San Antonio - Trinity's football team overcame an early 12-0 deficit to earn a 27-19 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference victory over Southwestern University on Saturday afternoon.
The 22 Tiger seniors finished off their regular season home schedule in style, scoring 27 unanswered points to power past Southwestern. Trinity gave up a safety and a field goal in the first quarter, then allowed a 74-yard pass play on a fake punt early in the second to fall behind 12-0.
The Tigers finally got on the board in the final two minutes of the half, as Austin Grauer connected for the first of his three total touchdowns on the day. Grauer hit Antonio Massagli from 29 yards out to make it 12-7 at the half.
"I tip my hat to my assistant coaches," said head coach Jerheme Urban after the game. "They came out and made some great halftime adjustments. We challenged the guys before we came out, about playing some Tiger football. They responded. I am so happy to have the coaches I have on my staff. They can go in and make those adjustments...and also to have the young guys I have on this team...they respond to challenges."
Trinity definitely responded in the second half, because even though the first half belonged to the visitors, the hometown Tigers made sure to claim the second - and in particular, the third quarter. Trinity's defense set the tone early in the third, giving up less than 50 yards on the first four drives, and forcing two turnovers in the quarter.
The offense came to life midway through the period, scoring on three consecutive drives to put up 20 points in the quarter. The Tigers scored all three touchdowns in a span of just over five minutes, and pulled ahead 27-12 by the end of the flurry of points.
The first score came on a 15-yard run by Evan McDowell, who was filling in for an injured Travis Williams. Just over three minutes later, Jeremy Simmons caught a swing pass out of the backfield, then bolted 59 yards down the Trinity sideline for the score. It was the second passing TD of the game for Grauer, who then finished off the scoring for the Tigers with a two-yard plunge with 1:20 remaining in the period. Jayden Holden's 34-yard diving catch set up the scoring play.
Trinity spent most of the game in the Southwestern backfield on Saturday, racking up 23 quarterback hurries. Luke Packard led the way for the Tiger defense, picking up 10 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and five QB hurries. Mitchell Globe also finished with 10 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss, while Julian Turner had seven stops, a fumble recovery, and a pair of sacks in the game.
Grauer finished the day with two touchdowns and 205 yards passing, completing 17-27 through the air, and rushing for the game's final score. Justin Ventura led the team with 41 yards rushing, while McDowell was close behind with 38 ground yards and a score.
"Southwestern are really good about stopping the run. They do some things defensively where they load the box. It's hard to run, and you just have to keep chipping, keep chipping, keep chipping. Evan came in and ran the football hard, Jeremy came in and moved the pile as well. You have to tip your hat to Southwestern...they have a great run defense."
The game was the final chance for the 22 Tiger seniors to perform in front of the home crowd, and the large group of players didn't disappoint. Coach Urban was especially proud of his seniors: "Our seniors really stepped up, had an oustanding day. They did a good job on Senior Day, and they were big leaders inside as well."
Trinity will finish out the regular season next weekend, facing off against Austin College in another SCAC contest in Sherman, Texas. The Tigers defeated Austin College 30-7 in a non-conference game at home earlier in the year.