On the heels of week five’s wild come-from-behind upset of then-ninth-ranked Navarro College, and just days away from a key Southwest Junior College Football Conference road trip to Trinity Valley Community College, Blinn College head coach has turned to paper, scotch tape, and a timely message to keep his players locked in.
“Believe. Don’t settle,” Mahon recited from several printouts fastened to the walls inside Blinn’s football offices. “Believe in your teammates around you, believe in the coaching you’re receiving, and believe in yourselves. Don’t settle for one big victory. We want to keep going on this upward trajectory we’ve positioned ourselves on.”
Mahon’s message may have been pre-conceived during the third and fourth quarters of Blinn’s 44-43 home win over Navarro, when the Bucs erased a 30-7 halftime deficit en route to their first conference victory of the season.
Now, Blinn (2-1, 1-1) faces Trinity Valley at 3 p.m. on Saturday in Athens, Texas, looking to build on that momentum.
“It was a great team win, but what made it special was that we proved to ourselves that we could go out and do the job,” said sophomore quarterback Rylan Wooten. “Everybody adopted a now-or-never mindset in that second half and really came together, and I think that has to be the attitude going forward if we want to keep this thing going.”
In just his fifth collegiate start dating back to the 2023 season, Wooten had a game for the ages against Navarro. The Brenham, Texas, native piled up 514 yards of offense (426 passing, 88 rushing) to go with three touchdown passes and a pair of scores on the ground. He engineered five second-half scoring drives, including two in the final three minutes of play to propel the Bucs.
Wooten’s herculean effort was recognized with an NJCAA Division I Football Offensive Player of the Week nod Tuesday.
“The award is great, the win is great, but again, we have to go build on it,” Wooten added.
Blinn’s defense will also have its sights set on continued progress after the unit experienced a slow first-half start against Navarro, only to rebound with a staunch effort in the second half. Blinn held Navarro to a touchdown and two field goals after the intermission.
“That first half was good for our defense because when we watched it back on film, it allowed us to recognize and learn from a lot of mistakes,” redshirt sophomore defensive back Ifeanyi Ohalete said. “What I was really proud of was that going into halftime of that game, our coaches didn’t really have to tell us anything because we knew it was simple mistakes and a lack of execution that hurt us. Our coaches have coached us up enough to be able to recognize things like that, and once we made the decision to correct those mistakes and go back out in the second half together and on the same page, we knew it would be a great half for us and that’s exactly what happened.”
Ohalete said communication issues and missed coverages led to the 30-point outburst. On Tuesday, Bucs defensive coordinator and former NFL cornerback Drew Coleman increased the intensity of his unit’s drills with a focus on righting the wrongs from that first-half defensive performance.
“Tuesday was probably the toughest practice we’ve had in my three seasons at Blinn,” Ohalete added. “It was a wakeup call for us, but we came out of it with perfect execution and a better understanding of where our eyes need to be at all times. We feel like the sky’s the limit for our defense from here.”
Trinity Valley could test Blinn’s progression on both sides of the football as the Cardinals bring a capable offense and a vaunted defense to the gridiron.
After beginning the season ranked sixth in the NJCAA Division I top-15 poll, Trinity Valley (2-2, 0-2) has found itself on the outside looking in as it looks to get into the conference win column.
Through four games, the Cardinals have relied on a pair of sophomore quarterbacks – Champ Harris and Diego Tello – who have provided mixed results. On the year, TVCC’s passing attack has racked up an impressive 1,377 passing yards (344 per game) but has just nine touchdowns against six interceptions. Both Harris and Tello have seen action in each of their team’s games this fall, though Harris has been more active in the passing game with 80 attempts to Tello’s 57.
Out of the backfield, the Cardinals have chewed up 564 running yards for a 141 per-game average to go with eight TDs. Freshman running back Rayshaun King leads his team with 209 yards to go with one score, while Harris has flashed his dual-threat ability with 166 yards and a team-high five TDs.
Trinity Valley is averaging 485 yards of offense per outing, including more than 500 in each of its past two games.
“Between their two talented quarterbacks, some wide receivers who can really run, and a capable running attack, they have multiple ways they can beat you,” Mahon explained. “They have the ability to make a big play at any time because they do a good job of getting the ball in their playmakers’ hands, and then they are well-coached on top of that.”
On the other side of the ball, the Cardinals run a 4-2-5 package anchored by a stout defensive front that has racked up 24 sacks this year. Freshman defensive end Tavion Atkinson, who is drawing interest from several major NCAA Division I programs across the country, is the premier piece on the TVCC line as he has already amassed 34 tackles and eight sacks.
“That defensive front is one of, if not the best defensive front we will face this year, and they are very, very active right as soon as the ball is snapped,” Mahon said. “They hustle until the whistle is blown, and they’ve shown great discipline in their attempts to get after the quarterback. Our offensive line will have its hands full, but we’re also confident we can put them in the best position to succeed.”
The Cardinals are allowing 257 yards and 19.5 points per game.
Blinn is looking for its first win over TVCC since a 21-14 home triumph in 2021. Since then, the Cardinals and Bucs have played a pair of close matchups.
“Year after year, Trinity Valley continues to be one of the best teams in our conference, and for good reason,” said Mahon. “They recruit well, they are well-coached, and they play good football. Athens is also a very tough place to play because they bring a good crowd and a good atmosphere every time they are home. At the same time, I trust our players to stay focused during the road trip and to be ready to go out and execute under tough conditions when the time comes.”
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 49 national championships since 1987.
