MARYVILLE, Tenn. - Maryville College closed its 2025 football season on Saturday afternoon, falling 31–14 to No. 22 Trinity (TX) at Lloyd L. Thornton Stadium. The Scots finish the year 7–3 overall and 4–3 in SAA play.
Trinity set the tone early, scoring on its second possession and capitalizing on a short field after a turnover to build a 14–0 first-quarter lead. The Tigers added a 47-yard field goal and another rushing score before halftime to make it 24–0 at the break.
Maryville struggled to sustain drives in the opening half, something Head Coach Ben Fox attributed to Trinity's physicality and preparation.
"I think we ran into some really good teams at the end of our schedule," Fox said. "Trinity was exceptionally well coached and exceptionally well prepared. When we started huddling in the second half, we moved the ball. They're really good on defense. Physical up front and athletic on the back end."
After making that adjustment, the Scots opened the third quarter with a 14-play, 75-yard drive capped by an 11-yard touchdown run from Jermaine Abner, trimming the deficit to 24–7.
The defense then produced a spark late in the third when Knox Kremblas intercepted a Tiger pass near midfield. Maryville capitalized early in the fourth, finishing a 72-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Bryson Rollins to Erozinis Edmondson, bringing the Scots within 31–14.
Trinity's ground attack, powered by Collin Bishop's 71 rushing yards and two touchdowns, proved difficult to contain as the Tigers maintained control down the stretch.
Rollins completed 20 of 34 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown, while Chris Cooper totaled 64 rushing yards and 31 receiving yards. Jaden Marlin led the receiving corps with 2 catches for 38 yards.
Defensively, Grant Henderson had eight tackles, while Seth Carter, and Noah Giger each tallied seven stops, with Kremblas adding the lone interception.
Fox acknowledged that early penalties and emotional mistakes put the Scots in difficult situations.
"We showed some emotional immaturity and did some selfish things we haven't done," Fox said. "I'd have liked to get a touchdown before half, make it 24–7, and change the complexion of things. It's two straight weeks we bungled end-of-half situations. That's on us as coaches, and on our players to grow in discipline."
Saturday also marked the final game for Maryville's 2025 senior class, which was honored before the contest.
"You can't really replace seniors, you adjust around them," Fox said. "They've won a lot of football games. They mean a lot to our program, and I hope they know they always have a place here."
Maryville closes the year with its third straight winning season and now turns its focus to the offseason.
