(Story courtesy of Trinity University)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The Tiger football team rushed for nearly 300 yards on its way to a 35-24 victory over Millsaps College on Saturday afternoon. The win also earned the Tigers their second consecutive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football championship.
With the league down to just two football-playing members in 2012, for purposes of determining the SCAC champion, games against Southern Athletic Association members counted toward the conference standings, in addition to the Austin College vs. Trinity game on Nov. 10.
Saturday's victory over Millsaps gave Trinity a 3-1 "conference" mark, and coupled with Austin College's loss to Centre College, gave the Tigers a three game lead in the conference standings with just two contests to play.
Trinity has now won back-to-back SCAC title for the first time since they won three straight from 2003 to 2005. The Tigers also became the first team to win consecutive SCAC championships since DePauw University did so in 2009 and 2010.
Trinity improved to 5-3 on the season with the win, which was the second consecutive victory over the Majors. The Tigers also won 10-3 on the road last year. The game was played on the five-year anniversary of the Trinity Miracle Play - a 15-lateral game-winning touchdown against Millsaps that gained national attention.
Today's game was highlighted by 282 rushing yards and 470 yards of total offense by Trinity. The Tigers were led by quarterback Mason Blaschke, who accounted for almost all of those yards.
Blaschke completed 14-19 passing for 188 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also rushed 23 times for 221 yards and two more touchdowns. The only touchdown he didn't account for came on a goal line run that he ended up handing off to running back Travis Williams after Blaschke was initially stopped near the line of scrimmage.
With 221 yards rushing, Blaschke is now eighth in Trinity history for a single game, and is now the team's record-holder for single game rushing yards by a quarterback. He is the first Tiger player since Chris Baer in 2009 to run for 200 or more yards in a game. The 409 yards of total offense is the 12th-most in Tiger football history as well.
The score by Williams was actually the first of the game, coming late in the first quarter. Millsaps was able to tie the game early in the second with a short touchdown of its own, but Blaschke ran in his first touchdown on the ensuing drive to put the Tigers back on top 14-7. Millsaps added a field goal with 1:01 before the half to make it a 14-10 halftime lead.
The Tigers opened the second half with a quick score on Blaschke's first touchdown pass of the day. He hit Matthew Kennemer for a 26-yard score on that play, and Kennemer finished with five receptions for 67 yards in the game.
Later in the quarter, Blaschke broke loose for a 48-yard touchdown run to make it 28-10, and the Tigers seemed to take control. Millsaps had other plans, though, scoring an 85-yard touchdown on the next play from scrimmage.
On the kickoff, Kennemer busted a 61-yard return to set up the Tiger offense at the Millsaps 31. Blaschke hit Mason Lytal on the first play to put Trinity back in command. The Majors added the game's only score in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to stop the Tigers on this day.
Kennemer had 212 all-purpose yards in the game, which on most days, would easily lead the game. His 127 yards in kick returns are tied for the eighth-most in school history, marking the third time this season he has had over 100 yards in kickoff returns.
Thomas Puskarich led Trinity's defense with 10 tackles in the game, while fellow linebacker Nick Darling finished with nine stops. Phillip Hiner-Leamon also had a strong showing for the Tigers, picking up eight total tackles and three quarterback hurries. Hiner-Leamon also had 2.0 tackles for loss and the only sack of the game for Trinity's defense.
Trinity will finish off its road schedule next weekend at Sewanee: University of the South. The Tigers complete the regular season by hosting Austin College on November 10.
