PUYALLUP, Wash. -- Trinity's defense forced five turnovers and allowed zero rushing yards to pace the Tiger football team to a 23-13 road win over Pacific Lutheran University on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers are 4-0 for the first time since 2011 with the victory, which now includes a pair of wins over Northwest Conference opponents.
"4-0 and feels great right now, particularly since we played two nationally-recognized programs in Willamette and Pacific Lutheran," said Head Coach Jerheme Urban. "It shows the program growth, but at the same time, we have a long, tough road ahead. We will take it one game at a time."
Trinity's defense came up huge on several occasions in the game, but it was the red zone defense that was particularly effective. The Tigers forced three turnovers inside the red zone, and all three came at key points in the game.
The first came late in the second quarter, with the Lutes driving inside the Tiger 10 yard line. Luke Packard came up with a fumble recovery on second-and-goal to keep the score 7-6 in favor of Pacific Lutheran.
The Lutes also put together a strong drive on their first chance in the fourth quarter, driving down inside the 10 once again. On first-and-goal, Jai Boatman stepped up with an interception at the three yard line to help the Tigers hold on to a 23-7 lead at the time.
After Trinity was intercepted on the ensuing drive - which set Pacific Lutheran up at the 11-yard line - the home team dropped back for a pass on its opening play. Instead of finding the end zone to cut into the lead, Boatman once again found himself nabbing an interception.
The Tigers were again stopped on offense, and Pacific Lutheran was set up near midfield with 4:29 to play in the game. The Lutes started with another pass play, but in unbelievable fashion, Trinity's defense recorded another interception - marking three picks on three consecutive pass attempts. This time it was Adam Saunders, and he returned it 37 yards to thwart another drive.
Pacific Lutheran actually seemed to control the game early on, scoring on just its second possession - an eight-play, 53-yard drive that made it 7-0 late in the first quarter. The Tigers got on the board with their first drive of the second quarter, as Austin Grauer found Keller Murphey for a seven-yard scoring strike. The ensuing PAT was missed, though, and Pacific Lutheran remained in front.
After halftime, Trinity came out firing from the start. Pacific Lutheran got the ball first, and Packard finished that drive with a sack to force a fumble, which was picked up by Mitch Globe. The offense turned that into a 25-yard field goal by Colby Doyal, putting the Tigers in front 9-7 - a lead that the Texas team would not relinquish.
The next defensive series was ended with a punt by the Lutes, and Grauer connected with Rhodes Legg for a 52-yard touchdown pass on third down, making it a 16-7 advantage with less than five minutes elapsed in the quarter. Trinity scored again on its next possession - this time a short run by Jeremy Simmons - taking full control of the contest.
Packard finished the game with five tackles overall, the forced fumble on the sack, the fumble recovery in the second quarter, and a total of 3.0 sacks for 11 yards lost. Julian Turner led the Tigers with nine total tackles, including eight solo efforts.
Evan McDowell led Trinity with 56 yards rushing on just 12 carries, while Simmons finished with 51 yards and the lone rushing touchdown for the Tigers. Austin Grauer finished 8-20 for 156 yards and two scores through the air.
Legg picked up 100 yards on just two catches - his 52-yard score in the third quarter, as well as a 48-yard catch-and-run that led to the team's final score on the next possession. Cody Sandman finished with three receptions for 33 yards, though he did have a 43-yard reception nullified by penalty.
Trinity returns home next weekend for an in-state showdown with Hardin-Simmons University on Saturday, October 3. The 2015 class of the Trinity Athletics Hall of Fame will be inducted during halftime of the game, which is scheduled to kick off at 1:00 p.m.