LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Conference play finally got underway this past weekend as the SCAC saw a pair of great matchups. Check out how all four teams fared in the opening conference weekend.
Southwestern University (1-6, 0-1 SCAC) at Austin College (5-3, 1-0 SCAC)
Madison Ross rushed for 189 yards and Bryce Murphy added 111 as the Austin College football team piled up 316 yards on the ground, and the 'Roos raced past Southwestern University 47-29 on Homecoming Saturday.
The 'Roos took a 10-9 lead and quickly turned it into a 31-9 lead as the ground attack of Ross and Murphy were too much to handle. The Pirates hung tough thanks to an excellent day from quarterback Bryan Hicks and his main target Matt Gillen.
Ross carried 23 times to earn his 189 yards and Murphy rushed 19 times for his 111 as the 'Roos averaged 5.6 yards per carry as a team. Jesko completed 9-of-21 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns against one pick, and Crawford finished with 120 yards on four catches. Scott Loy led an Austin College defense that racked up seven sacks, making 10 tackles with a sack in the win.
Hicks completed 25-of-38 passes for 334 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, Gillen finished with 11 receptions for 146 yards, and Dylan Wilburn rushed 13 times for 77 yards and two scores to lead Southwestern offensively. Taylor Fann made a team-best eight tackles for the Pirates.
The 'Roos will welcome in Texas Lutheran on Saturday with the winner claiming a share of the league title while Southwestern will return home as they welcome in Trinity. The two played a couple of weeks ago with the Tigers coming away victorious, 22-19.
Trinity University (2-6, 0-1 SCAC) at Texas Lutheran University (7-1, 1-0 SCAC)
Quarterback Trenton White threw for 294 yards, including two scores to Caleb Oliver, as the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs defeated the Trinity Tigers 34-27 Saturday in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
The Tigers held national leader Marquis Barrolle to a season-low 84 yards on 21 carries. Barrolle scored on an eight-yard run in the third quarter. (He had a 16-yard TD run wiped out due to penalty in the first quarter). Barrolle also caught five passes for 17 yards. Meanwhile, Oliver registered career-highs for catches (eight) and receiving yards (112). He matched a career-best with two touchdowns in a single game. while Lewis Williams II added six catches for 85 yards.
Defensively, Drake Dowling finished with 10 tackles and an interceptions while Darian Candler picked up eight tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Matthew Kennemer threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Mason Blaschke, totaling 77 yards on two pass plays for Trinity. He also completed a pass on a fake punt in the first quarter, leading to Trinity's opening touchdown. Blaschke finished with 109 yards rushing to lead the Tigers, adding another score on the ground. He struggled in the passing game, though, completing just 7-22 for 77 yards and two interceptions. He also hit Jayden Holden for an 18-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, accounting for three total scores on the day.
Travis Williams also had a nice day in his return to the starting lineup, picking up 78 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Chaz Davis caught three passes for 41 yards.
Connor Yorloff led Trinity with 12 tackles and the team's only sack - a five-yard loss. Brad Hood and Julian Turner added nine stops each, while Camden Joubert finished with eight. Joshua Cook picked off a pass for the only turnover of the game for Texas Lutheran.
Texas Lutheran will travel to Sherman to take on Ausitn College with the winner claiming a share of the league title while Trinity will remain on the road, taking on Southwestern in Georgetown.
