CONWAY, Ark. - A high-powered offensive performance led the Hendrix College football team to their first 3-0 start in 85 years. The Warriors were led by Dayton Winn and Seth Peters to a 48-31 victory over Southern Athletic Association foe Birmingham-Southern College in both team's conference opener on Saturday at Young-Wise Memorial Stadium.
Winn finished with 16 carries for 115 yards rushing and a career-high four rushing touchdowns, while Peters threw for a career-high and program record 451 yards and a touchdown on 36-of-44 attempts. The quarterback also gained 30 yards on the ground and scored a rushing touchdown as well. Nate Hodapp led all Hendrix receivers with nine catches for 85 yards and a score while Casey Caton snagged six grabs for a game-high 119 receiving yards.
On defense, Broc Smith finished with a game-high 14 tackles, while Shaquille Grant and Ben Cunningham each chipped in with nine tackles. Thomas Eddlemon led the team with 1.5 tackles for loss on the day.
Joe Moultrie finished with 132 rushing yards for the Panthers, and Acorye White and Samir Usman each earned 56 yards on the ground. Mickey Courtney threw for 203 yards and a touchdown on 17-of-26 passing. Michael Cowan finished as BSC's top receiver, catching five for 48 yards and a touchdown.
The Hendrix defense proved that it was up to snuff on the first drive of the game, stopping the Panthers on their first drive of the day by forcing a punt after just five plays. The Warriors' offense set the tone for the game with a 91-yard touchdown drive on their first possession. Winn finished the drive with a 20-yard rushing touchdown to put the Warriors ahead 7-0 early in the first quarter.
BSC responded on their next drive with a touchdown of their own to tie the game at 7-7 with over six minutes left in the 1st quarter. The Hendrix offense was stymied on their next drive and punted the ball away, but the Warrior defense stood fast on their own 15, forcing a turnover on downs in their own red zone. On a fourth-and-one play, Ben Cunningham and Thomas Weissert combined to stuff a quarterback sneak for no gain to give the Warriors the ball back.
On the ensuing Hendrix possession, Winn ripped off a 55-yard touchdown run to put the Warriors ahead 14-7. The 55-yard score tied Winn's longest rush from scrimmage and marked the Warriors longest scoring play on the ground in the past two seasons.
After the Panthers tied the score at 14-14, the Warriors' offense needed just four plays to get into the end zone again. Peters connected with Casey Caton on a 28-yard pass play that put the Warriors in the red zone, where Winn finished off the drive yet again with an 8-yard rushing score. After the extra point, the Warriors led 21-14.
The Panthers earned a field goal to cut the lead to 21-17 with 2:31 left in the second quarter, but Steve Crenshaw answered with an 18-yard field goal of his own to put Hendrix ahead 24-17 at the halftime break.
In the second half, Hendrix opened the frame with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by a 6-yard Seth Peters touchdown scamper, extending their lead to 31-17. On the ensuing kickoff Crenshaw pooched the kick perfectly over the first line of return team where Ben Luedtke ran under the ball to recover it in the air for the Warriors.
Hendrix took advantage of their spectacular special teams play by finishing their next drive for another touchdown. Seth Peters found Nate Hodapp for a touchdown to cap the 44-yard scoring drive, putting the home team up 38-17 before BSC touched the ball in the second half.
On the Panthers' next drive, Joe Moultrie led the team down the field with five carries for 40 yards, including a two-yard touchdown that cut the lead to 38-23. Stephen Stearman blocked the Panthers' extra point attempt to keep the Warriors ahead by 15.
In the 4th quarter, Hendrix held onto the football for over 10 minutes, leaving the Panthers with only 4:34 of possession. Dayton Winn scored his fourth touchdown of the day on a three-yard run and Steve Crenshaw buried a 37-yard field goal as the Warriors rolled 48-31.
BSC is now 0-4 on the season and 0-1 in the SAA. They will host Sewanee on October 4. Hendrix improves to 3-0 with their win with a 1-0 record in the SAA and will look to remain undefeated when they take on conference rival Millsaps College on October 4 in Conway.
High-Octane Offense Leads Hendrix to Win over BSC
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20140927_yy3b.xml
2014
Birmingham-Southern
31
Hendrix
48
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham-Southern (0-4) | 7 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 31 |
| Hendrix (3-0) | 7 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 48 |
Sep 27, 2014