CONWAY, Ark. — Hendrix defeated Austin Colelge 42-32 on Saturday afternoon at Young-Wise Memorial Stadium in the Warriors' regular season home finale.
Demarkus Crain scored on a 48-yard run with 1:59 remaining in the fourth quarter to ice the affair in what became a tight contest after Hendrix took an early 14-0 lead. The Warriors finished with 299 passing yards and 281 rushing yards, scored six touchdowns and converted 7 of 10 third-down chances.
Jake Blice completed 14 of 22 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown and added 59 rushing yards with two scores. Crain rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
Brooks McGee caught six passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Beckett Moore led the Warriors with 13 tackles.
The Warriors held the ball for 12:28 of the first quarter, went 3-for-4 on third down and produced 149 passing yards with 48 rushing yards, while Austin had 53 passing yards, 10 rushing yards and one third-down conversion in three tries. Blice connected with
Amare Foreman for a 31-yard touchdown and
Josh Hayes hit McGee for a 9-yard score, with
Clay Brandenburg's two PATs giving the Warriors a 14-0 lead after the first quarter.
Austin had the larger share of possession in the second quarter, holding the ball for 10:29 and producing 10 first downs while going 9-for-11 passing for 113 yards and two touchdowns. The Warriors still generated scoring efficiency with two rushing touchdowns, a 2-for-2 mark on third down and 109 passing yards on just three completions.
Jake Blice's 61-yard completion to McGee set up Blice's 1-yard touchdown with 29 seconds left, and the Warriors led 28-17 at halftime after Austin added a 38-yard field goal at the horn.
Austin ran for 133 yards in the third quarter and scored all nine points in the quarter, with Zyan Stewart's 6-yard touchdown run and Alex McGregor's 28-yard field goal pulling the visitors within 28-26. The Warriors produced 85 rushing yards and 37 passing yards in the quarter but went 0-for-1 on third down and 0-for-1 on fourth down, including a turnover on downs at the Austin 2.
The Warriors did their fourth-quarter damage on the ground, rushing for 76 yards and two touchdowns while completing just one pass, and outscored Austin 14-6 in the quarter. Austin completed 7 of 8 passes for 78 yards, but the Warriors blocked a PAT and Austin missed two field-goal attempts.
Demarkus Crain's 48-yard touchdown run with 1:59 left helped close out the 42-32 win.
A 14-0 first-quarter lead came on two touchdown passes, with Blice hitting Foreman for 31 yards at 10:12 and Hayes finding McGee from 9 yards out at 2:33. The Warriors also drove to the Austin 1 on their second possession before being stopped on fourth down, then held Austin to a three-and-out from its own 1. Austin reached the Warriors' 27 on the final play, but the Warriors closed the opening quarter ahead 14-0.
The Warriors' late response mattered most in the second quarter, as Blice hit McGee for 61 yards before Blice scored from 1 yard out with 29 seconds left to make it 28-14. Earlier, Crain capped an 80-yard Warriors drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, and
Clay Brandenburg made both extra points. Austin added a 38-yard field goal as time expired, leaving the Warriors ahead 28-17 at halftime.
The Warriors were held scoreless in the third quarter as Austin scored on its opening drive and later added a 28-yard field goal to make it 28-26. The Warriors answered the first score with a 72-yard drive behind gains from Blice and
Kobey Wall, but the possession ended on downs at the Austin 2.
Beckett Moore and
Jacob Moody had tackles for loss to help limit Austin to the field goal, and the Warriors had the ball at the Austin 25 when the quarter ended.
The Warriors' immediate response mattered most in the fourth quarter: after Austin cut the score to 35-32 with 2:09 left, Crain broke a 48-yard touchdown run on the next Warriors snap, and
Clay Brandenburg's extra point made it 42-32. Earlier, Blice scored on a 1-yard run and Brandenburg added the kick to make it 35-26, while the defense kept Austin out of the end zone on a drive that ended with a missed 35-yard field goal.
Saturday marked the first time in modern program history that Hendrix had two 100+ yard rushers in the same contest, with Crain's career-high 133 yards to go along with
Kobey Wall's 100 yards.
The win improves Hendrix to 5-2 and 2-1 in the SCAC. They will take a break from conference play next weekend as they head to Memphis to take on former Southern Athletic Association rivals Rhodes on Saturday night at Crain Field.
