(Seguin) – The Texas Lutheran and Trinity University football programs are set to battle each other for the first time since they were Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference rivals in 2016 when the Tigers visit Bulldog Stadium in a non-conference clash this Saturday.
TLU and Trinity were football members of the SCAC from 2013 to ’16, but the Bulldogs joined the ASC as a football only member and the Tigers did the same in the Southern Athletic Association when the SCAC stopped sanctioning football as a membership sport in 2017.
This Saturday marks the 31st meeting between the programs. Trinity leads the all-time series 17-13. The teams split their 2016 meetings, with the Bulldogs winning 38-28 in Seguin and the Tigers prevailing 30-28 in San Antonio.
The 2021 Bulldogs are 1-1 in Ricky Matt’s second season as head coach after a 43-17 road loss to Howard Payne on Sept. 4 and a 41-7 home win over Austin College last Saturday.
The Tigers’ originally scheduled season opener against McMurry was cancelled due to COVID-19. Trinity (1-0) opened the season last Saturday with a 64-0 dismantling of MacAlester (Minn.).
TLU’s statistical leaders through two games include junior QB Seth Cosme (323 passing yds., 3 TD), sophomore RBs Dakory Willis (202 rushing yds., TD) and Jacob Forton (7.6 per carry, 3 TD), junior receiver Trent Stefka (8 rec., 182 yds.), and sophomore safety Sultan Abdullah (15 tackles).
Trinity quarterback Tucker Horn went 20-23 through the air for 332 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions in the opener against MacAlester. Senior running-back Gerald Daniles ran for a team-high 74 yards and a TD on 13 carries, and junior receiver Ryan Merrifield caught four passes for 70 yards and two scores.
The Tigers boast six players in the defensive front seven who earned all-conference honors in the spring. Senior defensive end Campbell Miller, the SAA’s Defensive Player of the Year, anchors that group. Trinity only allowed 125 total yards and just 14 rushing yards on 21 carries in last week’s season opening shutout.
Saturday’s kickoff at Bulldog Stadium is set for 1 p.m. The game will air live on KWED 1580-AM and Seguintoday.com, with free streaming video at tlubulldogs.com. Pre-game coverage starts at 12:30 p.m.