No. 13 IWU Escapes Turner Stadium with 56-48 Win Over RV Taylor
UPLAND, Ind. – A showdown between two of the highest-rated offenses in the NAIA did not disappoint on Saturday inside Turner Stadium, as RV Taylor and No. 13 Indiana Wesleyan traded blows throughout before a key defensive takeaway in the closing minutes sealed the 56-48 win for the guests.
IWU entered the day ranked No. 4 in the NAIA with 50.5 points per game behind a quick-hitting passing attack, with Taylor sitting No. 7 at 45.9 points per game on the strength of a powerful ground assault.
The two sides combined for 15 touchdowns in the game, with 10 of those scoring drives taking five plays or less to finish in the end zone. Of the 15 touchdowns, 12 came on plays of at least 10 yards, with eight scores coming on plays of at least 20 yards.
When the dust had settled in front of the capacity crowd inside Turner Stadium, the teams had combined for 1,144 total yards of offense, 56 first downs and an average of 8.1 yards per snap.
Taylor’s offense more than held its own against the defense of the No. 13 Wildcats (7-2, 3-0 MSFA), holding the edge in most of the offensive categories. TU finished the day with 32 first downs, 579 total yards of offense and 376 rushing yards, marking the highest totals allowed in a single-game by IWU since the start of its football program in 2018.
The outing marked TU’s third-straight game with over 300 rushing yards and was the third time this season the Trojans had rushed for over 300 yards and thrown for over 200 yards in the same outing.
Nathan Parker was in the middle of it all once again on Saturday, setting career-highs with 29 carries for 247 yards. The effort pushed Parker to 1,185 yards for the season, giving him the third-highest single-season total in TU’s history and making him just the seventh player in program history to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in a season.
Parker also found the end zone two more times, bumping his season total to 17 and just three back of Jameson Chesser’s record total of 20 set during his historic 2024 campaign with the Purple and Gray.
Eight different Trojans took at least one carry in the contest, with Ethan Albert punching in two touchdowns and Damon Hockett making his return and finding the end zone once to compliment Parker’s busy day.
Nathan Munson led the Taylor receivers with three catches for 71 yards, with Jack D’Arcy and Albert catching one touchdown pass each.
Maverick Brown paced the TU defense with 11 tackles and the unit’s lone takeaway with an interception. Reese Pinckney added nine hits and a pass break up, while Grady Stanley logged seven stops and one of Taylor’s two tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
The game resembled a track meet throughout much of the day, with IWU rattling off 212 yards of offense in the opening quarter to take a 14-7 lead. Stanley’s interception provided a rare stop for either side, and a 47-yard touchdown burst from Parker provided the first score for Taylor.
A 74-yard run early into the second quarter from Parker set up the equalizer and pushed the back over 1,000 yards for the season, before the Wildcats nudged their lead to 28-14 with lightning fast scoring drives of two and three plays.
The two sides continued to march up and down the field at will throughout the opening half, with IWU taking a 42-28 lead to the break after both teams topped 400 yards of offense in the opening 30 minutes.
The frantic pace continued early into the third quarter with the guests opening a three-score lead on the first possession of the second half, and Taylor charging back with touchdowns from Parker and Albert to battle back to within a 49-41 margin.
Another two-play scoring drive by Indiana Wesleyan pushed the gap back to 56-41 and the offenses finally began to slow down in the final quarter, with three of the day’s five turnovers and four of the game’s eight punts happening over the final 15 minutes.
The lone score of the fourth came via a leaping grab from D’Arcy with 4:17 to play that drew TU within a single score at 56-48. After a defensive stand gave the ball back to Taylor with 2:17 to play, the Trojans’ saw their final hopes wiped away with their third interception of the day to seal the outcome.
RV Taylor (5-4, 2-1 MSFA) will close its home schedule on Saturday, November 8, with a 1:00 pm start against Siena Heights (5-3, 3-0 MSFA). TU will celebrate Senior Day prior to the start of the game.
