Playing for more
♦ Berry’s blowout win is ignited by the thought and will of an injured teammate.
The scoreboard at Valhalla Stadium said a lot at the end of the Berry Vikings’ dominant win over Austin College on Saturday.
But for Berry’s players, coaches and staff, it didn’t say everything.
The No. 17 Vikings rolled to a record-setting 61-0 win over Austin in a Southern Athletic Association contest that had Berry’s offense and defense both hitting on all cylinders to remain undefeated as the team set new program marks for Most points scored in a game (61), most touchdowns in a game (eight) and most touchdown passes in a game (six).
Tate Adcock threw for 173 yards and four touchdowns on 16-for-20 passing as the senior Viking quarterback reached 15 TD passes on the season with no interceptions, moving into second all-time in Berry history for a single season with five games to go in the regular season.
Berry (5-0, 2-0 SAA) scored on every one of its offensive possessions, including ending the first eight with touchdowns, while forcing Austin (1-4, 1-2) to go three-and-out on five of its first seven possessions and picking off ’Roos quarterback Colt Collins on the next two.
“That’s what we kind of preach here is taking care of the football on offense and creating takeaways on defense,” Vikings head coach Tony Kunczewski said.
“I think so far we haven’t played up to our potential on defense, but one thing we have done this year is create takeaways. I’ve been really pleased with the way we’ve been able to play offensively this year, but I think the key stat is not turning the ball over.”
The win, however, was second in the hearts and minds of the Vikings as they took time to honor teammate Justus Edwards throughout the afternoon.
Edwards, a sophomore defensive back from Helena, Alabama, was injured during Berry’s game at Centre College in Kentucky on Sept. 22. He was taken to a local hospital following the injury and is still being evaluated while beginning his recovery following surgery.
Edwards was unable to be at Saturday’s game, but Kunczewski said the team was able to FaceTime with him in the locker room before the game, allowing him to speak to them and lead the team prayer.
“There’s no doubt that we were inspired by what happened last week with Justus, and the way he’s dealt with this tough situation,” Kunczewski said. “He’s a man of strong faith and it’s very evident that he was chosen for that for a reason, and he’s inspired our guys to go out and not take any play for granted.
“There’s no doubt the rest of this season is dedicated to him, and we’re prayerful we’ll see him back out here someday.”
Edwards was listed and announced as an honorary captain for the game. Players Kevin Grier and Brandon Palmer held a jersey bearing Edwards’ number 14 out to midfield for the opening coin toss and a flag with the number 14 on it was set up on the Vikings’ sideline.
Teams from around the SAA have sent their thoughts to the Berry program in the wake of Edwards’ injury, and a banner was displayed at Saturday’s game for fans to write messages to Edwards.
The Vikings’ offense took advantage of a short field on several drives, starting on average at their own 44-yard line.
Mason Kinsey finished with five catches for 56 yards and three touchdowns — all in the first 16 minutes of the game — while Heath Burchfield came in for Adcock on a few drives and was 4 of 5 for 51 yards and two touchdowns.
Berry will be back at Valhalla next Saturday to host Sewanee at 6 p.m. as part of Mountain Day festivities.