score remained the same at halftime.
The Panthers tied the game again with 1:31 remaining in the third period. Jackson caught a wide receiver screen from Craig and ran 36 yards for the touchdown.
Anthony Batey intercepted a Craig pass and returned it 36 yards to give Berry the ball in Panther territory with 6:40 remaining in the game. With a fourth down and three on the LaGrange, Ciresi could not catch a Jackson pass on the sideline and BC gave up the ball on downs.
The Panthers tried a 48-yard field goal with five seconds on the clock, but it was blocked and the teams went to overtime.
Note: While there are no point spreads in Division III football, the Bennett Computer Rankings had LaGrange as a 30-point favorite entering the game.
The Vikings now have a bye week before opening SAA play on Sept. 27 when Rhodes visits Barron Stadium. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
"I'm glad we have the bye week after an emotional game," said Kunczewski. "It gives us time to prepare for the defending SAA Champions. But the good thing is that these guys are getting much better every week. We hope to see another great crowd for our home opener."