SAN ANTONIO – The 21st-ranked Trinity University football team notched a 34-24 home win over #12/14 Hardin-Simmons University in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs on Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers improved to 10-1 on the season, reaching double-digit victories for the third time in the last four seasons, and advancing to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 season. The Cowboys (9-2) have now lost three straight playoff meetings against Trinity, having lost in NCAA First Round matchups in both 2022 and 2023.

Trinity pulled in front 20-7 late in the first half, but Hardin-Simmons rallied with a score with less than two minutes to the break and then scored again midway through the third to make it a 20-17 lead. The Tigers answered with a score of their own in the final minute of the third quarter, but the Cowboys continued to put the pressure on with another touchdown to make it a 27-24 game with over 12 minutes left. The defenses took over from there as both teams were unable to get on the board again until the final minute. That's when linebacker TJ Scannell (San Antonio, Texas / Reagan) snagged a deflected pass and returned it 70 yards for a game-sealing touchdown with just 59 seconds to play.

Trinity topped 200 yards rushing and receiving for a total of 436 yards in a balanced attack against the HSU defense. Hardin-Simmons was held to just 67 yards rushing by the Tiger defense, which also forced a pair of critical turnovers to aid the win. Trinity also dominated time of possession, holding the ball for nearly 37 minutes. The Tiger defense also held HSU to just 3-of-13 on third and fourth down and recorded five sacks.

Quarterback Hondo Franklin (Allen, Texas / Lovejoy) had his best game for the Tigers, accounting for more than 350 yards of offense and three touchdowns. He completing 17-of-26 passes for 226 yards and a pair of scores, then ran 12 times for 125 yards and another TD. A trio of receivers caught four passes each with Alejandro Tavarez (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson) leading the way with 86 yards and a touchdown. Lamont Nickleberry (Childress, Texas / Childress) finished with 53 yards and a score, while Tyson Hancock (Smithville, Texas / Smithville) finished with 46 yards.

Scannell had 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack among his eight tackles, while Parker Moeller picked up nine tackles, an interception, and a pass breakup. Jaden Powell (Denton, Texas / Guyer) led the team with a career-high 10 tackles that included an 11-yard sack. Jackson Priesmeyer (Sugar Land, Texas / Strake Jesuit) finished with 2.5 tackles for loss and shared a sack with Wakil Mateen (San Antonio, Texas / Brennan), while Jonathan Nwobodo (Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point) recorded his 16th career sack to move into the top 10 in school history.

The Rundown
The Tigers won the toss and deferred, putting the defense on the field to start the game. After giving up 11 yards and a first down on the opening play, Trinity produced a pair of negative plays to knock the HSU offense out of sync and forced them to punt on the opening drive. Trinity carried the early wave of momentum to a 10-play drive that covered 74 yards and resulted in the game's first points. Franklin ran for a pair of first downs early in the drive, then hooked up with Tavarez for a 37-yard pass play that made it first-and-goal from the three. Three plays later, Franklin hit Nickleberry for a short touchdown and it was 7-0 Trinity.

Neither team was able to move the ball on their next drive, but Hardin-Simmons took over after Trinity's punt resulted in a touchback. The Cowboys tied the score on the first play, covering 80 yards to tie the game with less than 90 seconds left in the quarter. Trinity took over and Franklin promptly hit Maddox Morkovsky (New Braunfels, Texas / New Braunfels) for 18 yards and Tavarez for 14 more and the Tigers were driving as the second quarter arrived. Two plays into the quarter, Franklin scampered for a 26-yard touchdown to put Trinity back in front 14-7.

Priesmeyer started the next HSU possession with a tackle for loss, and the Cowboys went three-and-out. Trinity then put together a 12-play drive that covered 77 yards and resulted in another touchdown. After a holding penalty kept the drive going initially, the Tigers came up short on third down and were facing a punt on fourth-and-short. Instead, Collin Bishop (Childress, Texas / Childress) took the direct snap and powered through the middle of the line for a first down. Franklin then connected with Tavarez for another long pass play on third down, covering 32 yards to set up first-and-goal at the seven. The Tigers moved to the three before Franklin and Tavarez hooked up again for a short touchdown. The extra-point was partially blocked and bounced off the cross bar, leaving it a 20-7 Trinity lead.

Hardin-Simmons took over with less than five minutes left in the half and finally got a drive going against the stingy Tiger defense. The seven-play drive covered 75 yards and made it a 20-14 game with less than two minutes left. Trinity could not respond on offense and the Cowboys were back on the field for the final minute. Hardin-Simmons moved to midfield on the first play and then benefitted from a roughing-the-passer penalty to get to the Trinity 35 after just two plays. The Cowboys were soon at the 20 going in when Moeller stepped in front of a pass at the one yard line with just seconds left to secure the Trinity lead at halftime.

Neither team was able to do much to start the third quarter, but Hardin-Simmons forced a fumble deep in Trinity territory and was poised to take the lead. The Tiger defense had other plans, though, and held the visitors to a 29-yard field goal to remain in front 20-17. The stop inside the red zone vaulted the offense into action and a nine-play, 75-yard drive ensued. Nickleberry caught a pair of passes for 48 yards early in the drive and the Tigers were in the red zone. Trinity then ran the ball five straight times to push its way into the end zone, capped by a six-yard run by Luke Sams (Jacksboro, Texas / Jacksboro) to make it a 27-17 game.

The ensuing drive for HSU took the game into the final quarter, and the Cowboys finished it off with a 13-yard touchdown to bring it back to a three-point game (27-24). Trinity's offense came right back with another strong drive that included a 25-yard run for Franklin and a 36-yard reception for Hancock. A penalty slowed the momentum, though, and the Tigers settled for a 37-yard field goal. Rather than extending the lead, though, the kick was blocked and Hardin-Simmons took over at the 23 yard line. The Cowboys began to move the ball, but Azriel Ngatcha (Irving, Texas / MacArthur) pushed them back with a 10-yard sack on third-and-long to force a punt.

Trinity took over with less than five minutes to play and a chance to bleed the clock and hold on for the narrow win; however, penalties ultimately derailed that plan and Hardin-Simmons took over after the punt with just under three minutes to go, needing just a field goal to tie the game. The Cowboys converted a third down that pushed them across midfield just ahead of the two-minute timeout. Trinity's defense stiffened from there and HSU had to go for it on fourth-and-five. That's when Anthony Njoku (Richmond, Texas / Travis) broke up a pass that would have been a first down, knocking the ball up for grabs. Scannell snatched it out of the air at the 30 and then navigated his way down the field for the touchdown with less than a minute left to seal the win. HSU fought to the end, but Powell and Nwobodo both had sacks on the final drive to keep the visitors from getting anywhere near the end zone.

Up Next
Trinity will travel to fellow Southern Athletic Association school Berry College (GA) for the next round of the NCAA Playoffs. Berry handed Trinity its only loss of the season earlier this year in Georgia.