(Story courtesy of Texas Lutheran Athletics Communication)
SEGUIN, Texas -- Texas Lutheran University closed out the regular season with a come-from-behind 17-10 overtime victory over Southwestern University. The victory closed out the Bulldogs' regular season at 9-1 and the team's 7-1 conference mark clinched a share of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference football title.
TLU locked up its share of the 2024 SCAC championship last Saturday when the Bulldogs earned a 46-23 road victory over Centenary College at Atkins Field in Shreveport, Louisiana. The championship is their fourth in the SCAC, winning three championships in four years during their previous stint in the conference.
With Saturday's win over Southwestern, Texas Lutheran reached a trio of marks relevant to the 2014 season:
- 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 sealed the game for the Bulldogs.
On the game-winning drive, quarterback Caden Bosanko found wide receiver Lavonta Henry for a 20-yard gain and following a loss of yards found Eugene Robinson IV for six yards before a four-yard rush from a returning Weston Guzman 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 finished with a career-high 13 tackles (five solo), including 1.5 for a loss. Sean Blanks added nine tackles while seniors Mason Hardy, Grayson Kowalski, and DJ Lewis all finished with eight tackles.
On Saturday, senior punter Cameron Welch 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 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.
