SEGUIN, Texas — Lyon College football battled Texas Lutheran University Bulldogs, but the Scots were unable to overcome a strong second-half performance from the Bulldogs, falling 34-12. With the loss, Lyon moves to 1-4 on the season and is now 0-1 in SCAC Conference play.
Texas Lutheran opened the scoring with a four-yard touchdown run with 7:01 remaining in the first quarter, taking a 7-0 lead. The Scots' defense kept the Bulldogs from adding to their advantage later in the quarter, including forcing a missed 32-yard field goal attempt.
Lyon answered early in the second quarter. Malaki Lockhart connected with Walker Traxler on a 27-yard touchdown pass with 14:17 remaining in the half. Jesus Romero-Castillo added the extra point to even the game at 7-7.
The Bulldogs regained the lead after a safety with 7:43 remaining in the second quarter. Texas Lutheran then extended its advantage with an interception return for a touchdown with 2:27 left in the half.
Lyon responded before halftime. The Scots put together a 68-yard, 10-play drive that ended with Romero-Castillo connecting on a 25-yard field goal as time expired. The kick brought Lyon within 16-10 heading into halftime.
The Bulldogs opened the second half with a 65-yard scoring drive, capped by a 61-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 24-10 with 12:02 remaining in the third quarter. Texas Lutheran added another interception return for a touchdown later in the quarter, pushing its advantage to 31-10.
Lyon's defense continued to battle, forcing a turnover on downs in the third quarter and later coming up with an interception. Zavier Jones picked off a Texas Lutheran pass and returned it 16 yards, giving the Scots possession with an opportunity to respond.
Texas Lutheran added a 23-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it 34-10. Lyon continued to fight, putting together an 11-play, 58-yard drive that reached the Bulldogs' 11-yard line, but the Scots were unable to convert on fourth down.
Lyon's defense produced the final points of the afternoon when the Scots recorded a safety with 4:53 remaining in the fourth quarter, cutting the final margin to 34-12.
Lockhart finished the game 15-of-40 passing for 198 yards and one touchdown. Javarion Williams led the Scots with six receptions for 97 yards, while Traxler recorded two catches for 37 yards and a touchdown. Jace Birkes added a 33-yard reception.
Hayden Barton paced the Lyon rushing attack with 76 yards on 23 carries. Lockhart added six rushing attempts, while Tky Posey and Javarion Williams also contributed on the ground.
Defensively, Noah Benton and Kyo Randall led the Scots with 11 and nine total tackles, respectively. Zander Week and Clarence Mucherson each recorded nine and eight tackles, while Jason Crawford Jr. finished with eight tackles, including a sack and a tackle for loss.
As a team, Lyon finished with 277 yards of total offense, including 198 passing yards and 79 rushing yards. The Scots recorded 14 first downs and held the ball for 25:06.
Scots will head to Sherman, TX to take on the Austin College Roos at1:00 PM on Saturday, October 10th at 1:00 PM.
