The Trinity University Football team will host the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor for the first round of the NCAA III Football Playoffs this Saturday.
 
The Tigers (8-2, 6-1 SAA) took down Millsaps 38-24 last week to close out the regular season. With the win, Trinity was named as Co-Champions of the Southern Athletic Association (SAA). Although Berry College secured the automatic bid, the Tigers earned an At-Large bid to the NCAA Playoffs. Quarterback Ryan Back (Austin, Texas / Vandergrift) had a career day, throwing for 306 yards on 13-of-27 passing and four touchdowns. Alejandro Tavarez (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson) was his top target, hauling in a career-high seven receptions for 161 yards and a touchdown. Tyson Hancock (Smithville, Texas / Smithville) contributed with four catches for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan Ventura (Southlake, Texas / Keller) secured the first interception of his career. Kicker Tyler Huettel (McKinney, Texas / McKinney) put his name into the record books by tying the school record for field goals in a season with 17.
 
SAA Defensive Player of the Week - Cade Rabson
 
For the third time this season, Cade Rabson has been selected as the SAA Defensive Player of the Week. Rabson is the first Tiger defensive player to win the award three times in a season. 
 
From the SAA Press Release: 
 
Rabson finished the game with 13 tackles and topped 100 for the regular season. He had 2.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup as Trinity limited Millsaps to just 244 yards of total offense and a paltry 47 yards rushing. The win earned Trinity a share of its fourth-straight conference title.
 
Preview - TU vs The Cru
 
The Tigers will host the Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders on Saturday, November 23rd, with kickoff set for noon. This marks the fourth consecutive year that Trinity has reached the playoffs, highlighting the program's consistent success. It will also be the eighth time the Tigers face UMHB in the first round of postseason play. The playoff game will be streamed on ESPN+. 
 
On the Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders: The Crusaders finished their season with a solid 6-3 record, including 4-2 in ASC play. Despite a season-opening 20-10 loss to Bethel, UMHB bounced back with a dominant 85-6 win over Westgate Christian and an impressive 35-17 victory over nationally-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater. Their other losses came in tough matchups against Hardin-Simmons (44-21 and 27-19).
 
UMHB has excelled in several key areas this season. They rank in the top ten nationally for tackles for loss (10th), first-down defense (4th), turnovers gained (3rd), and lead the country in kickoff returns. Sophomore quarterback Jake Wright is the primary leader of the Crusaders' offense, with 1,037 passing yards and eight touchdowns this season. Junior Isaac Phe also sees playing time at quarterback, contributing five touchdowns but struggling with ten interceptions. The Crusaders spread the ball effectively, with eight different receivers catching at least one touchdown pass.
 
Defensively, linebacker Durand Hill leads the team with 62 total tackles and is one of two players with three interceptions. Safety Ethan Rayfield also has three interceptions, while several others contribute to a turnover-heavy defense. Special teams standout TJ Rone is a threat in the return game, averaging an impressive 28.64 yards on 11 returns.
 
Historically, UMHB and Trinity have had a competitive rivalry. The Tigers defeated the Crusaders 35-16 in last year's matchup. The two teams first met in the playoffs in 2001, where Trinity claimed a decisive 30-6 victory. All-time, Trinity trails UMHB 5-7, with a 2-6 record in playoff matchups. 
 
Looking Ahead
 
The winner of this matchup will travel to Abilene, Texas to take on Hardin-Simmons next weekend.