Birmingham-Southern came within 13 seconds of a signature win on the road. Unfortunately for the Panthers, nationally ranked Trinity provided one final big play on its home field.

Trinity, the No. 5 ranked Division III team, used a fourth down pass from Tucker Horn to Carter Self in the game's final seconds to escape with a 23-20 victory in San Antonio.

"Championship-level football game versus a championship-level team," said Trinity head coach Jerheme Urban in a story posted on the Trinity Athletics website. "I'll talk about our guys here in a second, but first, I really want to tip my hat to Coach (Tony Joe) White and the men of BSC football. They are such a class group, they are truly whistle-to-whistle competitors, and they are 100% a playoff-worthy program. Incredible fight, playmakers in all three phases, just a really good football team."

Birmingham-Southern (3-2 overall, 1-1 Southern Athletic Association) scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to turn a 17-10 Trinity lead into a 20-17 Panther advantage. Zach Ford hit a 22-yard field goal, capping a 9-play, 75-yard march, with 6:52 left. After a defensive stop, the Panthers drove 60 yards on seven plays, with Jon Lewis scoring on a 1-yard run with 1:07.

Trinity (5-0, 2-0) was facing a fourth-and-5 on the game-winning play. It capped off a strong afternoon by Horn, who threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns. Birmingham-Southern quarterback Matt McClary was 14 of 26 for 242 yards. Lewis had 90 yards rushing and both of the Panthers' touchdowns. 

SAMFORD 28, WOFFORD 14: Another win, another solid performance by the Bulldog defense. Samford allowed just 220 yards in offense overall and didn't allow a point in the first half.

"I was really concerned about how we would play," Hatcher said. "Fortunately, our defense played outstanding for the first three-quarters of the game, and then offensively, we were able to get some things going at the end of the half and into the third quarter, but a win is a win, and we are very excited." 

Michael Hiers completed 31 of 42 for 251 yards with a pair of touchdown passes. The first touchdown pass covered six yards to Kendall Watson and came with six seconds left in the half to give Samford the 14-0 lead. The drive was set up by a defensive stop by the Bulldogs and a 7-yard punt by Wofford's Landon Parker that was downed at the Wofford 47-yard line. The other touchdown pass – a 54-yard connection with D.J. Rias – covered 54 passes and gave the Bulldogs a 21-0 lead in the third quarter.

Jaylan Thomas had 76 of the Bulldogs' 162 rushing yards. He scored on a 37-yard run late in the third quarter.

Samford moves to 5-1 overall, and 3-0 in Southern Conference play. It's the best overall start for Samford since 2016. Wofford, which fell to 0-6 and 0-3, played two days after head coach Josh Conklin resigned. Shawn Watson is serving as the interim head coach.

ALABAMA A&M 37, GRAMBLING 31: Donovan Eaglin gave the Bulldogs the walk-off win in double overtime when he plunged in from 2 yards out for the game-winning points. His game-winning touchdown came just after Grambling's second overtime possession consisted of three incompletions and a fourth down sack by Alabama A&M linebacker Dre Terry.

It was the second consecutive victory for the Bulldogs, who improved to 2-4 overall and 2-1 in the SWAC.

This one nearly ended in regulation. Grambling forced overtime by scoring on a 6-yard run by Maurice Washington with 29 seconds remaining. The touchdown capped a 10-play, 71-yard drive, which included an 4th-and-2 conversion from just inside Alabama A&M territory.

The teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime, with the Bulldogs' score coming on a 7-yard pass from Quincy Casey to Keenan Hambrick.

Eaglin had his second consecutive strong game. He had 21 carries for 126 yards with two touchdowns. Casey threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns. Alabama A&M had 10 tackles for loss and four sacks. JaBraun McNeal had nine tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack. Avian Rice had seven tackles, one tackle for loss, an interception and two quarterback hurries.

BENEDICT 20, MILES COLLEGE 3: Benedict scored all of its points in the second quarter. Miles College failed to score a touchdown for the second consecutive game.

Benedict gained 248 yards on 72 plays, while Miles College ran 43 plays for 132 yards. Benedict won the time of possession category, 38:48 to 21:12. Miles College quarterback Jacob Millhouse was 10 of 28 for 162 yards. He threw two interceptions and was sacked four times.

The only Miles College points came on a 27-yard field goal by Jackson Spradlin.

THOMAS MORE UNIVERSITY 24, FAULKNER 7: Faulkner took the lead late in the first quarter on a 32-yard pass from Ben Anderson to Jaiveyon Tucker. Thomas More scored 24 unanswered points, including the tying touchdown just 27 seconds later.

Tucker had five catches for 104 yards, and Satyler Wilson added 72 yards on four catches. Backup quarterback Raequan Beal was 10 of 26 for 147 yards.

KENNESAW STATE 40, UNA 34 (2 OTs): Freshman quarterback Noah Walters threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns, all of them to Takairee Kenebrew, to put the Lions in position to win their first ASUN game. But, the Owls, who have one of the more consistent programs in the ASUN, found a way to get the game into overtime and eventually won it.  

UNA scored the first 14 points of the second half to take a 20-17 lead. Kenebrew and Walters provided the first touchdown on a 62-yard connection, and ShunDerrick Powell's 2-yard scoring run gave the Lions the lead. Kennesaw State tied the game with a field goal, but Kenebrew scored on a 60-yard touchdown reception from Walters to give UNA a 27-20 lead with 3:43 remaining.

The Owls responded with a 75-yard drive that ended when Isaac Foster plunged in from a yard out on 4th-and-goal. The teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime, with Kenebrew scoring yet again on a 31-yard pass from Walters.

Foster scored on a 12-yard run on the opening possession of the second overtime. UNA gained three yards on its first three plays of the second overtime. The game then ended when Walters' pass was knocked down by a Kennesaw State defender.

WEST ALABAMA 34, VALDOSTA STATE 31: The Tigers running attack piled up 327 yards and scored two touchdowns in the win on the road. West Alabama had to hold on down the stretch.

"We did almost everything we could to give it away, but our guys kept battling, and I am so proud of them," said West Alabama head coach Brett Gilliland. "The end result is we found a way to win and refused to lose against a team that just a few months ago was playing for a national championship."

Running back Demetrius Battle led the way with 114 yards, Bry Webb had 98 yards, quarterback Tucker Molton rushed for 81 yards, and Antonio Brown had 54 yards. Webb and Battle each had touchdown runs, and Webb had another touchdown reception. Melton threw a pair of touchdown passes.

West Alabama fell into a 14-0 hole before eventually building a 34-24 lead with 11 minutes left in the game. Valdosta State's final possession was slowed by a Jamal Ellis sack. Ellis had seven tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. Linebacker Michael Anderson had a team-high 13 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

TROY 27, SOUTHERN MISS 10: Jarret Doege got the start at quarterback in place of an injured Gunnar Watson and helped the Trojans to an important Sun Belt Conference win. Doege threw for 237 yards and a touchdown.

It was an opportunistic defense, though, that was the star of the night. The Trojans had interceptions from Craig Slocum, Markeis Colvin and Kyle Cass and the Trojans also had a fumble that was forced by Richard Jubinor and recovered by Buddha Jones. Southern Miss had 205 yards in offense, and the Golden Eagles' two scoring drives covered a combined 39 yards because of Troy turnovers.

"I try not to harp on it because I want our guys to understand the keys to winning the game," Troy head coach Jon Sumrall said. "I'm just really proud of our guys for being able to get on a roll. We showed early in the year after the third game that we handled failure well. You also have to know how to handle some success well, in our theme and mantra of 'So what, now what.' In this game, you get humbled. So, you've got to be prepared. I'm excited for the win. I'm proud of our guys."

Kimani Vidal rushed for 79 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown run, and DK Billingsley had a 1-yard scoring run. Doege threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Tez Johnson that closed the scoring.

TUSKEGEE 31, MOREHOUSE 14: Quarterback Bryson Williams earned MVP honors in the Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic at Legion Field. Williams threw for 196 yards and a touchdown and added three touchdowns on the ground in the victory. It was the fourth consecutive win for the Golden Tigers (4-2 overall, 3-0 SIAC).

Tuskegee never trailed in the game, but the teams were tied, 14-14, at halftime. Williams had two rushing touchdowns in the second half, and Arnes Huskic kicked a 41-yard field goal.

Linebacker Woodly Appolon had a team-high nine tackles for the Golden Tigers, who had 10 tackles for loss and three sacks.

To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email steve.irvine@1819news.com.

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