BLINN FOOTBALL SUFFERS 45-20 HOMECOMING LOSS TO TRINITY VALLEY
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
Turnovers and missed opportunities led to a rough day for the Blinn College football team Saturday as the Buccaneers fell to No. 12 Trinity Valley Community College 45-20 in a Southwest Junior College Football Conference matchup at Cub Stadium in Brenham, Texas.
Blinn dropped to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
“We played well at times, but we also played below our standard at times, and we have to be consistent,” Bucs head coach Ryan Mahon said. “If we can play well consistently and take care of the football, we can be a pretty good football team; that has to be our biggest lesson from this game.”
The Cardinals scored touchdowns on a fumble recovery and an interception, and made life difficult for Bucs backup quarterbacks Gunner Nelson and Nathen Lewis. Blinn’s starting signal caller Jack Emerson missed the contest with an injury.
Trinity Valley opened the scoring early in the first quarter when the Cardinals recovered a Blinn fumble and converted it into a 53-yard scoop-and-score.
The Bucs regrouped and answered with the tying score on their next drive when running back Lorenn Johnson crossed the goal line on a 1-yard scamper with 6:25 left in the first quarter.
It was virtually all Trinity Valley from there, however, as the Cardinals scored 21 unanswered points.
Blinn stopped the surge on a 44-yard field goal from Matt Velasco at the 9:02 mark of the second period.
Trinity Valley added a touchdown late in the second quarter before the Bucs scored their final touchdown of the day on a 19-yard pass from Lewis to receiver Tyler Harrington.
The Cardinals led 35-17 at halftime.
Following a scoreless third quarter, Velasco got Blinn within two scores in the opening seconds of the fourth when he booted a 23-yard field goal to make it 35-20.
Trinity Valley returned an interception for a touchdown and kicked a field goal to close out the scoring.
The Bucs continue their season with a conference road trip to third-ranked Tyler Junior College at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11, in Tyler, Texas.