Texas Wesleyan
Javhi Blomquist collects one of four interceptions for Benedictine on Saturday.
When you consider how it all began, it’s somewhat remarkable what Texas Wesleyan’s trending football program achieved in 2024.
The Rams didn’t meet their new coach, Brad Sherrod, until late June. The first game was scheduled for Aug. 29. I recall meeting Sherrod at the Martin University Center, almost exactly two months until the first game, and wondering how this would work with so little time to prepare. There’s a lot that has to happen in a coaching transition, starting with building trust with the players.
But there are also new offensive and defensive schemes to be learned, refined, and honed. There are new training regimens to adapt to. There are players anxious about their roles under a new coach with a different philosophy and personality.
It’s, in short, an entirely new culture to establish. And that takes time in the smoker. One doesn't merely microwave a good brisket.
Yet, Texas Wesleyan went on to pull off the best season in its history as the eighth-ranked team in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. So, it stood to reason there appeared to be few heads hanging in the aftermath of the Rams’ season-ending loss on Saturday in the second round of the NAIA Football Championship Series.
Wesleyan couldn’t overcome critical second half mistakes in a 42-33 loss to No. 9 Benedictine College at the Crowley ISD Multi-Purpose Stadium.
“I'm really proud of the way my players played and how we fought to the end,” Sherrod said afterward. “The loss doesn't take away from what we accomplished this year. It just didn't end the way we wanted it to end. We can keep building the foundation of this program. And that's our goal. So, I'm just proud of my staff and I'm proud of the players. And we’ll build off of this for next season.”
Clearly, something good is happening on the campus of Fort Worth’s oldest university institution.
Texas Wesleyan went 10-1 overall while capturing the Sooner Athletic Conference championship at 8-0 and earning a bye into the second round of the playoffs. The Rams not only won games but also bulldozed opponents, beating them by an average score of 60-20. (It was actually 19 for the opponents, but I'm a benevolent writer.)
The community embraced the Rams. Tommy's Hamburger Grill on Camp Bowie noted throughout the season on its sidewalk sign that Wesleyan was the only undefeated football outfit in town. And fans came out on Saturday to create a charged atmosphere at Crowley's slick football home, which was a good host to a Benedictine following that came down from Kansas. Wesleyan is targeting 2026 for its home stadium on campus to be ready. Until then, it's Crowley's field in the far reaches of south Fort Worth.
"This is a great environment," Benedictine coach Joel Osborn said. "I love the experience that we got here. I thought your university did a great job. They're first class. You can tell it starts from the top and I just really enjoyed the experience."
In the playoffs — any playoffs — the atmosphere and opponents change. It's a step up in class. You get to this point because you're good.
And so it was with the game on Saturday that featured the Rams’ good offense against Benedictine’s touted defense. The Ravens (10-2), of the Heart of America Athletic Conference, were up to the task.
Benedictine forced five Wesleyan turnovers. Perhaps the most crucial recovering Jaysen Price’s bobble of a punt at the Rams’ goal line. There is a time for everything, but picking up a rolling punt near your own goal line is not the time to be aggressive.
But I wasn’t the one fielding punts and having to make split-second decisions out there. Stuff happens.
That turnover led to Dalton Witherspoon’s 1-yard touchdown run and the beginning of 28 straight points for Benedictine, erasing the Rams’ 10-point halftime lead.
“I really have a lot of respect for No. 4 [Price] as a returner,” said Benedictine coach Joel Osborn. “He is lights out. We saw that today. We had to start, you know, pooching the kicks and kicking short so we weren't kicking to him. And we did know he was aggressive at times and that he was going to try to take chances. That showed up on tape. And it happened. And our guys did a really good job of getting to him and getting to the ball. That was a huge play for us to start the second half.”
The Rams were stuck in neutral throughout the third quarter, garnering only 47 yards in 14 plays after racking up 237 first-half yards.
Jackson Hoskins, the game’s defensive most valuable player, collected one of four Wesleyan interceptions, including an errant pass in the end zone as Wesleyan sought to answer the Ravens’ run in the fourth quarter. Wesleyan quarterback Carson Rodgers, who had three touchdown passes, threw into the end zone but didn’t see a lurking Hoskins. Wesleyan's inability to run the ball increased the pressure put on Rodgers, who threw only eight interceptions all season.
Benedictine took advantage. QB Jackson Dooley hit JaShawn Todd for 89 yards and a touchdown that put the Ravens up 34-24.
Ernest Caesar had a touchdown rushing and two scoring receptions for the Rams.
“I don’t have the words to express how I feel about how these kids played this year,” said Sherrod. “All they focused on every week was being their best at practice and taking care of the things that give us a chance to win the ball game. It was an unbelievable experience.”
Benedictine will go home to Atchison, Kansas, to get ready for No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan in the quarterfinals. The ultimate goal is the championship game at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, on Dec. 21.
Texas Wesleyan, meanwhile, is starting to work on getting there next year.Sherrod took over as coach for Joe Prud'homme, who restarted the program in 2017. Wesleyan had cut football after Pearl Harbor in 1941. Prud'homme resigned his position in March to take on other opportunities. Prud'homme was a good steward of the program, obviously leaving the Rams with a good foundation to build.
Something good is brewing in east Fort Worth. And you only get better with the kind of experience the Rams had this season and even in loss on Saturday.
"We're going to keep building off of what we've been talking about this year," Sherrod said. "I really want our kids to think about how hard it was to get here, how hard we worked to get here, and the focus they had, how humble they stayed. We're going to continue to keep emphasizing those things that can help us get better every day."
