Conway, Ark. - Despite having one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, the Warriors were unable to come up with the win their last contest against Sewanee. Hendrix Director of Athletic Communications Sandy Burks accurately characterized the loss as a "heartbreaker", and I would agree. What made it so difficult for Warrior fans was the opportunities that the team created and failed to capitalize on, and two missed extra points did not help. The latter extra point, in the game's dying embers, was blocked, letting Sewanee enter the victory formation and leave with a one-point win.
The story of the Warriors last contest that might lay below the headlines was the offensive line failing to give QB Jacob Buniff opportunities. While Buniff was able to throw 25 passes for 325 yards, many of those passes were made under pressure. When all was said and done, Buniff would be sacked ten times. Despite that, the Warriors were nearly able to pull out a W which is a good sign for Warrior fans.
One thing I have emphasized in the later few of my articles is the importance of opening up some run game for Hendrix to create opportunities for play action. Hendrix has scored a majority of their touchdowns off of play action so far this year. If teams are forced to protect against the run as well, it makes it easier for an air raid team like the Warriors to fake out some of those opposing linebackers. Hendrix only managed 49 rushing yards against Sewanee's 230, so playing better on both sides of the ball, insofar as the run game, will be key to the Warrior's second win.
Saturday's game against the Panthers of Birmingham-Southern will see the return of many of the usual suspects for Hendrix. Jacob Buniff will take the snaps. Christian Gadison, Bryler Nitcholas and Kanyn Utley will be his main targets out on the wings. Jaxon Cobern and Auvic White will alternate at tailback, with Jason Sullivan likely to take snaps as well. Sullivan has had several successful games under his belt so far this year, so expect to see him as well.
On the other side of the ball, Nathan and Keaton Hahn will both appear on defense, and they have been the cornerstone of the Warriors defense so far this season. Connor Samples leads the team in tackles for loss with three and will likely add to that against Birmingham-Southern. Ryan Maxwell will likely not show up on many stat sheets but leads the team in interceptions and will start at safety.
Birmingham-Southern is in the same boat as the Warriors as they look for their second conference win. Matt McClary will take the snaps for the Panthers. Wideout threats will include Thomas Speed (yes, that is his real last name) and AJ McLemore. Kobe Hughes will be the team's leading rusher, and he will certainly look to perform against a team that has struggled to defend against the run.
Birmingham-Southern is a historically strong program that has struggled as of late. They lost to Millsaps in a low-scoring game last week and currently sit at the bottom of the SAA standings tied will Millsaps and Southwestern with three conference losses. Anthony Colucci is in his first season as the Panthers head coach after serving as the offensive coordinator for six years. The Panthers have made the Division III tournament several times and were in the final 16 in 2021.
Hendrix is 5-4 all time versus Birmingham-Southern. Their last meeting was a 30-7 win for the Panthers. The game will kick off from Birmingham at 2:00 PM. The game will be broadcast by BSC here.
