It was a late September evening in Alpine, Texas, when Caden Bosanko officially took over the Texas Lutheran offense. This wasn’t his first appearance in a game, but senior quarterback Seth Cosme had just departed the contest with a hamstring injury that would sideline him for the remainder of the 2023 season.

As if the situation wasn’t stressful enough for a sophomore who is now the leader of the offense, TLU had the ball at midfield, trailing Sul Ross State, 31-18, midway through the fourth quarter. Bosanko finished that drive with a touchdown and a two-point conversion. The next offensive drive was another touchdown and two-point conversion to tie the score at 34. While the Lobos won the game 37-34 with a walk-off field goal, the TLU coaching staff knew it had found a new starting quarterback.

“He showed his competitiveness in that game, and he did a hell of a job after being thrown into the fire,” TLU head coach Neal LaHue said. “His first start was against UMHB, and that’s a tough baptism for anyone, but he did well. The next game was against Hardin-Simmons, and we ended that game on their 8-yard line with a chance to win.”

Bosanko worked in the summer to improve, and LaHue credits the junior’s leadership for TLU’s successful 2024 campaign.

“He’s a hard worker and might be our strongest football player. He squats 500 pounds. It’s almost like having a fullback playing quarterback. He lives in the weight room,” LaHue said. “He had some great experience last year and only got better during the offseason. We brought a core group of older guys back from last year’s team that lost four by a total of 15 points.”

After earning a bye week, the Bulldogs are preparing to meet Linfield in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, the program’s first playoff appearance since 2014. TLU won a share of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference title, the program’s first conference championship since 2015. The Bulldogs went undefeated at home for the first time since Bulldog Stadium opened in 2014.

Bosanko’s dual-threat ability has been a valuable tool for TLU, but LaHue said the signal-caller brings the intangibles that every coach seeks.

“He’s undeniable. He’s not only the leader of our offense, but he’s the leader of this football team,” LaHue said. “He’s not a big vocal guy. He leads by his actions, and the kids respect that. How do you not follow him after you watch how he plays?”

Regarding leadership, Bosanko is similar to Cosme, who he credits helping him adjust to being a college quarterback.

“He showed me the ropes and helped me learn the system because everything is different at this level,” Bosanko said. “He wasn’t a vocal leader but led by his actions and was always there to answer my questions. I felt confident and ready to go when my name was called.”

“I kept Seth on the travel roster for road games so he could mentor Caden,” LaHue said. “Seth had a good run here, but he was very quiet, almost to the point of being too quiet. But Caden’s his own guy, and I remember watching him play at (San Antonio) East Central High School, where he led the team to their first win over (Converse) Judson and made the playoffs.”

Bosanko has carved his own path in the TLU record books. He earned Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Non-FBS Player of the Week honors after completing 9 of 16 passes for 154 yards with two touchdowns and added 137 yards and a program record-tying four touchdowns on 12 rushing attempts. 

Bosanko earned SCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors three times this season, but the Bulldogs needed all of his tools to make the DIII playoffs when they trailed rival Southwestern, 10-3, with 3:07 remaining in regulation. Bosanko broke a 61-yard run on the second play of the series to put TLU in Pirates territory at the 40-yard line.

“I saw the defense making a lot of substitutions, and I relayed that to the coaches,” Bosanko said. “One of their guys got injured, and I noticed the defense was getting winded with our tempo, so I knew our guys were ready to score a touchdown.”

TLU tied the game nine plays later when Bosanko scored from one yard out late in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs offense only needed four plays to score in overtime, and the defense sealed the victory when Josaan Gaines intercepted a pass.

“(Bosanko) can throw from the pocket, but he’s a great zone read operator. He split two linebackers on that 61-yard run. The quarterback is the X-Factor in our running game because he makes the defense account for every player on the offense,” LaHue said. “It’s gone unnoticed a bit because of how great Caden has been this year, but our defense is playing much better. Coach (Julius) Scott and coach (Tommy) Holmes have been a lot more aggressive with our pressure packages this year.”

The Bulldogs will need all three phases when they meet Linfield in Minnefield, Oregon, on Saturday afternoon. But Bosanko is confident TLU can return to Texas with a win.

“What matters is what we have going on in our locker room right now,” Bosanko said. “We respect them, but it’s all about what we do that will matter. We'll be fine as long as we’re doing our job and playing complementary football.”