MOUNT BERRY, Ga. – The 21st-ranked Trinity University football team's second-half comeback bid fell short in a 31-23 loss at #17 Berry College (GA) in Saturday's Third Round NCAA Playoff game.

The Tigers (10-2) scored all 23 of their points in the final two quarters against the Vikings (11-1), then recovered an onside kick with under three minutes left in the game to set up a potential game-tying drive. Trinity drove to near midfield with under a minute left when Berry intercepted a pass to ensure that the 22-0 halftime lead was enough to earn the win and advance in the playoffs. Trinity finished the game with just 336 yards on offense but did also limit Berry to just 307 total yards. The Tigers committed four turnovers and were just 4-for-15 on third down – as well as 0-for-3 on fourth down tries. Trinity's defense did force three turnovers in the game, but Berry was 50% (7-of-14) on third down and also converted its only attempt on fourth down.  

Hondo Franklin (Allen, Texas / Lovejoy) completed better than 60% of his passes (28-for-46) in the game, throwing for 326 yards and three touchdowns for a QB rating of 137.6. Top target Alejandro Tavarez (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson) had a standout day with seven catches for 117 yads and two touchdowns. Lamont Nickleberry (Childress, Texas / Childress) had a couple of early catches for first downs and finished with five receptions for 60 yards. Running back Jack Kayser (Austin, Texas / Westlake) caught six passes for 60 yards out of the backfield, while Tyson Hancock (Smithville, Texas / Smithville) caught five passes for 51 yards, and Chase Ravain (Covington, La. / Saint Paul's School) caught his first career touchdown.

Parker Moeller (Spring Branch, Texas / Smithson Valley) led Trinity's defense with seven tackles and a blocked PAT, followed closely by linebackers TJ Scannell (San Antonio, Texas / Reagan) and Dorien Hill (Buda, Texas / Hays) with six each. Safeties Anthony Njoku (Richmond, Texas / Travis) and Judson Crockett (Austin, Texas / Westlake) added five tackles each and Crockett also had an interception in the end zone to stop a potential scoring drive for Berry. Kody Brown (San Antonio, Texas / Harlan) also had an interception on the second drive of the game for the Vikings, while Jaden Powell (Denton, Texas / Guyer) returned Moeller's blocked kick for a two-point conversion for the Tigers.

The Rundown
Trinity started the game with positive plays on both sides of the ball, beginning with a big stop on third-and-one on Berry's first drive of the game. The Tigers then moved the ball into Berry territory on a pair of catches by Nickleberry, but the drive stalled and Trinity was forced to punt after a 17-yard sack set up third-and-long. Berry then converted a third down with the first big play of the game that went for 33 yards to set up the home team inside Trinity's 40 yard line. That's when Brown stepped in and got his interception to interrupt the momentum for the Vikings. Trinity quickly moved to near midfield when the offense gave the ball right back on a fumble on what would have been a third-down conversion from Franklin to Hancock. Berry made it into the red zone just before the quarter ended.

After a nine-yard run put the Vikings inside the Tiger 10, Crockett leapt into the air and snagged his interception to keep the game scoreless early in the second quarter. Trinity's offense couldn't capitalize on the second turnover though, and Berry took over just 49 yards from the end zone. The Vikings converted a third-and-seven, then scored three plays later to break up the shutout. Berry also converted a two-point conversion and led 8-0 with 8:46 left in the half. After trading punts and gaining no ground on either side, Trinity's second straight three-and-out drive on offense led to disaster. A bad snap sailed over the head of punter Jackson Runyan (Frisco, Texas / Rick Reedy) and Berry took over at the Trinity one yard line. The Vikings punched it in on the first play and the lead bloomed to 15-0 with just over five minutes left in the quarter. Trinity's next drive made the hole even deeper as another fumble put the ball back in the hands of Berry in Tiger territory. The Vikings needed just three plays to cover 45 yards and take a commanding 22-0 lead.

The third quarter began with the Tigers on offense and it seemed like a different team returned from the locker room after the break. Trinity quickly drove 75 yards for its first score of the game, most of which came on completions by Franklin to Hancock (34 yards) and Tavarez (37 yards). Johnny Milo (The Woodlands, Texas / Caney Creek) got Trinity one yard away with a six-yard rush, then Franklin found Ravain for the one-yard score that made it 22-7. Berry then killed more than eight minutes on the clock with a 14-play drive that covered 66 yards and put six more points on the board. The only positive for the Tigers was that Moeller darted off the left side of the defensive front and got his hands on the kick, then Powell returned it to give the Tigers two points to trim the lead to 28-9. The momentum carried onto offense and Franklin drove Trinity 75 yards in just five plays – three of which were receptions for Tavarez that covered 70 total yards that included the 20-yard TD catch. Trinity's two-point conversion try failed and the game remained 28-15. The Tiger defense held Berry to a three-and-out in the final moments of the third quarter and the offense took over with 28 seconds left.

After a first-down throw to end the quarter, Trinity was able to move the ball inside the 25 before turning the ball over on downs after missing on a fourth-and-five play. Berry was able to chew up four-plus minutes on the clock thanks to a third-down conversion, as well as pin Trinity inside its own 20 on a 41-yard punt. Trinity took over with under eight minutes to play and another sack put the offense behind the sticks, forcing the Tigers to go for it on fourth-and-long from their own 17. Berry took over and while they were unable to gain more than five yards, they did add to the lead with a 30-yard field goal to make it 31-15 with 5:10 remaining. After moving the ball near midfield, Berry's defense stiffened and the Tigers faced another fourth down. Trinity converted by way of a penalty and the drive continued. Two plays later, Franklin found Kayser for a 30-yard score, then connected with Tavarez for the two-point conversion, and all of a sudden it was a one-score game at 31-23 with 2:57 left. As if that wasn't enough, the Tigers then recovered the ensuing onside kick and the comeback hopes remained alive. Another Berry penalty on fourth down kept the drive going and moved the ball to midfield as the two-minute timeout gave both teams a breather. Franklin found Milo for an eight-yard play to set up third-and-short in the final minute, but Berry stepped in for an interception and sealed the win.

Trinity finishes the season with double-digit victories for the third time in the last four seasons, reaching the NCAA Playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. Berry advances to the NCAA Quarterfinals next weekend.