Last Second Field Goal Downs The Hawks

CONWAY, Arkansas- In their final non-conference game of the season, Huntingdon football(1-2 overall, 1-1 USA South), fell to the Warriors of Hendrix College(3-1 overall) on a walk-off field goal, 31-28.

How it happened

Receiving the ball to open the game, Hendrix's defense stilfed the Hawks offense, forcing a three-and-out on the opening possession. Huntingdon's defense answered on the following possession with a stop of their own, keeping the score 0-0 through the first five minutes of the game. The first points of the game belonged to Hendrix at the 7:44 mark, with the Warriors' quarterback finding a receiver down field for a 45 yard touchdown. After a successful two-point conversion, Hendrix held an 8-0 lead. Neither offense could find much momentum as the first quarter ended, leaving the score at 8-0 entering the second quarter.

Huntingdon struck first to open the second quarter, with Rayshawn Williams scoring on a five yard rush on the first play from scrimmage. Kicker Will Edwards put the extra point through to cut Hendrix's lead to 8-7 at the 14:48 mark. The Warriors responded with a solid drive down the field, but Bailey Huston put an end to their possession, intercepting a pass deflected by Zander Bonifay to give the Hawks the ball back on their own 34 yard line. Capitalizing on the turnover, senior running back Troy Garner found the endzone on an 11 yard rush to give Huntingdon their first lead of the contest, 14-8, with 7:34 remaining in the half.

Not to be outdone, Hendrix followed Garner's touchdown with another long passing touchdown at the 6:08 mark, putting the Warriors back in front 15-14. The Hawks responded with a 23 yard field goal from Will Edwards at the 3:39 mark to cut reclaim a 17-15 lead, but were unable to maintain it, as Hendrix found the endzone again at the 1:27 mark to go ahead 21-17. Facing a 2-minute drill to end the half, reigning USA South rookie of the week Jake White led the Hawks on a march down field, setting up Will Edwards for a 22 yard field goal in the final 30 seconds to cut the Warriors lead to 21-20 heading into the halftime break.

To open the second half, Huntingdon's defense forced a three-and-out, with Braylon Miller and Zander Bonifay sacking the Warriors' quarterback to end their first possession of the half. Receiving the ball on their own 41 yard line, Huntingdon's offense couldn't take advantage of the defensive stand, fumbling on their first play of the half, giving Hendrix the ball back. The Warriors were able to capitalize on Huntingdon's mistake, cashing in on a 16 yard pass at the 11:32 mark to push their lead to 28-20.

Set to receive the ball after the Warriors touchdown, the Hawks fumbled muffed the kick and Hendrix recovered, setting up the Warriors for another possession on the Huntingdon 46 yard line. With their backs against the wall, Huntingdon's defense stepped up, with a sack from Ricky Spence putting an end to the Warriors drive with 9 minutes remaining in the quarter. On the punt, the Hawks fumbled the ball back to Hendrix again, giving the Warriors another shot at the 9:07 mark. Huntingdon's defense continued to lock down the field, forcing another punt to give Huntingdon the ball with 6 minutes remaining in the quarter.  Just as the Hawks were finding life on the offensive end, another fumble turned the ball back over to Hendrix with three minutes to go until the fourth quarter. To bring an end to the third period, the Hawks forced another stop, and giving themselves a chance to even the score entering the fourth quarter.

Huntingdon's offense opened the final period of play with a bang, with Jake White finding Terrell Copeland streaking down the left side of the field for a 33 yard touchdown. Troy Garner followed up with a rush through the middle on the two-point conversion to even the score at 28 with 12:42 remaining.

Still locking down the field, the Hawks defense swarmed Hendrix, with Robert Vickers recoring a tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries to force a punt at the 10:31 mark. The Hawks offense began to march down the field, with Jake White finding Timothy McReynolds for a 24 yard strike down field to put Huntingdon in Hendrix's territory, but ultimately a sack would bring an end to the drive, handing the ball back to the Warriors with 6:35 remaining in regulation. On the final drive of the game, Hendrix moved down the field, draining the clock as they moved, cashing in on a 27 yard field goal as the clock expired to defeat the Hawks 31-28.

Hawk Top Performers

• #15 Jake White- 16-26 passing with 266 yards and 1 touchdown
• #5 Rayshawn Williams- 10 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown
• #47 Will Edwards- 2/2 on field goals, 2/2 on extra points
• #24 Bailey Huston- 9 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 interception
• #16 Braylon Miller- 6 tackles, 1.5 sacks

The Hawks look to bounce back at home on October 5th, facing the Belhaven University Blazers. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM CT.