San Antonio – In its final home game of the 2021 spring season, the Tiger football team suffered a 13-3 Southern Athletic Association defeat at the hands of Hendrix (Ark.) College on Saturday.

The Rundown

Trinity received the opening kick to start its day on offense, but the Tigers turned the ball over with an interception on just the third play from scrimmage. That proved to be a theme for the day, as Trinity ended up with five interceptions in the game.

Hendrix took over near midfield following the initial turnover, but wasted no time in getting on the board. Following a 50-yard pass play to start the series, the Warriors were able to get in the end zone from one yard out to take an early 6-0 lead.

The second pass of the game for the Tigers was also the second interception of the game for the Warriors, who took over on the Trinity 35 yard line this time around. Trinity's defense held up, though, including stops on five plays inside their own five yard line. The last of those stops was an interception in the end zone for corner Trey King (Round Rock, Texas / Round Rock).

Hendrix also drove deep on its next drive, but had to settle for a 27-yard field goal attempt after Trinity's defense held once again. The kick missed wide left and the game remained 6-0 early in the second quarter.

Another Tiger offensive possession stalled near midfield and Hendrix took the ball 75 yards on the ensuing drive. Trinity got a stop on fourth-and-one from its own 14, and the Tigers found themselves still down just 6-0 at halftime.

Trinity held Hendrix to its side of the field to start the third quarter, but the offense once again turned the ball over on the first play. The Tigers stood strong and got another fourth-down stop to keep Hendrix from adding to its slim lead.

Trinity lined up to punt after another empty possession on offense, but the snap sailed high and the Tigers turned it over on downs at their own 25. Hendrix couldn't get much, but lined up for a 38-yard field goal. Chris Stewart (The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands) came off the edge and blocked the kick, which was recovered and returned 19 yards by Jeremy Harris (Richardson, Texas / Bishop Lynch).

The offense finally put together a good drive, but an interception in the end zone kept Trinity from putting points on the board.

After a good return on the ensuing punt by Hendrix, Trinity's offense had its best field position of the day on the Hendrix 25. The Tigers had several plays inside the 10, but were unable to punch it in against a tough Hendrix defense, and had to settle for a 23-yard field goal from PJ Hensley (St. Louis, Mo. / Ladue Horton Watkins) to make it a 6-3 game.

A 47-yard kickoff return by Hendrix stole back any momentum Trinity got from its first score, and Hendrix was set up with good field position once again. The Warriors drove 50 yards in six plays to score another touchdown to go up 13-3.

After driving deep into Hendrix territory, Trinity was picked off for the fifth time to end its final possession, and the Warriors were able to run out the clock and take the win.

Numbers to Note

Michael Edmonson (Holly Lake Ranch, Texas / Harmony) finished with 129 yards rushing on 20 carries to highlight Trinity's offense. He is the first Tiger to top 100 yards rushing since Evan McDowell picked up 129 yards against McMurry in 2018. Edmonson also had 59 yards on two kick returns for a total of 188 all-purpose yards in the game.

Cannon Starcke (The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands) and Campbell Miller (Tyler, Texas / Robert E. Lee) both finished with 2.0 tackles for loss in the game. Starcke led the team with 10 tackles and a pair of quarterback hurries, while Campbell finished with nine total tackles – including five solo stops – and one of the Tiger defense's four sacks in the game.

Jacob Munoz (Cedar Park, Texas / Cedar Park) led all Tiger defenders with 2.5 tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries, and his first solo sack of the season.

In addition to his return on the blocked field goal, Harris also picked up his first career sack, while Harris Good (Ft. Worth, Texas / Paschal) also recorded a sack.

Stewart finished with a pair of catches for 19 yards to lead the Tiger receivers, as well as picking up 26 more yards on two punt returns.

Trinity's 175 yards of total offense is the fewest since 2017 (Redlands), while the 55 passing yards is the lowest total since a game against Pacific Lutheran in 2016.

Coach Speak

"First off, I want to congratulate Hendrix on a hard-fought win," began Head Coach Jerheme Urban. "We had some very uncharacteristic errors and penalties in the game, and they capitalized on enough of them to come out on top. This is not a feeling that our guys are accustomed to, and there is no doubt in my mind that we will look at this game as an invitation to re-focus and grow from our mistakes. I fully expect the entire program – top to bottom – to be ready to go when we get back together on Monday and prepare for our final spring opportunity."

Up Next

The final opportunity referenced by Coach Urban will come next Saturday, as the Tigers will compete in the SAA Playoffs at noon on Saturday, March 13. Trinity's opponent will be determined by results from the rest of the league this weekend.