Mathews garners spot on D3football.com Team of the Week

Mathews garners spot on D3football.com Team of the Week


(photo by Dustin Wyatt)

SEGUIN, Texas – Texas Lutheran running back Austin Mathews (Houston/Clear Creek) added to his awards haul this week by being named to the D3football.com Team of the Week.

Mathews, the American Southwest Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week after his record-setting performance Saturday in the Senior Day victory over Sul Ross State, became the third Bulldog this season to grab a Team of the Week honor.

Mathews joins safety James Bell (Houston/Lamar) and defensive end Manny Longoria (Geronimo/Navarro) as D3football.com award winners so far this season.
 
In TLU's 63-20 win over Sul Ross, Mathews rushed for a school-record five touchdowns and added a career-best 225 rushing yards as the Bulldogs won their seventh game of 2018. TLU is now 7-2 with a 6-2 mark in the ASC.
 
At TLU's Bulldog Stadium, Mathews eclipsed the Bulldogs' single-game rushing touchdown mark with a five-yard run in the third quarter.
 
Mathews moved past five Bulldogs (David Wehmeyer, Mike Cantu, Kenny Gransberry, Marquis Barrolle, and current quarterback Kyle Grona) that shared the previous mark of four rushing touchdowns for a game. Grona tied the old mark last season in a road win over East Texas Baptist.
 
Against Sul Ross State, Mathews scored four first-half touchdowns with runs of three, one, one, and 10 yards.
 
Mathews, a junior in football athletic eligibility but a senior on track to graduate in May, joined 12 other Bulldogs in playing in his final home game. (Mathews started his TLU Athletics career in 2015 as a member of TLU Men's Soccer.)
 
Mathews now has 899 rushing yards on 164 carries in 2018. He has scored 13 rushing touchdowns. He has four 100-yard rushing games in his last four contests, and he has 775 rushing yards in his last five games.
 
In the season finale for 2018, the Bulldogs travel to Georgetown, Texas this Saturday for a 1 p.m. road contest against Southwestern University (5-4, 4-4 ASC).