No. 6 Tiger Football is playoff-bound as they take on No. 15 Hardin-Simmons in the Battle of Texas on Saturday.
 
The Tigers (9-1) finished off the regular season with a booming win over Hendrix, 56-7. The Tigers were led by quarterback Tucker Horn (Graham, Texas / Graham), who had 209 passing yards and a touchdown. Fellow quarterback Ryan Back (Austin, Texas / Vandergrift) connected on 10 of his 13 passes for 119 yards and two touchdown passes. Leading the way on the ground was Johnny Milo (The Woodlands, Texas / Caney Creek) with 95 total rushing yards and Ryan Merrifield (Austin, Texas / Vandergrift) collected 108 receiving yards.
 
D3football.com Rankings - Tigers at 6 
 
For the fourth week in a row, the Tigers were ranked 6th nationally on the D3football.com poll. North Central (Ill.) remains number one, while Mount Union is in second. Region rival Hardin-Simmons jumps four spots to 15th and conference foe Berry is ranked 23rd. 
 
SAA Player of the Week - Cade Rabson, Special Teams
 
For the first time in his career, senior Cade Rabson (The Woodlands, Texas / College Park) has been selected as the SAA Special Teams Player of the Week. 
 
From the SAA Press Release:
 
Rabson blocked two punts in the first quarter of No. 5/6 Trinity's 56-7 win over Hendrix. Rabson blocked a punt after the first drive of the game for Hendrix, picking the ball up at the one and walking it in for a touchdown to put Trinity ahead 14-0 less than four minutes into the game. He then blocked another punt to set up the Tiger offense inside the 10, resulting in a commanding 35-0 Trinity lead after the first quarter of play.
 
Preview - Battle Of Texas
 
The Tigers will play against the Hardin-Simmons Cowboys as the only two teams to represent Texas in the NCAA III Football Playoffs this season. All time, the Tigers are 8-22 against the Cowboys. However, the Tigers took the 2022 matchup by a score of 14-7. The game is slated for a noon kickoff at Trinity Multi-Purpose Stadium.
 
Offense: During the game against Hendrix, the Tigers lit up the scoreboard for 56 points on 518 yards of total offense. Credit the Tiger offensive line for opening holes and protecting the quarterback. Through their efforts, the Tigers averaged 6.1 yards per carry and 14.3 yards per completion. The Tiger backfield accounted for four of the eight Tiger touchdowns. Winston Hutchison (Round Rock, Texas / McNeil) accounted for two of those. Legend Grigsby (Houston, Texas / Cypress Creek) also had two touchdowns, one on the ground and one in the air. With another 100-yard performance, Merrifield has now amassed over 900 yards in the 2023 season. For Hardin-Simmons, the Cowboys are led by senior quarterback Gaylon Glynn. Glynn has thrown for 1691 yards on a 67 percent completion rate so far this season. The Cowboys also have a top rusher in sophomore running back Noah Garcia. Garcia has amassed 760 total rushing yards this season. Glynn will try to get the ball to his top receiver, sophomore Tailon Garrett, who has 754 yards in 2023.
 
Defense: Defensively, the Tigers were immaculate again. For the fifth week in a row, the Tiger defense has not allowed more than 7 points in a game. The Tigers are now ranked 17th in scoring defense (12.70) and 15th in total defense. The Tigers' leading tackler would be senior Kennedy Stewart (The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands) with five total tackles. The Tiger defense would also add three sacks and six tackles for loss. The Tigers would also add three interceptions to their season total. The Cowboys are led by senior linebacker Cade Michna who has 54 total tackles this season. The Cowboy front seven has been tough to beat this season, notching 68 tackles for loss and 22 total sacks. 
 
Special Teams: The Tigers also won the special teams aspect of the game, as well. Punter Eli Gehman (Cedar Park, Texas / Leander) would send his one punt of the afternoon inside the 20-yard line to pin the Warriors deep in their own territory. Returner Cam Herron (Abilene, Texas / Cooper) would get two opportunities to return the ball, and he would make the most of it, racking up 91 yards. Kicker Tyler Huettel (McKinney, Texas / McKinney) would go 8 for 8 on PAT attempts and also send two of his kickoffs out of the endzone for touchbacks. The Tiger special teams are ranked 3rd for blocked punts this season (5) and 18th in kick returns (23.24). For the Cowboys, they have only attempted six field goals this season, going 3 for 6 total. The Cowboys rely on Grayson Bearden to kick the ball, as he has collected nine touchbacks on 59 total kicks. The Cowboy return team is led by Dameon Gomes. Gomes has amassed 480 yards on punt returns and is 1st nationally in punt return average (26.67). 
 
Key To The Game 
 
Special Teams Impact: The unsung heroes for the Tigers, the special teams had an impact on most games this season. The return team, the kicking, and the punting have shown an elite level of play this season. However, they have an enormous opportunity to play an important role in this game. The return team will get a chance to place the Tiger offense in good field percentage and the kicking will be able to pin the Cowboys deep to help the Tiger defense. Look for Cam Herron, Tyler Huettel, and Eli Gehman to play a big role in this playoff matchup. 
 
Looking Ahead - Round Two
 
If the Tigers claim victory, they will play against the winner of No. 1 North Central versus Belhaven on November 25th.