(Oshkosh, WI) — The Texas Lutheran University football team will be up in Wisconsin this Saturday to open their 2023 season against Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
The Titans are ranked 21st in D3football.com’s preseason poll. Oshkosh finished the 2022 season with a 6-4 overall record. The meeting will be the first ever between the two programs.
The Bulldogs finished 4-6 overall last year and 3-5 in the American Southwest Conference in head coach Neal LaHue’s first season. TLU started the 2022 season 0-3, but finished the year winning four out of their last seven games.
LaHue says his team is excited about the trip up north to face a stiff foe this weekend.
“You want to play good people (and) we play in a tough conference. And so, we’re gonna fly up there. We haven’t flown anywhere in a while,” LaHue said. “It is Labor Day weekend. So, that’s the challenge part is handling all the travel and delays if there (are) any. I think our kids are excited. They’re excited about getting on a plane and going to play.”
Bulldog quarterback Seth Cosme (Angleton/Angleton) returns for his fifth-year after finishing fourth in NCAA Division-III in completion percentage (73%) and seventh in completions per game (23.2) and being named All-ASC Third Team in 2022. Cosme was one of four Bulldog plyers named to the conference’s “Players to Watch List.”
Jacob Forton, an All-ASC Third Team running back last season and Smithson Valley grad, was named to the watch list following a breakout 2022 season that saw him lead TLU in rushing with 506 yards and finish tied for second in the ASC in rushing touchdowns (10) and third in all-purpose yards (1,031).
Senior linebacker Caleb Giles (Houston/Lamar) will look to build upon a 2022 season that saw him make 44 tackles including one sack and three tackles for a loss and three interceptions.
Punter Cameron Welch (New Braunfels/Canyon) handled the team’s punting and kickoff duties in all ten games last season, totaling 38 punts for 1,365 yards (35.9 average), with five forced fair catches and seven punts inside the 20 while adding seven touchbacks on 39 kickoffs.
Saturday’s game between TLU and Wisconsin-Oshkosh kicks off at 1:05 p.m. at Titan Stadium in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The game will be streamed at TLUBulldogs.com.