Bryce Hayes
SEGUIN, Texas — #RV Texas Lutheran Football will be heading to McMinnville, Oregon, to face No. 14 Linfield in the second round of the NCAA Division-III Championship Football Tournament on Nov. 30, 2024. The second round matchup between the Bulldogs (9-1) and the Northwest Conference Champion Wildcats (9-1) at 2 PM CT / 12 PM PT from Maxwell Field and Memorial Stadium and will air nationally on ESPN+.
Texas Lutheran will make its second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, making its first appearance since 2014. With the first round bye, the Bulldogs have already surpassed the 2014 team for the deepest run in program history in the tournament. Texas Lutheran finished the season ranked number 26 in the NCAA NPI rankings that dictated the qualifiers for the postseason tournament as well as receiving votes in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 Poll.
The Bulldogs won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship (SCAC) for the fourth time in program history, winning three championships in four years during their previous stint in the conference, and are riding a seven-game winning streak, the longest for the program since 2019. Linfield defeated Whitworth for the NWC crown on Saturday, their third in the last four seasons and 45th in program history. The Wildcats have won eight games in a row following an early season loss to Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Texas Lutheran and Linfield have met just one time in the program’s histories, in the 1974 NAIA-Division-II National Semifinal with the Bulldogs defeating the Wildcats, 52-8, in their penultimate game on their first of two national championship runs.
The winner of this year’s game will advance to the third round and will face the winner of No. 4/5 Hardin-Simmons and Trinity/Mary Hardin-Baylor on Dec. 7.
The Neal LaHue led Bulldogs feature a balanced attack that is averaging a SCAC-leading 35.9 points per game and allowing just 15.9 points per game. Texas Lutheran would also lead the SCAC in total offense (404.8).
For more information on Texas Lutheran football, follow the Bulldogs on X (Twitter) and Instagram (@TLU_Football) and as always you can find updates on all Texas Lutheran athletics on tlubulldogs.com and all official TLU social media channels (@tluathletics on X (Twitter,) @tlu_athletics on Instagram, and @tlubulldogs on Facebook).