BATESVILLE, Ark. — Coming off one of their most complete performances of the season, the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs will look to keep their momentum rolling when they travel to Batesville for a rematch with Lyon College on Saturday.
TLU (5-1, 1-0 SCAC) enters the matchup fresh off a dominant 34-0 shutout of Hendrix College, a victory that saw the Bulldogs control virtually every phase of the game against a Warriors team with Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship aspirations.
For head coach Neal LaHue, however, the impressive result was simply a reflection of his team’s execution on a day when nearly everything went right.
“I think we played a really great overall game defensively,” LaHue said. “We dominated in every facet: run defense, pass defense. They turned the ball over with four picks. One was a pick-six. That helps quite a bit. We had a lot of short fields. They’re a good football team, but it was just our day.”
The Bulldogs held a Hendrix offense that entered the contest averaging nearly 470 yards per game to just 157 total yards, including only 35 on the ground. The shutout was the first suffered by the Warriors since they restarted their football program in 2013.
TLU’s opportunistic secondary continued its remarkable season, collecting four interceptions to bring its season total to 20.
Sophomore cornerback Malik Johnson provided the most historic moment, returning an interception 34 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. It was his fifth pick-six of the season, establishing a new NCAA single-season record across all divisions.
“He has a unique ability to catch an interception and just turn on the afterburners and get it to the end zone,” LaHue said. “Great job by him and well-deserved player of the week in that regard, mainly because of what he’s done over the course of the season. That’s a great record to break.”
Johnson wasn’t the only Bulldog making life miserable for the Hendrix passing attack.
Senior defensive back Troy Tomaselli recorded his first two interceptions of the season, including a critical takeaway in the end zone late in the first half.
“Troy is probably our best leader on defense,” LaHue said. “He’s a four-year starter. He’s having a great year. I didn’t realize he didn’t have an interception until [last weekend], but he got two really critical ones.”
The Bulldogs also received contributions from all three phases of the game.
Punter Ethan Breeden helped establish the field-position battle, averaging better than 41 yards across three punts, including a well-placed kick into the coffin corner that pinned Hendrix inside its own 2-yard line.
Offensively, running back James Garza delivered a career performance with 86 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. LaHue credited both Garza’s physical running style and an offensive line that consistently opened running lanes.
Quarterback Elijah Favela completed 12 of his 16 passes for 132 yards while adding a rushing touchdown. Micah Casson also contributed, completing four of five passes and finding Ja’Mare Nichols for a 17-yard touchdown before helping the Bulldogs manage the clock down the stretch.
Despite the production, LaHue believes his quarterbacks and the offense as a whole still have room to grow.
“Elijah [Favela] has a really nice touch ball, and he’s very accurate,” LaHue said. “All the quarterbacks have to work on little things, in my opinion, their eyes, their progressions, and things like that.”
That continued development will be a point of emphasis against a familiar opponent.
TLU defeated Lyon 34-12 in Seguin on October 3, using a 199-yard rushing performance and two Johnson interception returns for touchdowns to pull away from the Scots.
Lyon (2-4, 1-0 SCAC) has since picked up a 38-31 road victory over Austin College, rallying from a fourth-quarter deficit before entering its bye week.
LaHue expects the Scots to present a challenge despite the Bulldogs’ comfortable margin of victory in the first meeting.
“They’re young. I think he’s going with younger guys, but they’re very athletic, and they have our attention,” LaHue said. “The biggest thing is not to let our guard down.”
While the Bulldogs were effective running the football in their previous meeting, LaHue acknowledged that Lyon’s defensive adjustments caused some difficulties, particularly when TLU became overly focused on running inside zone plays.
The Bulldogs found greater success attacking the edges, something LaHue believes should serve as a reminder to take advantage of what opposing defenses provide.
“I think in our passing game, just being more efficient,” LaHue said of where TLU can improve. “We just got to take what the defense gives us. I still feel like we’ve got a lot of areas to improve on.”
That attention to detail could be particularly important as the Bulldogs begin a stretch of consecutive road games, with a trip to Austin College awaiting them the following weekend.
For LaHue, preparation for Saturday goes beyond the X’s and O’s.
“We have to also win the trip,” LaHue said. “It’s a long trip for our program.”
With a defense producing turnovers at a historic rate and an offense finding contributions from multiple playmakers, TLU has positioned itself firmly in the SCAC championship conversation.
But LaHue knows the Bulldogs cannot afford to become complacent, regardless of their previous success against the Scots.
“Defensively, we can’t let our guard down,” LaHue said. “Offensively, we’ve got to put the whole package together. We’ve got to be able to run it and throw it.”
Kickoff between Texas Lutheran University and Lyon College is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday, October 24, at Bad Boy Mowers Stadium in Batesville, Arkansas.