No. 18 nationally ranked Trinity football entered week four with a 3-0 record after a 45-8 blowout win on the road against Pacific Lutheran University on Sept. 20. The Tigers faced their first Southern Athletic Association (SAA) conference rival of the season at home on Oct. 4, defeating Southwestern University 65-14. Trinity has now outscored their opponents 185-36, opening conference play leading the SAA in points scored and fewest points given allowed on defense.
Southwestern held Trinity close in the first half, but the Tigers led the game 16-14. However, the Tigers extended their lead with a 28-point third quarter.
Special teams ignited Trinity’s second-half scoring spree, asserting control of the game First-year running back Luke Sams returned the Pirates’ third-quarter kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, giving Trinity a 23-14 advantage. This tied with the university record for the longest kickoff return for a touchdown.
The offense resumed their productivity in the third quarter behind sophomore quarterback Hondo Franklin’s two touchdown passes, stretching Trinity’s lead to 37-14. The defense also contributed to Trinity’s scoring outburst when sophomore defensive back Judson Crockett returned a recovered fumble to the end zone, closing the quarter with a 44-14 lead over Southwestern.
Franklin has now thrown 10 touchdown passes of the season for 719 yards. Prior to the game, Franklin said that he was very comfortable settling into his role.
“I think I’m getting better every week,” Franklin said before the week four matchup. “And I mean, that’s just a tribute to my teammates. I’m gaining trust with them, and I think just the chemistry is there and that I’m gaining trust from the coaches. And I feel comfortable, and I feel confident whenever I go out there. So, [I’m] just trying to get better every practice every week, and then it’ll be good in the end.”
Both teams delivered defensive plays in the first quarter of the game. The Tigers defense ended the Pirates’ opening drive with an interception by graduate student defensive lineman Jonathan Nwobodo. The Pirates responded by containing the Tigers offense, forcing a three-and-out on their first possession. Both defenses recorded a sack by the end of the first quarter, one of which being a safety by Nwobodo to give Trinity a 2-0 first quarter lead over Southwestern.
Senior defensive back Jaden Powell attributed the defense’s playing style to the “black flag” mentality that the players implemented.
“When we come on the field, we’re going to take,” Powell said prior to the game against Southwestern. “We’re going to take the ball. We’re going to go three-and-out, and that’s kind of the mindset we want to have and the impact we want to leave on our opponents … These guys are going to shut down the run, and then we’re going to try to throw the ball, and they’re going to shut that down too. So that’s kind of what the ‘black flag’ means to us.”
Trinity’s defense kept the Tigers’ momentum rolling. Senior linebacker TJ Scannell forced a fumble that Crockett returned for a touchdown, extending Trinity’s lead to 16-7. A Southwestern touchdown then capped off the first-half, narrowing Trinity’s lead 16-14 to close the half.
Crockett’s two recovered fumbles against Southwestern earned him the SAA Football Defensive Athlete of the Week award.
“It was great,” Crockett said of his performance. “All I had to do [was] trust in my teammates, so they did the work for me. The ball was right in front of me, so all I had to do was pick it up and go. But just us, as a defense, having the trust [in each other] to make plays, that’s all it took. It feels good.”
Crockett said Trinity players on both sides of the ball feed off each other’s energy.
“We got a defense that’s trusting the offense, [and an] offense that’s trusting the defense,” Crockett said. “So, as long as we keep our head down and just work, it [doesn’t] matter who the opponent is. We’re going to get it done.”
The Tigers offense finished off the Pirates with a 21-point fourth quarter as the defense held the Pirates scoreless for the second-half, ending their first SAA conference game of the season with a 65-14 victory.
The 4-0 Tigers will hit the road to resume conference play, taking on Berry College in Mount Berry, GA on Oct. 11.
*This story has been updated with more in-depth coverage on Oct. 10
