SAN ANTONIO – The 23rd-ranked Trinity University football team fought its way to a gritty 19-14 Southern Athletic Association win over Centre College (KY) on Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers (6-1, 3-1) used a balanced offense and a stifling defense to send the Colonels (3-4, 2-2) packing. Trinity piled up 389 yards of total offense that included 224 rushing yards, while limiting Centre to just 210 yards of offense and a meager 27 yards rushing. The Tigers led 17-7 heading into the fourth quarter, but Centre scored with just over 10 minutes to play to make it a one-score game. Trinity's defense then forced two three-and-outs that gained a total of six yards in six plays and then sealed the win with a safety in the final two minutes.

Xadrian Huerta (San Antonio, Texas / Jay) topped 100 yards rushing for the second time this season and the second time in his career, finishing with 101 yards on just 10 carries. Quarterback Hondo Franklin (Allen, Texas / Lovejoy) also had a nice day running the ball, piling up 78 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Franklin also completed 17-of-29 passes for 169 yards and another score. Kade Ramirez (Needville, Texas / Needville) caught four passes for 59 yards and Tyson Hancock (Smithville, Texas / Smithville) finished with 52 yards on four receptions. Alejandro Tavarez (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson) also had four catches for 28 yards and a touchdown.

On defense, linebacker TJ Scannell (San Antonio, Texas / Reagan) led the team with nine tackles, followed closely by safety Judson Crockett (Austin, Texas / Westlake) and his eight stops in the game. Scannell, Jackson Priesmeyer (Sugar Land, Texas / Strake Jesuit), and Jonathan Nwobodo (Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point) combined for 3.0 total sacks, with Azriel Ngatcha (Irving, Texas / MacArthur) adding 1.5 tackles for loss to go with seven tackles and a fumble recovery. Kody Brown (San Antonio, Texas / Harlan) also recorded his third interception of the season.

The Rundown
Trinity started the game with a bang as Franklin broke a 50-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. The drive stalled from there and Centre took over around the 20 yard line after a missed field goal. The two teams traded 50-yard punts as both offenses struggled to move the ball. Centre's next drive ended inside its own 44 and the next punt gained just 26 yards to set Trinity up at its own 30. The Tiger offense finally got moving from there, beginning with a diving 35-yard catch from Hancock that made it first-and-10 at the Centre 35. Franklin drove the team down inside the 10 and then connected with Tavarez from seven yards out for the game's first score with less than two minutes left in the first quarter. Unfortunately for the Tiger fans, Centre took the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a score of its own and the game was tied 7-7.

Another big gain to start Trinity's next drive set up the offense inside the Centre 30, as Huerta busted a 41-yard run. Trinity made its way inside the five for first-and-goal but eventually had to settle for an 18-yard field goal and a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter. Nwobodo had a QB hurry and combined with Scannell for a sack to ruin the next drive for Centre and Trinity was able to settle in with a lead for the first time. The next Trinity drive resulted in its first turnover and the Colonels took over after the interception at the Trinity 40. Centre converted a pair of third downs on a promising drive before a bobbled snap ended up as a fumble that was recovered by Ngatcha at the Trinity 25.

Trinity took over with just over five minutes left in the half and put together a 12-play drive that ate up almost all of the clock. The Tigers got a pair of first downs early on a catch by Lamont Nickleberry (Childress, Texas / Childress) and a run by Franklin, but it was a 19-yard run by Johnny Milo (The Woodlands, Texas / Caney Creek) that put the offense into the red zone. The Tigers got as close as the eight and after a timeout, went for a fourth-and-one play that ended up short and Centre got a big stop to keep it a 10-7 game.

After Centre went three-and-out to start the third quarter, Trinity's offense went to work for an eight-play drive that covered 67 yards and resulted in a touchdown. Franklin threw seven straight passes to start the drive, completing six throws to three different receivers to reach the 20. Franklin was nearly sacked on the ensuing third-and-five play but managed to spin out of the tackle and escape to the Tiger sideline, outrunning the defense and stepping through another tackle on his way to the goal line and a 20-yard touchdown run.

The visitors put together one of their best drives of the day as a response but eventually had to settle for a 24-yard field goal. That kick banged off the right upright and the game remained 17-7. Trinity was able to convert a third-and-long with a 22-yard pass to Ramirez but only made it to midfield before being forced to punt. Centre took over with just under two minutes left in the third quarter and after the teams switched for the final 15 minutes, Brown snatched the ball out of the air for an interception on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Tigers were unable to move the ball, though, and Centre took over at its own 20 with 13:19 to play. The Colonels needed just five plays to score, thanks to a 47-yard pass play that cut the lead to 17-14 with 10:10 remaining.

With it back to a one-score game and Centre needing just a field goal to tie, Trinity's defense buckled down once again and forced two three-and-outs on the next two drives. The Tiger offense wasn't able to move the ball very much but it did use up nearly five minutes on the clock to complement the defensive efforts. Jackson Runyan (Frisco, Texas / Rick Reedy) punted 38 yards just after the two-minute timeout to pin the Colonels inside the 10 yard line. Ngatcha and Nwobodo both hurried the quarterback on the first play, then Nwobodo and Priesmeyer sandwiched the quarterback in the end zone for a safety on the second play to make it a 19-14 lead. Hancock made a diving catch on the ensuing on-side kick to seal the win.

Up Next
Trinity will be back on the road after two home games, traveling to Sewanee, Tenn. to take on the University of the South (TN) on Saturday, November 1, at 12:00 p.m.