(Photo courtesy of MRJ Photography)
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Another successful weekend is in the books for the SCAC's football teams as they combined to go 3-1 over the weekend.
Two teams picked up their first victories of the season as they both got big performances from their defenses on the afternoon. Austin College shut Occidental down in the second half for a 21-12 victory at home while Trinity stuffed Sul Ross and managed through a 90-minute weather delay for a 14-6 win.
Texas Lutheran also improved to 3-0 in a wild game against Louisiana College while Southwestern and East Texas Baptist lit up the scoreboard in Marshall.
Austin College
The 'Roos returned home on Saturday afternoon to welcome in the Occidental Tigers (1-1) out of Los Angeles. Austin College came-from-behind in the second half, getting two scores in the third quarter to take a 21-12 victory over the Tigers and earned their first win of the season
With the 'Roos down 12-7, Madison Ross scampered 83-yards for a touchdown to give Austin College a 14-12 lead with 4:14 to go in the third. Bryce Murphy extended the lead to nine as he scored from 12 yards out while the 'Roo defense held strong throughout the fourth quarter.
Ross finished with 187 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns on the day while Murphy added 89 yards on 22 carries and a score. Brooks Ward led the defense with eight stops on the day including two tackles for loss. Brett Vaughn also had eight tackles and a blocked field goal.
Austin College (1-2) will remain at home next weekend as they will welcomei n the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets (3-0).
Southwestern University
After a historic win a week ago, the Southwestern Pirates returned to action as they took on East Texas Baptist (2-1) in their first road contest of the season. The Tigers reeled off 20 points in the third quarter to pull away and defeat the Pirates 58-34.
The Pirate offense was on display throughout the first half as Bryan Hicks threw for three touchdowns including a 51-yard score to John Free and a three yard score to Addison Elliott to give Southwestern a 27-24 lead midway through the second quarter. However, the Tigers exploded for 27 unanswered points to secure the victory.
Hicks finished with a career high 333 yards on 24-for-38 passing with three touchdowns and an interception. Matt Gillen led all receivers with eight catches for 109 yards and a score while Willis Johnson carried 14 times for 65 yards. Defensively, Zach Cole led the way with seven tackles and a half sack.
Southwestern (1-1) will remain on the road as they will travel north to take on Oklahoma Baptist Universiy (3-1) on Saturday afternoon.
Texas Lutheran University
The Texas Lutheran Bulldogs faced a tough road challenge this past weekend, traveling to Pineville, La. to battled the Louisiana College Wildcats (1-2). In what proved to be a wild contest, the Bulldogs hung on and got a huge road win, 38-32.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 14-0 lead after a pair of short touchdown runs from Marquis Barrolle and never surrendered the lead throughout the afternoon. The Wildcats continued to press TLU throughout the contest, but the Bulldogs continued to answer and hold onto their lead.
In one of the more bizarre endings, the Wildcats were driving down the field, late in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats drove down to the TLU four yard line, but Louisiana College Head Coach Dennis Dunn was flagged for sideline interference as Dunn marched an estimated 10 yards onto the field to bark instructions to his team on the final play of regulation with no timeouts remaining. The LC penalty resulted in a 10-second run-off of the game clock and set off an on-field celebration by the Bulldogs.
Barrolle continues his excellent season with 179 yards on 34 carries with four scores, tying a school record for touchdowns in a game, while also catching eight balls for 64 yards. Trenton White was 24-for-36 for 269 yards and touchdown while Dustin Hannon hauled in four passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Bryan Doolittle led the way with six tackles including two sacks.
Texas Lutheran (3-0) is halfway through their four game roadtrip and will head to Waxahachie, Texas to take on Southwestern Assemblies of God (0-2).
Trinity University
The Trinity Tigers were back on the road on Saturday afternoon, taking on the Sul Ross State Lobos (0-3) in Alpine. The Tigers withstood a 90-minute weather delay and stymied the Lobo offense all game long to picked up the first win of the Jerheme Urban era, 14-6.
The Tigers took a 7-0 lead on a Travis Williams score from two yards out in the second quarter. They would extend that lead later in the quarter as Jai Boatman picked off his third pass of the season and returned it 54-yards for a score. It would be an extended halftime break as the weather rolled in during the break. However, the Trinity defense remained strong after the delay to pick up the victory.
Defensively, Connor Yorloff led the way with 13 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss while Julian Turner added nine tackles including two tackles for loss. The Trinity offense continued to have its struggles, but Williams led the way with 22 carries for 96 yards to go along with three catches for 33 yards. Mason Blaschke was 9-for-20 for 93 yards, but also rushed for 91 yards on 16 carries.
Trinity (1-2) returns home this upcoming weekend as they will welcome in the Pacific Lutheran Lutes (1-0).
