No. 13/16 Tiger Football hits the road for a tough test against Berry College.
The Tigers (4-0, 1-0 SAA) dominated Southwestern for their first conference win of the season. Whatever happened in the locker room to turn things around did so in the most dramatic fashion. Trinity scored four touchdowns in the third quarter alone, beginning with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that set the tone for what would be a dominant finish to what was a close game. The Tiger offense also scored twice on its first two drives of the half, then another fumble return for a score made it a 44-14 game with 2:30 still left in the quarter. Trinity scored again early in the fourth, then had two more scoring drives that used just seven running plays for 72 total yards.
Judson Crockett (Austin, Texas / Westlake) had two fumble returns for touchdowns in the game, totaling 103 yards on the two scoring plays, and adding six tackles to his day's resume.
TJ Scannell (San Antonio, Texas / Reagan) led the team with 10 tackles in the game, while also forcing one of the fumbles picked up by Crockett.
Jonathan Nwobodo (Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point) had an incredible first quarter as he intercepted a deflected pass on Southwestern's first drive, then recorded a safety on a sack on the next drive to put up the first points in the game.
SAA Defensive Player of the Week & D3football.com Team of the Week - Judson Crockett
For the first time in his career,
Judson Crockett has been awarded SAA Defensive Player of the Week and D3football.com team of the week.
From the SAA and D3football.com Press release:
Crockett led the #14/18 Trinity football team to an impressive 65-14 win over Southwestern University in the first SAA contest of the season for the Tigers. He finished the game with six tackles (four solo) along with two fumble returns for touchdowns of 34 and 69 yards (103 total) as Trinity held the Pirates scoreless in the second half. Crockett also deflected a pass on Southwestern's first drive, which was then promptly intercepted by a fellow Tiger teammate, which meant that he played a part in all three turnovers forced by Trinity's defense. His first fumble return of 34 yards came late in the second quarter and wound up keeping Trinity ahead 16-14 at the break. The second fumble return was a 69-yard touchdown, capping a 28-point third quarter that turned the game around for good.
D3football.com Team of the Week - Luke Sams
For the first time in his career,
Luke Sams (Jacksboro, Texas / Jacksboro) has been selected to the D3football.com Team of the Week.
From the D3football.com Press Release:
Sams became the fourth player in Trinity football history to return a kickoff for 100 yards, leading Trinity to a 65-14 SAA win over Southwestern. After the Pirates scored late in the second quarter to make it a 16-14 game at the half, Sams set the tone for what turned out to be a 49-0 second half for Trinity by taking the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.
Preview - Climbing Mount Berry
The Tigers will head to Mount Berry, Georgia to take on Berry College on Saturday, October 11th at 6:00 PM (ET).
On the Berry College Vikings: The Vikings enter this home matchup with a 3-1 record (1-0 SAA). After dominant wins over Huntingdon and LaGrange by a combined score of 116-28, Berry suffered its first loss of the season to nationally ranked Carnegie Mellon, 17-9. The Vikings bounced back in their conference opener, rolling past Rhodes 54-14. Junior quarterback Andrew Hunter leads the offense with 516 passing yards and three touchdowns, but Berry's real strength lies in its rushing attack. Hunter has also rushed for 255 yards and nine touchdowns, while running back Colby Sikes has added 241 yards and two scores on 32 carries. If the Tigers can slow down Berry's ground game, they'll put themselves in position for a quality road win.
Defensively, senior linebacker Cole Carver leads the charge with 15 total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. The Vikings swarm to the ball, with six players recording 10 or more tackles this season. The defense has also forced five interceptions and four fumbles. On special teams, punter Miles Hamby has dropped four of his 14 punts inside the 20-yard line, with eight resulting in fair catches. Berry's return unit has been electric, taking two kickoffs back 100 yards for touchdowns this season.
Last season, Trinity edged Berry in a thrilling 38-35 overtime victory. Historically, the Tigers hold a 5-2 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last four matchups.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will return home to battle Rhodes College on October 18th.
