The Trinity University Tigers rode their defense to victory, shutting down the Washington and Lee University Generals in their second home game of the season to move to a 2-1 record. Despite possessing an offense that averaged 393 rushing yards per game, Washington and Lee found themselves at the mercy of a dominating Trinity front that allowed just 27 yards in the first half. The Tigers struggled on offense — particularly in the second half — but held their 16-point halftime score to the final whistle, enough to secure the victory.
Trinity scored a field goal on their opening possession and forced a defensive three-and-out, but offensive miscues caused issues for the team. A Ryan Back pass intended for Lamont Nickleberry found its way into the hands of Generals linebacker Uno Christopher, who returned the interception 65 yards for an early touchdown. Despite playing down, Trinity would fight back with another field goal off the foot of senior kicker Tyler Huettel.
The next defensive drive for Trinity would show not only the strength of Trinity’s roster but the tone of the game overall. Trinity got after the Generals and running back Jacob Romero, forcing two straight drives to end with a turnover on downs.
The defensive gameplan for Trinity would be different heading into the week due to the Generals’ strength on the ground. Washington and Lee’s offense utilizes the Triple Option: a concept created by University of Missouri coach Don Faurot in 1941 but made famous by Paul Johnson in 2008 with Georgia Tech. The play allows three players (the quarterback and two others) to receive and run with the ball, depending on the read. This makes life difficult for defenses, as they have to make multiple reads in a short timeframe. According to fifth-year linebacker Cade Rabson, this concept was the one that required the most attention moving forward.
“When we’re in the game, we need to stay focused,” Rabson said. “It’s going to be different in terms of how we play.”
Trinity, as well as the majority of their opponents, utilize spread concepts, which are more prone to passing. This shift from pass-first to run-first mentalities would be something that the players would have to take note of during every play.
“The run game is going to be heavy,” junior linebacker Jaden Powell said before the game. “We need to stay in our blocks and take away the pitch.”
After averaging 147 yards per game going into the matchup, Romero was shut down in the first half with just 10 yards of total offense. Trinity took advantage of the field position, scoring a Johnny Milo touchdown and a field goal before halftime.
The second half saw a much more explosive Washington and Lee offense with a 53-yard run by Marcus Payne, but the Trinity defense wasn’t deterred. Miscommunication on a pitch resulted in a fumble by the offense which was taken in by Powell.
The Generals scored a field goal on their next drive, bringing the score to 16-10 in favor of the Tigers, but the Trinity offense continued to struggle. The team dominated in their week two win over the Belhaven University Blazers the week before, 55-10, but the offensive output in week three was far lower than the previous week. With the offense unable to move the ball, it fell on the defensive unit to show up in the closing stages to avoid losing two straight games at home to open the year.
Tyson Cornett, one of the defensive captains and a senior in the safety position, came up big with an interception early in the fourth quarter. The ball was tipped by linebacker Jackson Berry and landed right into the waiting hands of Cornett to kill Washington and Lee’s momentum. It was his third interception in as many weeks, as he had one in the week one loss against Texas Lutheran and returned another interception for a 24-yard pick-six against Belhaven.
The next drive saw another interception by the Trinity defense, taking advantage of the inexperienced Generals quarterback Ty Collins. With pressure from Rabson in his face, the quarterback floated a pass over the head of his intended target and directly into the arms of junior defensive back Trey Green.
However, the Generals’ defense showed up again on the next Trinity drive and forced a punt with just two minutes remaining. The punter bobbled the snap, which gave the Generals one last opportunity to score. Washington and Lee moved the ball well on the ensuing drive, earning a big conversion on fourth down to stay alive. Down but not out, the Tiger defense showed their teeth, forcing another fourth down conversion attempt. With the game on the line, Collins forced a pass intended to Payne, but sophomore defensive back Anthony Njoku broke it up to seal the victory.
Both teams relied heavily on their ground attack, running the ball for a combined 307 yards on the day. Trinity’s domination of the time of possession was crucial in this one, controlling the ball for 23 of the first 30 minutes and ultimately hanging onto the ball for 36 minutes total in the game. The Tigers failed to score in the second half, but it didn’t matter as their defense forced six turnovers (three turnovers on downs, two interceptions and one fumble) across the game. Trinity will have a bye week next weekend before traveling up to Danville, KY., for the first game of their conference schedule against Centre College. They will return to San Antonio for another noon kickoff on Oct. 12, taking on The University of the South (Sewanee).
