Only getting better
The Vikings post their biggest win in team history with a solid game against Sewanee.
Berry football fans have grown accustomed to thrilling finishes, with the Vikings pulling out wins in the fourth quarter at Valhalla time and time again.
Fans saw something a little different on Saturday, but the crowd certainly was not complaining.
The Vikings continued their offensive success from the last three weeks, and the defense rode behind the home crowd as Berry defeated Southern Athletic Association foe Sewanee 41-3 at home.
It’s the Vikings’ largest win in program history while the team remains undefeated for the season. But coach Tony Kunczewski didn’t care about the numbers, he was simply grateful for the effort.
“I think we came really close to playing a complete game tonight. We are getting close but (we’re) not there yet,” Kunczewski said. “We never judge our performance by the scoreboard, win or lose. But we did come out strong tonight.”
Slade Dale and Tate Adcock shared time behind center and combined for 281 yards passing and three touchdowns, while Trey Ciresi posted 174 receiving yards and two scores. Backs Austin Lowe and Jacob Collins combined for 116 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Sewanee (0-4, 0-2 SAA) was only able to produce 167 yards of total offense, including 57 rushing yards on 34 carries.
The Tigers are in their first season running a spread formation, and Berry’s defense appeared to know the plays better than them.
Coming from a defensive background, Kunczewski was more than excited to see his defense have its best night of the season.
“I think we really needed a game like this defensively,” Kunczewski said. “We really have not played our standard defensively. We’ve had flashes throughout the season, but tonight was our most complete defensive performance.”
Berry (4-0, 2-0) actually started the night with a pair of mistakes. After Adcock threw an interception on the first drive of the game, Chris Lilly muffed a punt only minutes later. Sewanee was awarded the ball in the red zone but was held to a field goal to make it 7-3 Berry.
That was the last good thing to happen to Sewanee in the first half, especially on offense. Berry’s Anthony Batey and Mamadou Soumah hounded Tigers quarterback Sam Hearn, forcing the freshman to make quick decisions.
The Berry offense began to pick up its slack in the second quarter as it engineered a 48-yard drive ending in a 29-yard touchdown run from Collins.
The Vikings struck on their next drive with a 21yard touchdown pass to Ciresi.
It was the second touchdown for Ciresi, who now leads NCAA Division-III with nine receiving touchdowns on the year. The senior had nothing but love for his quarterbacks and the rest of his offensive unit.
“I’ve been blessed with a lot of opportunities, and our team has been playing well,” Ciresi said. “The offense has been firing on all cylinders. It starts to open up things and our quarterbacks can really put the ball on the money.”
Berry produced two more touchdowns in the third quarter, with Josh Bullock scoring on a 20-yard pass and Lowe scoring on a fiveyard run.
The Vikings defense remained solid as the home crowd stayed throughout the blowout.
Kunczewski’s squad is 4-0 for the first time, but the schedule only gets tougher, starting with a trip to St. Louis to play Washington University. Just like Saturday, the Vikings will be searching for that whole, complete game.