Conway, Ark. - Hendrix dropped its season opener to Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) on Saturday, but you would not have thought that based off the box score.
The Warriors dominated in almost every offensive statistical category, and the Blackshirt defense held an explosive WashU offensive unit to just 16 first downs. The Bears put up 397 yards of total offense to Hendrix's 466 yards.
WashU drew first blood on their first possession, going 63 yards for the game's first score after forcing a turnover as the Warriors drove deep into Bears' territory.
Hendrix would respond right after, mounting a 65-yard play drive on 11 plays.
The two would then trade scores again before a pivotal moment late in the second quarter. Facing 4th and Goal with under a yard to go, WashU turned Hendrix over on downs with 1:19 left to play in the half.
The Bears would go on to score the game's next 16 points, and jumped out to a 30-14 lead early in the 3rd quarter after forcing a Hendrix safety.
Hendrix would fight back to make it a one score game after going on a 17-0 run. But that would be as close as the Warriors would get for the rest of the afternoon. WashU would tack on two more touchdowns to leave Conway with a 44-27 victory.
Making his first career start at quarterback,
Jacob Buniff had quite the debut, throwing for 442 yards and 4 TDs. The sophomore, from Carrollton, Texas set the single-game program record for completions with 38, and his 84.4% completion percentage ranks 6th in program history.
Chiristian Gadison was the recipient of over one-third of Buniff's yards. The senior receiver had a career day, hauling in 2 touchdowns and 160 receiving yards, which ranks 5th in program history in single-game receiving yards. He was one reception shy of tying the program record for most receptions in a game.
Kanyn Utley enjoyed himself another 100+ yard day as well with 8 receptions and a touchdown to boot.
Connor Samples and
Gibson Phillips led the Warriors defense with 4 total tackles each.
In his first game as defensive coordinator, Zach Schultz's Blackshirt defense stood tall versus a WashU offense that averaged 453 yards per game last year. Hendrix forced the Bears to punt 4 times, while Hendrix only punted once.
The Warriors will be back in action next Saturday as they head to Marshall, Texas to take on East Texas Baptist. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM at Ornelas Stadium.
