MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - The Hendrix College football team suffered the first blemish to their Southern Athletic Association record, falling to conference rival Berry College 46-24 on Saturday afternoon.

Freshman quarterback Dylan Shelton threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns, and freshman running back Thomas Bingham accumulated 197 all-purpose yards, including a 45-yard  touchdown catch. The offense provided by the first-year duo was not enough to counter Berry's opportunistic offense that capitalized with 34 points off of turnovers which proved to be the difference in the game.

Thomas Weissert led the defense with 2.5 tackles for loss and Jake Falleuer recorded the team's only sack and a fumble reecovery on the day. Caleb Shannon led the team with nine tackles, including seven solo tackles. On special teams, Spencer Smith punted four times for an average of 42.2 yards and pinned one inside of the 20-yard line. Steve Crenshaw went 1-for-1, hitting a 26-yarder to improve his season total to 8-for-9. 

Hendrix began the game by stopping the Vikings' offense after just five plays. However, the ensuing punt was muffed and the Vikings recovered to gain great field position, and capitalized with a field goal to take a 3-0 lead just under five minutes into the game. The Warriors' next two offensive drives resulted in a fumble and a punt as the team struggled to gain yards. Berry extended their lead to 10-0 with a touchdown pass at the end of the first quarter.

In the second frame, Hendrix answered the Vikings' touchdown with a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by a touchdown pass from Shelton to Ben Luedtke. Shelton found Leudtke on a shallow cross route and the elusive wide receiver followed a pair of key blocks on the outside for an eight yard touchdown. Steve Crenshaw drilled the extra point to make the score 10-7. 

The next two minutes would prove to be the difference for the Warriors in the game. Berry took the ensuing drive 61 yards on six plays for a score in just 1:45 making it 17-7. After the kickoff, Hendrix fumbled on their first play of the drive and Berry recovered on the Warriors' six-yard line. One play later the Vikings found the endzone, scoring 14 points in 2:08 and increasing their lead to 24-7.

Hendrix tried to grab some momentum back, driving 67 yards on eight plays for a field goal to narrow the lead to 24-10. Crenshaw drilled a 26-yarder to cap the drive and keep the Warriors in contention. On the next Berry possession, the Warriors forced a three-and-out with a big third down tackle by Harrison Newton. Despite their stout defense, the Warriors were pinned on their own six-yard line by a 52-yard punt and three plays later, Shelton was sacked for a safety, increasing the Berry lead to 26-10.

After the punt, Berry drove 53 yards on nine plays and capped the first half with a touchdown to take a 33-10 lead into the locker room at the half.

Hendrix was outscored 10-0 in the third quarter as the home team extended their lead to 43-10, but the Warriors put together a pair of solid drives in the fourth quarter to cut down the deficit. In a large hole and playing mostly for pride, Hendrix pieced together a nine play, 73-yard touchdown drive capped by a 45-yard pass from Shelton to Bingham that made the score 43-17. 

After a Berry field goal, the Warriors executed another long drive. Dylan Shelton found Ethan Hoppe on a pair of passes for 31 yards and ran for 18 yards on his own to keep the chains moving for the Orange and Black. The team capped the drive with a six-yard touchdown connection from Shelton to Nate Hodapp that made the score 46-24 with under a minute to play. Berry kneeled the clock out on their next possession to end the game.

Hendrix moves to 4-2 on the season and 2-1 in the SAA. They will take on Austin College in a non-conference game on Saturday October 25 at Young-Wise Memorial Stadium.