Sherman, Texas - Leyton Riviere threw two touchdown passes and Alex McGregor kicked three field goals to lead Austin College to a 23-17 victory over Rhodes College on Saturday at Apple Stadium.

A sudden scoring surge late in the second quarter propelled Austin College (1-1) into the lead for good. Trailing 7-3 after an earlier 22-yard field goal by McGregor, the 'Roos scored 17 points in the final 44 seconds of the first half.

Riviere started the run with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jermiah Johnson with 44 seconds remaining before halftime. Austin College then recovered the kickoff at the Rhodes 24-yard line, and four plays later Riviere connected with Jon Rawles Thompson for a 3-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds left. On the ensuing kickoff, the 'Roos recovered a fumble at the Rhodes 29-yard line, leading to a 31-yard field goal by McGregor as time expired to give Austin College a 20-7 advantage at the break.

Rhodes (0-2) had opened the scoring in the first quarter when Taylor Haas threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Sani Bartlett. The Lynx cut the Austin College lead to 20-14 midway through the third quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Jelani Lovett. Austin College answered later in the third period with a 25-yard field goal from McGregor to extend the margin to 23-14.

Early in the fourth quarter, Austin College's Jonathan Lawson stopped a Rhodes drive deep in 'Roo territory by intercepting Haas near the goal line and returning it 28 yards. Rhodes later added a 31-yard field goal by Grady Jones with 5:35 left to cut the deficit to six points. Austin College iced the game on its final possession, running out the clock with an 11-play, 44-yard ground drive, with Thompson sealing things in the final minutes by converting a thrid down with a tough 10-yard run for a first down.

Riviere finished 18-of-31 passing for 195 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Johnson caught six passes for 87 yards and a touchdown, while Thompson led the Kangaroos in rushing with 63 yards on eight attempts. Kenneth Alexander made eight stops and recovered a fumble to pace the defense for the 'Roos.

For Rhodes, Robert Daniel carried 20 times for 177 yards. Haas completed 9-of-18 passes for 131 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. JD Davis and Robert Barkley each had 11 tackles to lead the Lynx defensively.

Austin College will travel to Texas Lutheran on Saturday, September 19.