This one hurt … a lot! Finding themselves down 21-7 early, the Trinity football team powered its way to tie the game at 21 with a nice offensive run and went into the halftime locker room thinking they had a chance to get in the win column again, trailing by just three points, 24-21.

Macalester College beat the Lions with two touchdowns in 87 seconds, late in the third and early fourth quarter for a 41-28 win.

This game was a lot closer than it looked like as big plays, penalties, and scoring binges were the order of the day. It was obvious the last scoring binge was going to win the game.

The Scots’ (4-2) Joe Loiselle rushed for 242 yards and four TDs in the game, which were career bests for him and the team, respectively. He was just a bit too much on this day for the Lions as QBs Clint Linthicum and Jason Elliot took turns trying to counter punch their way down field to keep the Trinity close.

The first big play of the game came as Linthicum was trying to answer a Scot first-quarter score. First he hit Khalil Ervin with an 8-yard pass in one flat, and then completed another pass to Joel Sandoz in the other flat. With the Scot defensive backs biting on the flats, Linthicum had the defense where he wanted them and he threw a perfect slant-strike to speedy receiver Brandon Welch for a 65-yard TD pass and a 7-7 tie with 4:11 left in the first quarter.

That was just one big play that helped the Lion offense amass 419 yards of offense on the day.

After the Scots’ Loiselle scored two more TD’s, it was Trinity’s turn to strike back in a big way.

The Lions (1-5) went to the Elliot Package with Linthicum moving to the running back position. Elliot came in and lit a quick second-quarter fire. Taking over at the 45, Seth Peterson ran for eight yards, and then Elliot danced around for eight more yards and was the victim of a personal foul. On the next play, Elliot, described by the coaching staff as a playmaker, went off left tackle and around the defense for a 27-yard TD run to cut into the lead 21-14.

Elliot wasn’t quite done though. A gutsy onside kick call by Head Coach Dustin Morgan was recovered by the Lions at the 42. An eight-play drive that was 50 percent passes by Elliot ended with a 23-yard strike to Shean Bosworth, who out-jumped the defenders in the end zone for the catch.

With the score 24-21 at the half, Elliot was 4 of 6 for 73 yards and a TD, and Linthicum was 8 of 13 for 113 yards with a TD. There were no Lion turnovers in the half, which had to please the staff and certainly kept the team in the game.

Trinity fans at the stadium and those watching on the web, thought the Lions were poised to take a lead in this game in the third quarter.

After shutting down the Scots in their opening drive, Trinity started at their 10-yard line and moved the ball little by little. When it was forced to punt from the 35-yard line, Morgan called for another surprise when he had the punter throw for a first down. Webcast play-by play announcers said one person came in and threw the pass, but that appeared to be wrong after the game ended.

Even so the pass was completed, but the drive stalled at the Scot 30-yard line when Elliott threw an interception.

The two TD’s 87-seconds apart followed, but the high-powered Lion offense was still a factor with over 14 minutes left in the game.

Linthicum went back to the QB position and quickly hit Bosworth with a 37-yard pass, and then the running QB had his number called four straight times, where he carried the ball all the way to the Scot 7-yard line. Bosworth finished the Lion scoring, catching a 7-yard pass from Linthicum to make the score 38-28 and still 12:29 left in the game.

Hope was left in the Lions despite a Scot field goal, but it wasn’t to be on this weekend, as a Peterson fumble and Linthicum interception stopped their final two drives of the game.

Linthicum finished his day with 12 of 19 passes for 166 yards, 2 TDs and an INT. He also rushed 16 times for 59 yards. Elliott was 7 of 14 for 94 yards, and 1 TD and an INT. He rushed the ball 12 times for 38 yards and a TD.

Bosworth led all receivers with six catches and 89 yards and 2 TDs. Ervin finished with four catches and 27 yards, and Welch had 2 catches for 81 yards and a TD.

Defensively the Lions were led by Cole White with 10 tackles, Ryan Wolfenden with 7, Troy Heard and Brent Holt had six each. Demetrius Glover had five tackles and a fumble recovery.