FULTON, Mo. - The Hendrix College football team showcased its offensive firepower, tallying up a program-record 618 total yards of offense, including 295 rushing yards, in a 42-28 victory over the Westminster College (Mo.) Blue Jays in the team's season opener on Saturday.
Seth Peters finished the game with 85 rushing yards and Dayton Winn tacked on 142 on 22 carries with each player scoring two rushing touchdowns. Peters also threw for 323 yards and two touchdowns on 25-of-28 attempts. Ben Leudtke led all receivers with eight catches for 127 yards on the day.
On the defensive side, Matt Ramirez recorded 15 tackles and had two pass defelections and an interception. Thomas Weissert notched a sack and a forced fumble, while Gray Stanton and Broc Smith split a sack. Ben Cunningham finished with four tackles and a fumble recovery for the Warriors.
The visiting team looked sluggish on their first drive and were forced to punt, but after a defensive stand that held the Blue Jays to just 28 yards, the offense got the ball back on their own 27-yard line and set the tone from there. Dayton Winn began the drive with a 10-yard run, his first of four touches on the series. Seth Peters found Ben Leudtke for 15 yards to get into Westminster territory, and a pass interference penalty moved the Warriors into the red zone. Winn finished the drive just how it started, with a smash-mouth run up the middle for score. Steve Crenshaw added the extra point to put Hendrix ahead 7-0.
Wesminster tried to answer the Hendrix offense, but were curtailed by a stout defense just two plays into their ensuing drive. Blue Jays' receiver Tony Mitchell took a jet sweep around the left edge but was met by linebacker Thomas Weissert who forced a fumble. Ben Cunningham jumped on the loose ball for the Warriors to give the Hendrix offense fantastic field position, with the drive starting at midfield.
Peters and Mike Goodrich combined for 27 rushing yards on seven carries during the drive, but the Warriors found the end zone through the air. On a play action pass, Peters found Caleb Brake streaking down the middle for a 28-yard touchdown strike that put the Warriors ahead 14-0.
In the second quarter, Hendrix made it clear that they would not relent on the Blue Jays in their season opener. After surrendering a score to make it 14-7, the Warriors' offense used their ground game to drive the field. On seven consecutive plays, the Warriors ran the ball with Dayton Winn, Jared Smith, and Seth Peters combining for 65 yards rushing. Peters capped the drive with a 32-yard scamper off of a read option that put the visiting Warriors up 21-7.
Hendrix extended their advantage in the middle of the second quarter. Seven different players either rushed or caught a pass as the Warriors drove 65 yards for a touchdown that put the team ahead 28-7 with 1:22 remaining in the first half.
On the final drive of the quarter, Westminster moved the ball downfield through the air and threatened to score, but were faced with a 4th-and-1 scenario on the Hendrix 31-yard line. They rushed the ball up the middle but were stopped behind the line by defensive lineman Gray Stanton, forcing the turnover on downs. The Warriors went into the half with a 21-point advantage.
The Blue Jays opened the second half with a scoring drive, going 70 yards on 11 plays to draw within two scores, but the home team failed the extra point to make the score 28-13.
Dayton Winn opened up the Warriors ensuing drive with his longest run of the day, a 34-yard gain that moved Hendrix into Westminster territory. The Warriors continued driving down to the Westminster 3-yard line, but were stopped on fourth-and-goal, causing a turnover on downs.
The Blue Jays drove all the way down to the Hendrix 25-yard line in just 10 plays and looked poised to make it a one-score game. Hendrix defensive back Matt Ramirez came up with a big play just when his team needed it, picking off the Blue Jays' quarterback on the Hendrix goal line to prevent the home team from scoring.
The interception clearly swung momentum going into the final quarter, and on the ensuing drive Winn finished off a 95-yard series with a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Warriors ahead 35-13, the squad's largest lead of the day.
The Blue Jays air attack kept them in contention late in the game. Westminster quarterback Joe Plassmeyer completed four passes for 70 yards on the next drive, including a 23-yard touchdown pass to Kai Silbermann to keep the Blue Jays hanging around at 35-21.
With time ticking down, Seth Peters and the Hendrix offense drove him the dagger on their next drive. The Warriors went 75 yards on eight plays late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. Peters finished the drive with a touchdown pass to Nate Hodapp that made the score 42-21.
Westminster would score in the final two minutes of the game, but it came for naught as the Warriors defense closed out the game with one final stop, followed by a kneel down with 15 seconds remaining.
The Warriors begin their season with a 1-0 record for the second straight year and will take on Bacone College on Saturday, September 13 at 7 p.m. at Young-Wise Memorial Stadium. The game will be the first football game played under the lights at the facility.
Hendrix Rolls to Victory At Westminster
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20140906_t8m0.xml
2014
Hendrix
42
Westminster (Mo.)
28
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hendrix (1-0) | 14 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 42 |
| Westminster (Mo.) (0-1) | 0 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 28 |
Sep 06, 2014