Bryce Hayes
For Immediate Release
SEGUIN, Texas — #RV Texas Lutheran overcame a double-digit fourth quarter deficit to stave off Southwestern, 17-10, on Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium.
With the win, Texas Lutheran reached a trio of marks relevant to the 2014 season. On Saturday the Bulldogs:
- clinched their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2014
- finished the regular season 9-1, the best regular season finish since 2014
- secured the first undefeated home season at Bulldog Stadium (5-0) since the stadium opened in 2014
The Bulldogs (9-1, 7-1 SCAC) trailed 10-0 midway through the fourth quarter before scoring 10 unanswered points to tie the game. The Bulldogs would score on their opening drive of overtime before an interception from freshman Josaan Gaines (Cedar Park/Vista Ridge) sealed the game for the Bulldogs.
On the game-winning drive, quarterback Caden Bosanko (San Antonio/East Central) found wide receiver Lavonta Henry (San Antonio/Madison) for a 20-yard gain and following a loss of yards found Eugene Robinson IV (Lake Charles, LA/Fort Bend Hightower) for six yards before a four-yard rush from a returning Weston Guzman (McAllen/McAllen) would give the Bulldogs the decisive touchdown.
Guzman finished with 77 yards rushing on 12 carries in his first game back from injury. Bosanko led the Bulldogs with 88 yards rushing and his 14th rushing touchdown of the season. Robinson IV finished with a team-high six receptions for 56 yards.
Defensively, Texas Lutheran came up with big plays at opportune times to prevent Southwestern from adding to their lead. Contributing to that effort were a pair of fourth-down stops in addition to the game-sealing interception. Freshman linebacker Marvin Farris (Rosenberg/Lamar Consolidated) finished with a career-high 13 tackles (five solo), including 1.5 for a loss. Sean Blanks (Angleton/Angleton) added nine tackles while seniors Mason Hardy (Flynn/Normangee), Grayson Kowalski (Sabinal/Sabinal), and DJ Lewis (Brookshire/Brazos) all finished with eight tackles.
On Saturday, senior punter Cameron Welch (New Braunfels/Canyon) all but etched his name in the TLU history books, averaging 46 yards on four punts Saturday, increasing his season average to 44.5 yards, passing the previous program record of 43.0 yards held by Harold Anderson since 1962. Welch currently ranks second in NCAA Division-III in punting.
After a scoreless first quarter, Southwestern would draw first blood with a touchdown late in the second quarter. Despite a disastrous third quarter offensively from TLU, the Pirates were only able to put three more points on the board to take a 10-0 lead into the fourth.
The Bulldogs finally showed signs of life in the fourth as a 37-yard field goal from Joaquin Rodriguez (San Antonio/Smithson Valley) shrank the Pirates lead to 10-3 with 5:29 remaining in regulation. The Bulldogs would force a punt on the ensuing Pirates possession. The Texas Lutheran offense would drive 85 yards in 2:34 of game time to tie the game with 33 seconds left in regulation as a one-yard rushing touchdown from Bosanko tied the game.
TLU got the ball first in overtime and made their opportunity count, punching the ball in in four plays while the Pirates would throw a third down interception to end the game.
Prior to the game, Texas Lutheran honored its 13 member senior class in Senior Day festivities. Following Saturday’s game, Texas Lutheran AD Bill Miller and TLU President Dr. Debbie Cottrell presented the Bulldogs with the 2024 SCAC Regular Season Championship trophy in a postgame ceremony. The Bulldogs end the 2024 regular season as co-champions, sharing the title with the McMurry War Hawks after splitting their regular season series. The championship is the Bulldogs’ fourth in program history after winning the championship in 2013, 2014, and 2015.
Following the release of the updated NCAA NPI rankings Saturday night, Texas Lutheran has secured their NCAA Tournament playoff berth and will await their playoff matchup which will be announced during the NCAA Division-III Selection Show on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 4 PM on ncaa.com. The NCAA Division-III First Round will take place on Saturday, Nov. 23. All streaming and live stats links can be found on tlubulldogs.com.
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).