Gents Fall To Texas Lutheran In Home Finale, 46-23

Shreveport – The Centenary football team fell 46-23 to the Texas Lutheran University Bulldogs in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference contest and the Gents' final home game of the season on Saturday afternoon at Atkins Field.

The Gents (4-5, 4-3 SCAC) had their two-game winning streak snapped and finished 2-3 at home while the Bulldogs improved to 8-1 and 7-1 in league play and are now 4-1 on the road and extended their winning streak to six.

How it happened:

The Bulldogs won the toss and deferred to the second half and kicked off to the Gents. Centenary managed just 13 yards on five plays and punted but pinned TLU back at its own 12-yard line. The Gents then forced a punt and got the ball back but sophomore LB/P/PK Vance Feuerbacher (Plano, Texas) fumbled and the Bulldogs recovered. Six plays later, TLU quarterback Caden Bosanko scored from two yards out on the ground and Joaquin Rodriguez added the PAT for a 7-09 lead with 4:35 remaining in the first quarter. TLU made it 10-0 on a 35-yard FG by Rodriguez with 9:57 left in the second quarter.

Facing a 3^rd and 2 at their own 48-yard line, the Gents got on the board as Feuerbacher raced 52 yards down the sideline for an electrifying TD. Seconds later, a likely exhausted Feuerbacher missed the PAT but he got his team on the board to make it 10-6 with 8:21 left before halftime. The teams traded punts in their next two possessions and Bosanko then found the end zone on the ground again, this time from three yards out and Rodriguez's PAT made it 17-6 with 2:10 on the clock.

The Gents then moved quickly down the field in just six plays and on third and goal from the 10-yard line, Feuerbacher took the snap and tossed to junior WR Kobe Chambers (Greenwood, Miss.) who used a nifty spin move to get around the TLU defender and into the end zone to make it a 17-12 game with just 14 seconds left before the half. The Gents went for two but Feuerbacher was tackled immediately, but after falling behind early by double digits, Centenary was within five at the half.

The Bulldogs, however, wasted no time in extending their lead after halftime as Bosanko hit WR Caleb Camarillo for a 61-yard TD pass on the fourth play of the opening drive and Rodriguez's PAT made it 24-12 with 13:00 on the clock. The Gents, though, responded right away as Feuerbacher and Chambers connected again for a 47-yard score as Chambers caught the ball over the middle and eluded his closest defender who collided with one of the referees and scampered to the end zone untouched. Then, the Gents elected to for two and Feuerbacher pitched to Chambers who scrambled in the backfield for several seconds and then noticed a wide-open sophomore WR Jay Richardson (Parkview Baptist High School) all alone in the left corner of the end zone to make it a 24-20 game with 10:56 on the clock. The drive covered 75 yards in just five plays and lasted only 2:04.

TLU drove to the Centenary 26-yard line on its next possession and settled for a 43-yard FG by Rodriguez at the 6:38 mark to make it 27-20. The Gents were then backed up inside their own 10-yard line after a holding call on the kickoff and on the first play, Feuerbacher was pressured and forced into his own end zone and could not escape as the Bulldogs recorded a safety to make it 29-20.

The Bulldogs then went 79 yards in just eight plays and Bosanko had his third rushing TD of the game from 17 yards out and Rodriguez's PAT made it 36-20 with just 1:52 remaining in the third period. The Gents then went on a long drive and got all the way to the TLU 9-yard line, but had to settle for a 26-yard FG by Feuerbacher that made it 36-23 with 9:49 left in the game.

Rodriguez kicked a 32-yard FG to extend TLU's lead to 39-23 at the 6:43 mark capping a 7-play, 44-yard drive. Bosanko then scored his fourth rushing TD of the game from 11 yards out and the PAT was good with an even 1:00 on the clock for the final points of the game to make it 46-23.

TLU finished with 486 yards of total offense on 66 plays and collected 21 first downs. The Bulldogs rushed 40 times for 227 yards and Bosanko was 15-26 for 259 yards and a TD with no interceptions. Centenary finished with 335 yards of total offense on 58 plays and had 17 first downs. The Gents rushed for 87 yards on 24 carries and Feuerbacher completed 16-32 passes for 248 yards with two TD and one INT.

The Bulldogs finished 7 of 13 on third down while the Gents converted just 4 of 13 and each team was 1-2 on fourth down. TLU punted twice, the Gents four times, and each team recorded a pair of sacks. Centenary fumbled twice, losing one, and TLU fumbled once but recovered it. The Bulldogs were penalized eight times for 59 yards and the Gents had seven for 53 yards.

By the Numbers:

FIRST DOWNS:

TLU – 21

CENTENARY – 17

RUSHING YARDS:

TLU – 40 ATTEMPTS FOR 227 YARDS

CENTENARY – 24 ATTEMPTS FOR 87 YARDS

PASSING YARDS:

TLU – 259 YARDS

CENTENARY – 248 YARDS

TOTAL OFFENSE:

TLU – 66 PLAYS FOR 486 YARDS

CENTENARY – 58 PLAYS FOR 335 YARDS

TIME OF POSSESSION:

TLU – 34:08

CENTENARY – 25:52

Gents' Individual Statistical Leaders:

RECEIVING: Chambers – 5 catches for 83 yards and 2 TD

RUSHING: Feuerbacher – 13 carries for 70 yards and 1 TD

PASSING: Feuerbacher – 16-32 for 248 yards and 2 TD, 1 INT

TACKLES: Freshman DB Jacob Wilson (Shreveport, La.) – 7 total tackles (all solo)

Centenary finishes its regular season next Saturday against the McMurry University War Hawks in Abilene, Texas at Noon.

See the complete Gents' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/fball/2024-25/schedule

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