Tiger Football gets set to close out their regular season against Millsaps this weekend.
The Tigers (7-2, 5-1 SAA) defeated Southwestern for the final regular season home game. This victory marked Trinity's fifth win in a row.
BJ Rainey (Cedar Hill, Texas / Cedar Hill) caught six passes for 49 yards and a touchdown, while
Will Taylor (Houston, Texas / Strake Jesuit) snagged two receptions for 47 yards and a score of his own.
Legend Grigsby (Houston, Texas / Cypress Creek) and
Winston Hutchison (Round Rock, Texas / McNeil) both punched in rushing touchdowns, accounting for 68 combined yards rushing.
James Ogunrin (Katy, Texas / Episcopal) finished with nine tackles in the game, while
Delvin Gantt (Burton, Texas / Burton) picked off a pass for the third time in the last four games and he is now tied for the team lead.
Anthony Njoku (Richmond, Texas / Travis) also recorded his third interception of the season to also tie for the top mark on the team.
Ryan Ventura (Southlake, Texas / Keller) had three tackles and recovered all three fumbles forced in today's game for Trinity.
SAA Offensive Player of the Week - Ryan Back
For the first time in his career,
Ryan Back (Austin, Texas / Vandergrift) has been selected as the SAA Offensive Player of the Week.
From the SAA Press Release:
Back led the Trinity Tiger football team to a 34-7 SAA win over Southwestern University on Saturday afternoon. The senior passed for 220 yards and two touchdowns, completing 20-for-28 through the air. He threw both of his touchdowns in the first half of the game, leading Trinity to a 21-0 halftime lead.
SAA Defensive Player of the Week - Cade Rabson
For the second time this season,
Cade Rabson (The Woodlands, Texas / College Park) has been selected as the SAA Defensive Player of the Week.
From the SAA Press Release:
Rabson celebrated his Senior Day in style, leading the Trinity Tiger football team to a decisive 34-7 SAA win over Southwestern. Rabson was literally all over the field during the game, recording a career-high 17 tackles that included two tackles for loss (both assists), and blocking two punts to further help Trinity's winning cause. Of his 17 tackles on the day, seven of them were for one yard gains or less. Rabson leads Trinity with 96 tackles this season and is second on the team with 10.0 tackles for loss.
SAA Special Teams Player of the Week - Tyler Huettel
For the third time this season,
Tyler Huettel (McKinney, Texas / McKinney) has been selected as the SAA Special Teams Player of the Week.
From the SAA Press Release:
Huettel finished off his career at Trinity with a 34-7 conference win over Southwestern. The senior connected on field goals of 40 and 25 yards in the fourth quarter to put the finishing touches on the game. He also was perfect on his four extra-point attempts in the game and piled up 191 yards on five punts in the game, averaging 38.2 yards/game with a long kick of 48 yards, and two punts inside the 20. Huettel also averaged 63.0 yards on seven kickoffs, including three touchbacks.
Preview - Closing Out The Regular Season
The Tigers will play their final regular season game against Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi on Saturday, November 16th at 1:00 PM.
On the Millsaps Majors: The Majors hold a 5-4 overall record (3-3 in SAA) this season. They started the season with a narrow 23-21 win over common opponent Belhaven. In SAA play, Millsaps has kept every game close except for a recent 45-7 loss to Berry. Most conference games have been decided by 10 points or fewer, with Millsaps having possession in the final 10 minutes with a chance to tie or take the lead in each loss.
Offensively, Millsaps is led by freshman quarterback Cole Canatella, who has contributed to 14 of the team's 21 touchdowns. Canatella has passed for 1,429 yards and eight touchdowns while adding six rushing touchdowns. Running back Chase Jacobs and wide receiver Willie Elliott are other key contributors. On defense, linebacker Nehemiah Coalson leads the team with 65 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. Millsaps' defense has been strong against the run, allowing only about three yards per carry, but they are vulnerable against the pass, giving up 7.5 yards per attempt and 250 yards per game. Last season, the Tigers dominated Millsaps with a 63-0 victory, evening the all-time series at 22-22.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will look to secure a playoff spot to play next week on November 23rd.