Saint Xavier Outpaces Trojans in MSFA Crossover Action
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UPLAND, Ind. – Taylor scored 22-unsanswered points to open the third quarter, highlighted by a pair of touchdown returns from Tyler Gerig, but it was not enough in a 49-36 loss to RV Saint Xavier under the lights at Turner Stadium.
The third quarter flurry helped erase the sting of a lopsided opening half that saw SXU (3-3) pile up a 35-7 lead by rattling off 50 plays and 18 first downs over the first 30 minutes of action.
The Trojans nearly erased that by the 4:58 mark of the third quarter, with a trio of touchdowns over a stretch of 4:52 of game action. Gerig opened the barrage by scooping a loose ball off the pile and racing 96 yards to the end zone for TU’s second score of the contest.
TU got the ball right back with another defensive takeaway, as TJ Swore hit the Cougar quarterback on a pass that was intercepted by Jordan Bostick on the SXU 42-yard line. Pollard found Craig Faulkner for a 26-yard touchdown strike five plays later and then rushed in the two-point conversion to narrow the gap to 35-22.
Another strong defensive possession forced a three-and-out from the guests and Gerig picked up the rolling punt on TU’s 35-yard line and found paydirt yet again, this time via a 65-yard return to bring the Purple and Gold to within 35-29 with 4:58 to play in the third.
Saint Xavier settled down from there, locking back into an offensive rhythm to orchestrate an eight-play scoring drive and then put the game away with a 19-play drive that chewed 8:47 off the clock and pushed the spread to 49-29 deep into the final period.
Taylor pushed back with an 11-play possession of its own, capped by a nine-yard pass from Pollard to Faulkner to make it a 49-36 margin but could do no further damage.
SXU finished with 587 yards on 97 snaps from its up-tempo attack, while Taylor posted 283 total yards of offense on 60 plays and faced a 36:44 to 23:16 gap in time of possession in the loss.
Gerig was the story for the Trojans, as the senior cornerback and special teams artist accounted for two touchdowns and 161 yards on his fumble and punt returns and added a pass defended in the end zone to prevent a score.
Jackson Bronkema led the defense with a career-high 10 tackles, with Tyler Hasbrook posting career-highs of seven stops and 1.5 sacks. TJ Swore also chipped in with seven hits and Jeff Kaczmarek ended with seven tackles, one hit for lost yardage and a pair of pass breakups.
Pollard led the Taylor offense with 16 carries for 54 yards and also completed 14 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns in the face of heavy pressure from the NAIA’s top-rated sack defense.
Grant Hohlbein led TU with five catches for 50 yards, while Ben Davis caught one touchdown and Faulkner hauled in the first two touchdown receptions of his career.
Taylor (2-2) will head north to open MSFA Mideast League Play on October 3, when it plays at No. 25 Siena Heights (4-0) in a 4:00 pm start.
