SEGUIN, Texas -- Four years ago, Texas Lutheran Head Coach
Danny Padron inherited an 0-10 football team. Saturday, Padron and the TLU Bulldogs are champions of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
TLU finished off a 3-0 run through the SCAC with a 45-12 home victory over Austin College. The Bulldogs also improved to 4-0 overall and stretched its win streak (dating back to last season) to five games.
The SCAC Championship for TLU is the university's football conference championship. When TLU was winning NAIA-II national championships in 1974 and 1975, under Head Coach Jim Wacker, the Bulldogs were NAIA independents.
TLU's championship in the SCAC is also the first for the university in its new conference. The Bulldogs officially joined the SCAC in July 1 of this year.
"It just goes to show how good the coaches are in just building this program up," said
Bradley Snowden, TLU's senior linebacker and a team captain. "All the kids have bought in, and it shows."
Snowden (Houston/Seven Lake) and twins Brent and
Cameron Peavy (Houston/St. Pius X) were on the 2010 team that started the upward trajectory of Bulldog Football. Brent, the team's senior quarterback, and Cameron, a senior receiver, each played huge roles Saturday in delivering the conference title.
"We came in here right after that 0-and-10 season, and just seeing our team just progress and grow and bond together has made it all that much better for us today," said
Brent Peavy.
Brent Peavy completed his first 15 passes on Saturday and finished the game 22-for-29 for 363 yards and three touchdowns. He entered the game as NCAA Division III's total offense leader and as the quarterback for NCAA DIII's top squad in terms of team total offense.
Cameron Peavy caught two TD passes from his brother and collected eight catches for 148 yards. Cameron put TLU on the board first with a 66-yard TD reception. He added a 17-yard scoring strike in the third quarter.
TLU gained 477 yards of total offense against the Kangaroos (1-5, 0-1 SCAC). The Bulldogs averaged 7.2 yards per play and 15.0 yards per completion.
The TLU defense intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble. The Bulldogs held Austin College to 2.5 yards per rush and to a less-than-50 percent completion rate in the passing game.
TLU freshman defensive lineman
Broderick Sargent (Waxahachie/Waxahachie) recorded two sacks, a forced fumble and six total tackles. Junior defensive end
Bryan Doolittle (Houston/Langham Creek) collected six tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.
TLU led 35-12 at the break and shut-out Austin College in the second half.
Cameron Peavy's second TD catch came with just 46 seconds remaining in the first half. The TD drive took four plays and covered 62 yards in 32 seconds.
The Bulldogs also received touchdowns from
Deion Barnes (Edna/Edna),
Marquis Barrolle (Ingleside/Ingleside),
A.J. Saucedo (San Antonio/Central Catholic) and
Tyler Figol (New Braunfels/Canyon).
Barnes scored on a 5-yard pass from Peavy. Barrolle and Saucedo hit paydirt on runs of seven and one, respectively, and Figol scored on a six-yard pass from backup quarterback
Trenton White (Sachse/Sachse).
TLU celebrated the conference championship with its traditional ringing of the TLU Victory Bell. SCAC officials were on hand to hand out the conference championship trophy and conference championship shirts.
The Bulldogs hit the road next Saturday to face former conference opponent Sul Ross State University. The Bulldogs and Lobos played together in the American Southwest Conference from 1998 to 2012. Sul Ross remains a member of the ASC.
Kickoff from Alpine's Jackson Field is set for 1 p.m. TLU will have a live video webcast on tlubulldogs.com. KWED 1580 AM will have the radio broadcast and the audio-only webcast seguintoday.com.
