Senior running back Anthony Smith
CLINTON, Miss. -- The Texas Lutheran Bulldogs ended their 2009 season without a win, but they made the 19th-ranked Mississippi College Choctaws earn a share of the American Southwest Conference Championship.
Saturday at MC's Robinson-Hale Stadium, Steven Knight rushed for 221 yards and a touchdown to lead the Choctaws to the 38-24 win. Senior quarterback Adam Shaffer added four touchdown passes.
TLU (0-10, 0-8 ASC) endured the resignation of Head Coach Dennis Parker on Monday and a 9-hour bus ride to Mississippi College on Friday, but the Bulldogs battled late into the game Saturday with a legitimate shot at a victory. The game was tied at 24 late in the third quarter.
Mississippi College (8-2, 7-1) needed an fourth-quarter interception at the Choctaw 3-yard line and a late TD pass from Shaffer to Cody Goss to thwart the Bulldogs' upset bid.
Saturday's win over TLU clinched the Choctaws' American Southwest Conference automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Football Championships. MC and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor posted identical 7-1 marks in the conference and finished as co-champions, but MC takes the automatic bid by virtue of its 17-14 win over the Cru on Oct. 17. UMHB is in the running for an at-large bid to the NCAA DIII playoffs.
TLU tied the game at 24 with a 2-yard run from Luke Davis (Baytown/Baytown Christian) at the 4:33 mark of the third. The scoring run was Davis's second of the game, and it capped a 16-play, 72-yard drive that took 7:27 off the clock.
The Choctaws answered TLU's momentum shift with a Shaffer touchdown passes to Renard Ellis at the 1:17 mark of the third quarter. The scoring drive lasted 3:08, took seven plays, and covered 65 yards.
On its next possession, TLU moved the ball into Choctaw territory. Facing a 2-and-14 from the MC 44, the Bulldogs tried a reverse flea flicker. After Davis received the ball on the pitch, he lofted a ball deep down field to Steven Thrash. Cornerback Darius Jones intercepted the ball at the MC 3 and returned it 60 yards to the TLU 37. Davis made the touchdown-saving tackle.
The Bulldogs held MC without points after the interception. The Choctaws had 1st-and-goal from the TLU 4 and went for the touchdown on 4th-and-goal from the two. Knight was stopped for no gain by a host of Bulldogs, led by sophomore linebacker Trey Parma (Yorktown/Yorktown).
TLU was unable to drive out of the shadow of its own goal line and punted after five plays. The Choctaws took over at the TLU 41 and scored five plays later on the TD pass from Shaffer to Goss.
TLU led 7-0 early in the game after sacking Shaffer at the MC 6 and forcing a fumble on the play. Kevin Cossey (Trinity/Trinity) forced the ball loose, and James Villarreal (Sinton/Sinton) made the recovery. TLU scored four plays later on a Davis 1-yard run on fourth down.
TLU trailed 21-17 at the half. The Bulldogs connected on a 36-yard field goal from Allen Cain (San Antonio/Stevens) at the 12:51 mark of the second quarter and added a Steven Thrash 28-yard TD catch from Davis just before the half. For Thrash, the senior from Hubbard (Hubbard), the catch was his team-leading and single-season career best seventh touchdown.
Thrash went over the 100-yard mark against the Choctaws. He made eight grabs for 104 yards.
The TD pass to Thrash was the first career TD pass for Davis, the sophomore making his first collegiate start. Davis played well Saturday. In addition to the two rushing TDs, he completed 21 of 40 passes for 249 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He rushed for a team-best 23 yards.
Notes: TLU freshman defensive end Chris Kyle (McAllen/McAllen) was held without a sack and finished one sack shy of the American Southwest Conference record for single season sacks. Kyle finished with 11. The ASC record is 12, shared by two players…The Bulldogs overall losing streak is now 13 games. TLU has not won since Oct. 25, 2008 - an 18-0 road win over McMurry University…The Bulldogs' 13-game skid ties the school mark for most games without a win…The 13-game losing streak is the longest consecutive losing streak in school history…Coach Dennis Parker resigned on Monday. Saturday was his final game as TLU's head coach. Parker's final day at TLU will be Monday, Nov. 16…Saturday's game was the final collegiate contest for 10 Bulldog seniors.