The fifth-ranked Trinity Tiger Football Team plays their first home game this weekend by hosting the twelfth-ranked University of Mary Hardin-Baylor on Saturday, September 9th at 6:00 PM. This will be the fourteenth meeting between the Tigers and Crusaders. 
 
The Tigers had a heartbreaking loss last Friday against the sixth-ranked St. John's Johnnies. It was a tough game for the Tiger defense, who allowed 34 points for the first time since 2019. However, the Tiger offense put up an impressive performance with fifth-year quarterback Tucker Horn (Graham, Texas / Graham) leading the charge with 352 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. Sophomore Will Taylor (Houston, Texas / Strake Jesuit) led the Tigers with 84 receiving yards, notching the most yards in his career. 
 
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Although the Tigers dropped their first game, they still stand strong in the number 5 spot. The Top two teams remained the same, with North Central (Ill.) staying in the top stop and Mount Union standing firm at number 2. Sitting at number 3 is Wartburg and just above the Tigers are the foes who defeated them, St. Johns.
 
Preview: #5 Trinity and #12 UMHB
 
This will not be the first meeting between these two rivals. The Tigers hold a 4-9 record against the Crusaders. The Crusaders have ended the Tigers playoff run in each of their matchups, dating back to 2004. Being the first home game for the Tigers, Tiger Stadium is likely to be electric for this #5 vs #12 matchup. The Crusaders dropped their first game to University of Wisconsin - River Falls by a score of 22-45. 
 
Offense: The Tiger offense looks to ride the momentum of last week's offensive success behind the arm of Tucker Horn, who is completing his passes at an 84.85% clip, 352 yards, and a 197.25 passing efficiency; which is ranked 16th in the country. The Tigers have a prolific passing attack, with Will Taylor leading the charge last week. The Tigers will look to get wide receiver Ryan Merrifield (Austin, Texas / Vandergrift) and running back Justin Carmouche (Cypress, Texas / Cy-Ranch) to get more involved this week as they will look to put a crooked number on the Tiger scoreboard. The Crusaders used a trio of quarterbacks that totaled 244 passing yards. Kenneth Cormier Jr. led the rushing attack for the Crusaders with 30 yards. Jerry Cephus totaled 111 receiving yards and caught one touchdown.
 
Defense: The Tigers gave up 368 total yards of offense in their season opener. Defensive lineman Jacob Munoz (Cedar Park, Texas / Cedar Park) led the defense with 9 total tackles, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. The Tigers All-American Caleb Harmel (Burton, Texas / Burton) will be leading the defense this week after collecting 6 total tackles. All in all, the Tiger defense will be looking to bounce back after last week's outing. The Crusader defense gave up 45 points off of 368 yards of total offense in their matchup against River Hills. Omari Frazier led the way with 11 total tackles with 19 other Crusaders having at least one total tackle. 
 
Special Teams:Tigers turned to Lamont Nickleberry (Childress, Texas / Childress) and Legend Grigsby (Houston, Texas / Cypress Creek) to return kicks. The two Tigers combined to average 23.17 yards per kick return. Although only attempting one punt through the entire game, punter Eli Gehman (Cedar Park, Texas / Leander) sent the ball soaring for 41 yards for his punt. Also, kicker Tyler Huettel (McKinney, Texas / McKinney) went a perfect 1-1 on his field goals, splitting the uprights from 26 yards out. He also went 6 for 6 on touchbacks for his kickoffs, as well as a perfect 4 for 4 on PAT's. The Crusader special team punted 5 times for 188 yards with two 50-yard punts. Kicker Jack Bruner also made 3 field goals with a long of 40 yards. The Crusaders accumulated 46 total kick return yards, led by Guy Powell with 32 yards.
 
Looking Ahead: Birmingham-Southern College (Sep. 16)
 
After this weekend, the Tigers will begin their Southern Athletic Association Championship defense on the road against the Panthers of Birmingham-Southern College. Trinity won last year's matchup in a close 23-20 bout and look to continue their perfect record against the Panthers, dating back to their first meeting in 2007.