SHERMAN, Texas -- Texas Lutheran continued its dominant defensive stretch Saturday afternoon, shutting out Austin College, 23-0, at Jerry Apple Stadium to secure its seventh consecutive victory and remain unbeaten in SCAC play. With the win, the Bulldogs clinched at least a share of the 2026 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) regular season championship. The championship is their third straight since rejoining the conference in 2024.
The Bulldogs (7-1, 3-0 SCAC) recorded multiple shutouts in a season for the first time since 1984, holding the 'Roos to just 158 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs have won eight straight games against Austin College dating back to 2021.
Offensively, quarterback
Elijah Favela (Converse/Judson) completed 9-of-12 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown while adding a rushing score.
Ja'Mare Nichols (San Antonio/Roosevelt) matched his career-high with six receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown.
James Garza (Canyon Lake/Canyon Lake) led the Bulldogs on the ground with 104 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, while
Javin Logan (Houston/North Shore) added 103 yards on 17 carries, giving Texas Lutheran two 100-yard rushers in the same game for the first time since 2021.
The Bulldogs wasted little time establishing control, marching 56 yards on eight plays during their opening possession. Favela capped the 4:24 drive with a four-yard touchdown run to give TLU an early 7-0 advantage.
Following a defensive stop, Texas Lutheran extended its lead with a 12-play, 91 yard drive highlighted by five catches for 55 yards from Nichols, including a 14-yard touchdown to finish the possession.
Troy Tomaselli (San Antonio/Cornerstone Christian) and
Marvin Farris (Rosenberg/Lamar Consolidated) made a play in the end zone to force a safety to increase the TLU lead to 16-0 entering halftime.
The final score of the game came with just over six minutes remaining in the third quarter as Garza scored on a one-yard run to complete the scoring.
While the TLU offense slowed, the Texas Lutheran defense continued to disrupt throughout the second half.
Marvin Farris led the Bulldogs with seven tackles, while
Diego Avila (Allen/Allen) registered six tackles, 1.5 for loss, and a sack.
Jake Stanford (Crawford/Crawford) contributed 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
Malik Johnson (Paris/Paris) and
Christian Pierre (Fredericksburg, VA/Dutchtown) helped the Bulldogs make history on Saturday as their pair of interceptions helped break the TLU single-season interception record as the Bulldogs, who lead the nation in the category, increase their season total to 25. The previous record was 23 and had stood since 1970.
The Bulldogs finished with 457 yards of total offense, including a season-high 328 rushing yards, while converting 5-of-11 third down opportunities.
Texas Lutheran returns to Seguin for their Senior Day and regular season finale against Centenary at Bulldog Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7. Kickoff is set for 1 PM and will be broadcast on FloCollege, along with KWED 1580 AM. All streaming and live stats links can be found on tlubulldogs.com.
For more information on Texas Lutheran football, follow the Bulldogs on X (Twitter) and Instagram (@TLU_Football) and as always you can find updates on all Texas Lutheran athletics on tlubulldogs.com and all official TLU social media channels (@tluathletics on X (Twitter,) @tlu_athletics on Instagram, and @tlubulldogs on Facebook).
