Nick Vernon, Campus Carrier Sports Editor
Down by six points without possession of the ball and only two minutes and 19 seconds remaining in the game, all signs pointed towards yet another defeat for the Berry football team on Saturday.
Almost 5,000 students, alumni and fans made the trip to Barron Stadium to watch the Vikings take on the Washington University in St. Louis Bears – a team that made the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) playoffs last year.
The Vikings’ defense, which had put in a strong performance the Saturday before against an impressive Rhodes team, would not let the Bears off the hook easily.
Freshman Jackson Putnam intercepted a pass from Washington’s quarterback to put the football back into Berry quarterback, sophomore Dale Jackson’s, hands.
With less than two minutes remaining in the game and the Vikings down by six points, Jackson was able to pull off something offensive coordinator Rich Duncan described as “magical.”
Jackson found sophomore wide receiver Trey Ciresi wide-open for a 63-yard touchdown pass that would seemingly give Berry the lead, and likely the first varsity win in school history.
Ciresi said when he caught the pass “it was like the whole world stopped.”
Duncan talked about the moment when he made the play call that would ultimately force overtime.
“When I called that play, in the back of my mind I said, ‘I don’t think this is going to work, but I’m out of tricks’,” Duncan said.
Quarterback coach Tyson Beacham explained how Jackson was able to find success throughout the game.
“Dale did a really good job of trusting his offensive line and receivers,” he said. “He has a lot of confidence in himself and the throws that he makes.”
Duncan explained how the offense in general was able to produce more effectively this Saturday.
“As a team we were able to fight through a lot of tough situations, and that was the difference between having 90 something yards of offensive and having 400-plus yards of offensive like we did,” he said. “Yeah, we had three dropped passes in the game, but boy, we had some great catches.”
With the score tied at 23-23, however, the Vikings were unable to convert on the extra-point that would have given them the lead.
Washington had one minute and 21 seconds to spoil the game now destined for overtime by kicking a late field goal or scoring a touchdown.
Sophomore cornerback Malcholm Graham was not about to let that happen, however. Graham made a one-handed diving interception that would not only secure overtime for the Vikings, but also earn him the award of Division III’s national football play of the week.
Head coach Tony Kunczewski said he was “so happy for Malcholm because he gives 100 percent every play in practice.”
Defensive coordinator Nate Masters talked about how the defense was able to not allow a single touchdown by Washington in the fourth quarter.
“The guys wanted to look at the second half as a new half and they did. They finished strong,” Masters said. “We knew that if we could continue to play well in the second half, and keep it within reach, that the offense would eventually get the ball in the end zone.”
After a final defensive stand on fourth down by the Vikings defense, Jackson and the offense had their chance to finally seal the first victory in Berry football history.
Kunczewski said the team has “a bunch of guys that want to make the big play in those crunch time situations,” and they did not waste any time doing just that.
On the first offensive play in overtime, Jackson threw a pass down the middle of the field and connected with sophomore wide receiver Josh Bullock for a touchdown pass that will be long remembered in Berry history.
The football team immediately ran towards Bullock to celebrate the win, and a few seconds later Berry students began jumping over the railing to rush the field and celebrate with their fellow classmates.
Jackson described how that moment felt and what it meant for the team.
“It was such a rush of excitement,” Jackson said. “There was so much pride that we felt as a team in that moment. There is no better feeling really. Knowing as a team that we can do that, and knowing what it feels like to achieve it, I feel like there is nowhere to go but up now.”
Bullock finished the game with eight catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns, while Jackson was 29-47 for 374 yards and had four total touchdowns.
After the game, the football team and their fellow students gathered together in front of the home bleachers and sang the Berry alma matter in unison. This rendition was immediately followed by a fireworks display that lit up the sky in celebration of Berry’s 100th Mountain Day as students chanted in unison “Berry College.”
Kunczewski said this unified pride shared between students and players was the thing he was most proud of.
“The chant was ‘Berry College,’ it wasn’t ‘Berry football,’ and that’s one of the things I think our team can bring – enhancing the campus vibrancy,” he said.
With their first win in the books after a night to be remembered, the Vikings play again at Centre College on Oct. 11.