SAN ANTONIO – After a slow start, the #23 Trinity University football team finished with a record-setting day in a 63-0 Southern Athletic Association win over Rhodes College (TN) on Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers (5-1, 2-1) piled up a school-record 734 yards of total offense against the Lynx (1-5, 0-3) that included an astounding 421 yards rushing – the third-highest total in school history. It is just the third time in school history that Trinity has finished a game with more than 700 yards of total offense. Trinity led just 9-0 after 28 minutes, scoring twice in the final two minutes of the opening half to take a 23-0 lead after two quarters. The Tigers then scored 20 points in both the third and fourth quarters to close out the lopsided victory. The defense also turned in another dominating performance, allowing just 103 total yards of offense in the game, forcing three sacks, and recording 12 tackles for loss.

Quarterback Hondo Franklin (Allen, Texas / Lovejoy) accounted for three touchdowns and more than 300 yards of offense in the game. Franklin connected on 17-of-25 passing for 260 yards and two scores, while also rushing 72 yards on five carries and another touchdown. Wide receiver Alejandro Tavarez (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson) was the clear favorite on the day, catching eight passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns – including a career-long 78-yard score late in the third quarter. Johnny Milo (The Woodlands, Texas / Caney Creek) led the ground game with 96 yards on just nine carries and a touchdown – including a career-long 57-yard run. Defensively, Jackson Priesmeyer (Sugar Land, Texas / Strake Jesuit) had his best game as a Tiger, piling up 2.5 tackles for loss among his team-best seven total stops. TJ Scannell (San Antonio, Texas / Reagan) and Ferris Refai (Sugar Land, Texas / Clements) had six tackles each and both also had 1.5 tackles for loss. Refai added a 17-yard sack-fumble on one of his stops behind the line.

The Rundown
Trinity's defense forced a three-and-out to start the game after Rhodes won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. Franklin and the Tiger offense wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard, driving 60 yards on nine plays to take a 6-0 lead. Franklin hit Tavarez for two passes that chewed up half of the yards on the drive and after a Xadrian Huerta (San Antonio, Texas / Jay) 12-yard touchdown run was called back for a penalty, Frankling responded with a 22-yard score to Tyson Hancock (Smithville, Texas / Smithville). Trinity went for two, but a bad snap doomed the play from the start and the lead remained 6-0.

After getting its first first down of the day, Rhodes stalled shy of midfield and pinned Trinity at its own 11 with the ensuing punt. The Tigers drove into visitors' territory where an interception ended hopes of adding to the lead. Rhodes took over and converted two fourth-down plays to extend its next drive, which also moved the game into the second quarter. The Lynx had first-and-10 from the Trinity 14 after its second fourth-down conversion, but the Tiger defense stiffened and got a turnover on downs at its own 10 yard line. After Huerta went for nine yards on the first play, Milo broke off a 57-yard run down the Trinity sideline to put the offense inside the 25; however, the Tigers ultimately settled for a 34-yard field goal from Hayden Rhoades (Grapevine, Texas / Grapevine) to make it a 9-0 game early in the second quarter.

Trinity's defense got a stop on the next drive by Rhodes, but a penalty on the punt kept the Lynx offense on the field temporarily. Back-to-back tackles for loss by Priesmeyer derailed the drive and the punt sailed into the end zone for a touchback. Trinity took over with 5:30 left in the half and finally put together another strong drive. Franklin was 4-for-4 through the air and also ran twice to account for more than 60 yards on the drive, which ended with Milo running the ball in from nine yards out to give the Tigers a 16-0 lead.

Rhodes used just 33 seconds on its next drive and Trinity took over with just over a minute left. Jack Kayser (Austin, Texas / Westlake) had a 64-yard punt return called back to near midfield but still left the Tigers with just 55 yards to go. Franklin connected with Sebastian Trevino (China Spring, Texas / China Spring) for 22 yards and then hit Tavarez for 18 more to quickly move into the red zone. He then called his own number for a 17-yard touchdown run that upped the score to 23-0 at the half.

Trinity took the opening kickoff of the second half and put points on the board less than three minutes later for a 29-0 lead. The 80-yard drive took just six plays and Franklin followed back-to-back completions to Tavarez with a 14-yard run to cross midfield. After a facemask penalty added to a short gain, Franklin found Kade Ramirez (Needville, Texas / Needville) for a 27-yard touchdown. After a quick series by Rhodes, Trinity took over again and put their running game on display. The 70-yard drive featured 61 yards on the ground, with Kayser getting 24 on two carries and quarterback Welker Horn (Lubbock, Texas / Lubbock Christian) using his legs for 32 yards on two rushes. Maddox Morkovsky (New Braunfels, Texas / New Braunfels) took it the final two yards for a touchdown and a 36-0 lead for the Tigers. After another three-and-out forced by its defense, Trinity needed just two plays to add another score to the third quarter. A 12-yard pass to Hancock gave Franklin some breathing room on a drive that started at his own 10 yard line. Franklin then hit Tavarez for a short pass near the line of scrimmage and Tavarez streaked down the sideline for 78 yards and another score.

Refai got his 17-yard sack on second down to ruin the final drive of the quarter for Rhodes and Trinity headed into the fourth with the 43-0 lead. The ensuing punt was returned 32 yards by Colton Schmid (New Braunfels, Texas / La Vernia) and Trinity took over at the Rhodes 38 to start the final period. Luke Sams (Jacksboro, Texas / Jacksboro) kicked off the quarter with an electric 38-yard touchdown run, bouncing a run play up the middle to the outside and then sprinting away from the defense. Rhodes chewed up nearly four minutes on its first drive of the fourth quarter, but the visitors gained just 19 yards. After a 31-yard punt return from Kayser, the Tiger offense took over near midfield, and three plays later, found the end zone again. In his only rush of the game, Jackson Williams (Manor, Texas / New Tech) broke a 35-yard touchdown run to give Trinity a 57-0 lead with 9:27 remaining in the game. After the Tigers punted for the first time in the game, it looked like they would fall short of the 700-yard mark and the record. Instead, Trinity's defense got another quick stop and put the ball back in the hands of the offense with 3:15 to go. Quarterback Collin Bishop (Childress, Texas / Childress) tied the record on the first play, taking off for a 41-yard touchdown run to account for the final score. The Lynx used just over a minute on their final drive and the Tigers took over just after the two-minute timeout. Running back Jamel Nickerson (Cypress, Texas / Cy-Fair) carried the ball three times for 24 yards, pushing Trinity past the previous record, which was set against Southwestern University (TX) in 2023.

Up Next
Trinity will be back at home for more SAA action next weekend, hosting Centre College (KY) on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. It will also be Trinity University's Alumni Weekend.