SAN ANTONIO – The #12/14 Trinity University football team improved to 2-0 this season with a 31-17 victory over McMurry University (TX) on Saturday night.
The Tigers used a 17-point second quarter to take a 17-3 lead into halftime, then added two more scores in the third to take a commanding 31-3 lead. The War Hawks (1-1) rallied with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter but could not complete the comeback. The two teams faced off for the first time since 2019, and Trinity has won eight of the last nine meetings.
TJ Scannell (San Antonio, Texas / Reagan) finished with 10 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks in the game to lead a defense that held McMurry to just three points through three quarters.
Judson Crockett (Austin, Texas / Westlake) had seven total tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss, but also blocked two punts – the second of which was returned for a 17-yard touchdown by
Chase Ravain (Covington, La. / Saint Paul's School).
Diego Davila (Spring Branch, Texas / Smithson Valley) also had six stops and 1.5 tackles for loss. Trinity's defense held McMurry to 284 yards of total offense, though 248 of those yards came on the last three drives by the War Hawks. The Tigers forced eight three-and-outs prior to those last three drives, which came after the Tigers built a 28-point lead.
Welker Horn (Lubbock, Texas / Lubbock Christian) finished 12-of-18 passing for 88 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing nine times for 31 net yards and another score.
Jason Love (San Antonio, Texas / Brennan) led the Tigers with 10 carries for 56 yards rushing and the team's opening score of the game in the second quarter.
Jamel Nickerson (Cypress, Texas / Cy-Fair) rushed for 40 yards on 10 totes and Trinity topped 200 yards rushing as a team in the game.
Tyson Hancock (Smithville, Texas / Smithville) had five receptions for 59 yards to lead Trinity's receiving corps, with
Kade Ramirez (Needville, Texas / Needville) catching three passes for 25 yards and a touchdown.
Jackson Runyan (Frisco, Texas / Rick Reedy) hit a 35-yards field goal to finish the first half and went 4-4 in extra-point attempts in the game.
The Rundown
The game started off slowly for the Tigers as McMurry intercepted the second pass of the game off a deflection to take over at the Trinity 34 yard line on its first possession. The Trinity defense held firm at first, but the War Hawks converted a fourth-and-13 play to set up first-and-goal at the five yard line. The defense stiffened once again, though, and McMurry had to settle for a 22-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
The Tiger offense took over and reached midfield but was forced to punt and a long return for McMurry put the visitors near midfield for its second drive of the game. Defense was the name of the game throughout the first quarter as neither team was able to move the ball and the game remained 3-0 heading into the second. McMurry went for it on fourth-and-one on its own 36 yard line on its first drive of the second quarter, which came back to bite them when the Tiger defense stuffed them at the line and forced the turnover on downs. Hancock caught a 22-yard pass on the first play of Trinity's drive and then Love took it to the house with a 14-yard run that put the Tigers up 7-3.
McMurry went three-and-out on its next drive and Crockett got his first blocked punt of the day to close that drive. The punt still traveled 40 yards but the Tigers took over near midfield. Trinity drove into McMurry territory but came up short on fourth-and-five and turned the ball over on downs. Despite holding off the Tiger offense, the War Hawks couldn't flip field position against Trinity's stout defense. Trinity took over again near midfield and this time was able to convert the drive into points. Horn hooked up with Hancock for a third down conversion early, then followed a 15-yard run by Love with a weaving 24-yard run through the defense for another touchdown and a 14-3 lead with less than two minutes left before the break. McMurry tried to run out the time on the first half but wound up fumbling the snap in the final seconds. Horn ran for seven yards to reach the red zone and then Runyan hit a 35-yard field goal as time expired to make it a 17-3 game at halftime.
The second half began with McMurry on offense, and the Tigers forced a three-and-out as Scannell and Davila combined for a third-down sack. Crockett blocked another punt, but this time got more of the ball and Ravain snagged the ball out of the air at the 17 yard line and sprinted down the sideline for the score and a 24-3 lead. A penalty started McMurry's next drive and the offense never recovered. The Tigers took over at their own 46 and drove the field for another score and a 31-3 advantage. Trinity came up short on third-and-six to start the drive, but
Hunter Pavlicek (San Antonio, Texas / Churchill) executed a fake punt to perfection to extend the drive. A holding penalty nearly ruined the drive for the Tigers, but McMurry had a penalty of its own on a critical third down to put Trinity at the 15 yard line. Horn hit Ramirez for a touchdown on the next play.
Both offenses slowed down after that, and the game went to the final quarter. McMurry's last drive of the third quarter extended into the fourth and the War Hawks scored their first touchdown of the game to cut it to a 31-10 deficit. Trinity chewed up more than four minutes on its next drive but stalled after reaching the 10 yard line. Runyan eventually lined up for a 32-yard field goal try, but the kick was blocked and McMurry took over. The War Hawks were able to put together another scoring drive but also took four more minutes off the clock. The onside kick was recovered by
Parker Moeller (Spring Branch, Texas / Smithson Valley) and the Tigers took over with less than four minutes remaining. Trinity got the clock under two minutes before being forced to punt and McMurry had just 1:43 left in the game and needed two touchdowns. The War Hawks drove near midfield but it was too little, too late, and the Tigers held on for the victory.
Up Next
Trinity will remain at home for the final non-conference game of the season, hosting Pacific Lutheran University (WA) at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 19.
