SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The Berry College football team suffered their first loss of the season in their SAA opener against the Trinity University Tigers Saturday afternoon on the road.
After holding the Tigers to a three-and-out to start the ballgame, the Vikings received the ball at their own 18-yard line for their first possession. They marched down the field into Trinity territory thanks to strong gains on the ground from Jake Turner, eventually reaching the Tigers 29-yard line.
On 4th and 9 the Vikings decided to go for it, but Andrew Hunter's pass to Cameron Coleman in the end zone fell incomplete. The two teams then exchanged punts, and on their third drive the Tigers finally got on the board. They went on a five-play, 51-yard touchdown drive capped off by a 26-yard touchdown pass by Welker Horn to make it a 7-0 game in the final minutes of the first quarter.
It took the Vikings just two plays to answer back. On the first play of the second quarter, Hunter connected with Coleman for a 65-yard touchdown to get the team within an extra point. However, the Vikings opted to go for the two-point conversion but it was unsuccessful.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Tigers took the momentum back with a 76-yard kickoff return, setting them up at the Berry 19-yard line. It took them two plays to punch it in on a Hondo Franklin touchdown pass, making it 13-6 Trinity after a blocked extra point attempt.
Berry immediately fumbled the ball back to Trinity at their own 6-yard line, but the defense held strong with a turnover on downs to give the offense another chance. With 5:16 left in the half, the Vikings put together a promising drive to potentially tie the game. They moved 79 yards in 14 plays to reach Trinity's 13-yard line of 4th and 2, but they again failed to convert with 11 seconds on the clock, going into the locker room down a touchdown.
The Vikings punted on their first two drives of the third quarter, while the Tigers put together a nine-play, 32-yard field goal drive on their second drive to take a 16-6 lead with 1:44 left in the quarter.Â
The Vikings seemed poised to get the game back within one possession thanks to a handful of chunk plays by Hunter, Devin Gale, and Eli Warrington to reach Trinity's 18-yard line with 13:37 left in the fourth. However, Hunter threw an end zone interception intended for Coleman to put the drive to a halt.Â
From there, the Tigers took this opportunity to put the game away for good. They ran the ball to drain the clock and eventually scored another touchdown on a Jason Love 13-yard touchdown run. The Vikings got two more drives down 23-6 but failed to score on both to end the game.
As a team, Berry outgained Trinity 340-265 in total yards, including a massive 136-56 advantage in rushing yards. They also picked up 20 first downs compared to Trinity's 13 and possessed the ball for 31:32.
However, they committed two turnovers, went 5-15 on third down, and came up scoreless on three chances in the red zone. Meanwhile, the Tigers went 3-5 on their red zone trips.
Individually, Hunter finished the game going 16-36 for 204 yards, one touchdown pass, and one interception. He also picked up 42 rushing yards on 18 attempts. Turner also carried the ball 16 times for 74 yards, good enough for 4.6 rushing yards per carry. Lastly, Coleman led the receiving core with five catches, 105 yards, and a touchdown catch.
On defense, the Vikings racked up four sacks and forced a turnover thanks to a Sammy Kunczewski interception. Buie Crawford led the unit in tackles with 10, blocked an extra point, and had one pass breakup.Â
Berry looks to rebound next Saturday, October 10 against Rhodes on the road. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
