BATON ROUGE, La. / OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Louisiana Christian University football program shutout Texas Wesleyan over the final 25 minutes and 12 seconds on Saturday, setting the stage for its miraculous comeback to clinch a spot in the NAIA Football Championship Series, but it would not have been possible without the play of Cole Jones, whose lockdown defense on the boundaries prevented the Rams from gaining any traction to stall the Wildcats' momentum.
 
Jones, a senior from Sterlington, Louisiana, had the game of his life during the biggest win in program history, recording career-highs in both tackles for loss (3.0) and pass breakups (3), notching a game/season-high 11 tackles and snagging a one-handed interception (4th of his career) late in the fourth quarter that stopped a TXWES potential game-tying drive.
 
The five-foot-ten Pre-Law major earned the Sooner Athletic Conference accolade outright while sharing the Louisiana Sports Writers Association's Defensive Player of the Week honor with Nicholls' Tyler Morton.
 
The cover corner ended the regular season with the fourth-most pass breakups in the NAIA after adding a trio to his total, racking up 12 for the campaign, only two behind the national lead which is held by teammate Pop McGhee at 14. He has put together a combined 35 tackles (29 solo) and 7.5 tackles for loss in 2023 to go along with recovering a fumble in the victory over Arkansas Baptist in the conference opener.
 
Jones and the 21st-ranked Wildcats will make their NAIA Playoff debut on Saturday afternoon in Baldwin City, Kansas versus the #20 Baker Wildcats at 1 p.m. at Liston Stadium for a First Round matchup.
 
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