SEWANEE, Tenn. - The Vikings utilized a second half explosion to open the flood gates against Sewanee with a 44-7 victory, scoring 28 unanswered in the second half.
QB Christian Lewis paced the Viking offense with 10 completions on 12 attempts for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Colby Sikes pitched in 8 rushes for 67 yards on the ground and a TD and 2 catches for 43 yards and another TD through the air. WR Nate Lyons also made big plays with three catches for 66 yards. LB Christopher Lewis pitched in a team-leading seven tackles defensively.
A quick three-and-out produced by the Berry defense was met with a masterful drive that was conducted by Lewis. Lewis connected with Brendan Gray early on in the drive for a 22-yard gain. On the very next play, Lewis navigated the pocket and found Nate Lyons streaking down the field for a 41-yard Touchdown. Lyons also punched in a two-point conversion to make the score 8-0.
On the ensuing Tiger drive, penalties would dissolve their attempt at pushing the ball down the field. A blocked punt by Berry's special teams unit left the Vikings eager for a short offensive odyssey as they possessed the ball just ten yards away from pay dirt. Red zone QB Andrew Hunter calmly delivered a strike to Khamari Smith to make the score 14-0 with 6:46 left in the first quarter. A Colby Sikes scamper on the two-point conversion extended the Viking lead to 16-0. The two offenses stalled out in the remainder of the first quarter and in the second quarter, leaving the score at 16-0 at halftime.
Sewanee answered early in the second half after a Viking three-and-out to make the score 16-7 off a 37-yard rush from a Tiger ball carrier. Wasting no time, the Berry offense quickly lit up the scoreboard with a touchdown drive of their own. Jake Turner was the featured back in the response drive, accounting for 38 yards on the ground on that drive. Hunter then finished the drive off from three yards out to make the score 23-7. A strong stand from the Viking secondary led to yet another three-and-out for the Tigers.
Knowing that another score would put the game out of reach, Lewis distributed the ball to his tight end Walker Williams who broke out down the sideline for a 23-yard gain. Running back Colby Sikes then weaved his way through defenders to make the score 30-7 from 18 yards out.
The Tigers were not able to muster up a fight in the fourth quarter, as the Vikings added two touchdowns courtesy of a connection between Lewis and Sikes from 34 yards out and a 2-yard rushing touchdown from Jay Kanazawa, leaving the score at 44-7 with just over two minutes remaining. The Tigers salted away the final two minutes, as Berry picked up a big road victory as they pursue first place in the SAA.
Viking football is in action again on October 25 against Millsaps at home at 1 PM ET.
