No. 12 Trinity Football is to defend the Tiger Den against Pacific Lutheran
 
The Tigers (2-0) handled business in their second game of the season winning 31-17 against McMurry. Trinity dominated the run game, totaling up 174 yards compared to the Warhawks 45 yards. The Tiger defense had 4 sacks, 12 tackles for losses, and forced two fumbles throughout the game. Trinity's special teams also played a big role having blocked two punts and returning one for a touchdown. This is only Trinity's second meeting with McMurry in 7 years (since 2019) and this win gives them a lifelong record of 23-13-1.
 
SAA Special Teams Player of the Week - Judson Crockett
 
Junior Judson Crockett (Austin, Texas / Westlake) was awarded the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Special Teams Player of the Week.
 
From the SAA Press Release: 
 
Crockett recorded a pair of blocked punts as the Trinity Tigers earned a 31-17 over McMurry University (TX) on Saturday night, improving the team's record to 2-0. His second blocked punt resulted in a 17-yard punt return early in the third quarter and put the Tigers up 24-3 early in the third quarter. 
 
D3football.com Top 25 Rankings - Tigers continue ascend
 
The tigers continue to climb through the rankings, now sitting at the #12 spot on the list which is just ahead of known rivals such as No. 15 Berry and No. 16 Mary Hardin-Baylor. North Central (III.) continues to hold the top spot, followed by No. 2 Wheaton (III.) and No. 3 UW-Platteville. Within the Southern Athletic Association, Berry earned the No. 15 ranking and has been stagnant since, with no other conference teams receiving significant votes.
 
Preview - Tigers vs. Lutes Rematch
 
Trinity will battle Pacific Lutheran at home for their final preseason game of the 2026 season on Saturday, September 20th at 7:00 PM.
 
On the Pacific Lutheran Lutes: The Pacific Lutheran Lutes have opened their season at 1-1. They took care of business winning 37-30 in their season opener against Cal Lutheran, but then stumped their toe in week 2 against Mary Hardin-Baylor losing 29-6.
 
Through two games, Pacific Lutheran is averaging 1.7 yards running the ball, which could be a good statistic for a very prominent Trinity run defense to take note of. 
 
Pacific Lutheran's production offensively comes from their passing game. The Lutes' as a program average 279 passing yards a game and have already brought in 6 touchdown passes. Junior quarterback AJ Tuifua leads the team currently with 5 of the 6 touchdowns. His favorite target at wideout Dayton Savea has hauled in 11 receptions totaling 211 yards and 3 touchdowns. 
 
Defensively, junior linebacker Avery Coleman leads the team with 21 total tackles. The Lutes' defensive backs have combined for 4 interceptions and 4 pass breakups proving that they can be active when the ball is in the air. 
 
The last meeting between Trinity and Pacific Lutheran came in 2025 when Trinity traveled to the Pacific North-West and dominated the Lutes' 45-8. Overall, this will be each team's fourth matchup, with an all-time record of Trinity leading 2-1.
 
Looking Ahead
 
The Tigers will host the Vikings from Berry College in a key rival SAA matchup to begin conference play on October 3rd.