SEWANEE, Tenn. –
Dawson White rushed for 105 yards and
Will Simpson booted a pair of field goals, but Sewanee missed a couple of chances to pull closer in the second half and dropped a 27-15 decision to Hendrix College in a penalty-marred contest Saturday at McGee Field-Harris Stadium.
The contest featured 25 called penalties, 12 on the Tigers (2-7, 1-5 SAA), with both teams picking up six first downs via the yellow flag.
Jacorin Thomas tossed a 24-yard touchdown pass for Sewanee late in the second quarter, but the Warriors (4-6, 2-5) answered with a 65-yard scoring toss for a 19-10 advantage at the break.
Simpson converted on a 29-yard field goal midway through the third quarter, but Parker Turley's second TD run of the game with 3:35 left in the period and a two-point play by Hendrix pushed the visitors' lead to 27-13.
The Warriors took a safety midway through the final quarter, preventing Sewanee from taking over with great field position. The Tigers turned the ball over on downs on its previous possession at the Hendrix eight-yard line.
Thomas finished 15-of-32 passing for 123 yards and one touchdown, unable to hit on the big plays downfield thanks to seven pass breakups by the Warriors. White gained 105 yards o n 17 carries before leaving the game with an injury.
Hendrix quarterback Jacob Buniff completed 23-of-32 throws for 276 yards and two touchdowns. Many of the throws from Buniff were short, with receivers gaining yardage afterward, but the 65-yard catch-and-run to Bruce just before the half turned the tide of the game.
The Warriors methodically moved 75 yards on 16 plays on the opening drive of the contest, using a short passing game and the running of Auvic White to pick up six first downs along the way. Buniff scrambled for 10 yards on the 4
th-and-9 to the Sewanee four-yard line.
After the defense pushed Hendrix back to the 14, a pass interference penalty set-up the visitors at the two and two plays later, Turley scored for a 7-0 Warriors lead, with Hendrix taking more than eight minutes off the clock.
The Tigers answered with an eight-play, 53-yard drive, with the possession staying alive on the first set of downs thanks to a defensive holding penalty. A facemark penalty on the Warriors moved the ball to the Hendrix 47 and Thomas rushed 21 yards up the middle, but the drive stalled and Simpson connected on a 39-yard field goal.
Turley caught an 18-yard pass for a first down and a pass interference penalty on the Tigers moved the ball to the Warriors' 40. Four plays later Kanyn Utley made a one-handed catch in the end zone for a 16-yard reception, but the extra point was blocked by T.J. Fields and Hendrix led 13-3 early in the second quarter.
Sewanee answered on the ensuing possession, with White rushing 18 yards for a first down and the Warriors were offsides on fourth down. White rushed twice and Thomas carried once before finding a wide-open
Sean Johnson for a 24-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 13-10.
The Warriors answered quickly, with Buniff scrambling to his right and launching a 65-yard touchdown to Bruce with 1:39 remaining in the half, giving Hendrix a 19-10 advantage at intermission.
Sewanee moved 68 yards on 15 plays to open the third quarter, picking up five first downs, including a nine-yard run by Thomas on 4
th-and-2. The drive stalled after a holding penalty and Simpson's 29-yarder made it 19-13.
Utley caught passes for 17 and 20 yards to open the ensuing Hendrix possession and White ran for 13 yards before another defensive PI gave the Warriors the ball at the two. Turley scored again and then caught the two-point conversion for a 27-13 advantage.
Sewanee overcame a fumble near midfield and moved 84 yards on 15 plays, including a 14-yard catch by
Ethan Gillespie and a 19-yard scramble on third down from Thomas.
Cooper Alford caught an 11-yard pass for a first down and
Walker Robinson's 18-yard gain followed a pass interference penalty on Hendrix, giving Sewanee a first down at the 14. The Tigers turned the ball over on downs after four pass plays, three incompletions.
The defense held and two delay of game penalties pushed the Warriors back to the three. Joshua Gil ran around the end zone and took a safety with 7:15 remaining, but Sewanee was unable to do anything with the following possession and Hendrix ran the final seven minutes of the game.
Sewanee ends the regular season next Saturday at Centre College at Noon CT.
