Trinity pulls away late, tops Austin College 52-35

Tigers scored 24 fourth quarter points

SAN ANTONIO – The Trinity University football team defeated in-state and Southern Athletic Association rival Austin College 52-35 Saturday afternoon at Trinity Football Stadium. The victory is the Tigers’ eighth consecutive against the Roos and 25th in the last 26 outings. 

Trinity held a 21-15 edge at halftime, but the offense exploded for 31 points in the second half. Junior quarterback Wyatt Messex tallied four passing touchdowns and 220 yards, connecting with Tommy Lavine twice in the endzone. 

“There is not much else to say about Tommy,” Wyatt said. “I think Tommy has a shot to play in the League. He’s amazing. He’s an amazing player to be around. It’s awesome to have somebody like him on the team you know you can trust. He’s always going to do the right thing, always going to be in the right spot and come down with the big catches.”

The Tigers watched a 13-point lead dwindle in the third quarter after Messex was intercepted by Keegan Nichols at the Tigers’ own 17. The Roos turned that mistake into a touchdown, cutting the lead to 28-22. Then, after the Tigers missed a field goal on the ensuing drive, Austin College found the endzone again on Colt Collins’ one-yard touchdown run. However, the extra point attempt was blocked, tying the game at 28 early in the fourth quarter.

After that rough stretch, Trinity pulled away, outscoring the Roos 24-6 in the remainder of the quarter. Lavine, who also contributed 153 receiving yards, said the offense was confident in their ability to continue scoring. 

“The big thing was to keep the energy going,” said Lavine. “That’s something we pride ourselves on. Something goes wrong? Next play mentality – regroup, get back together, take a deep breath and get back going forward.”

With less than a minute in regulation, Mike Edmonson rushed five yards into the endzone to cap the scoring for the Tigers. Trinity has a bye next Saturday followed by road contests at Millsaps and Sewanee.