Taylor Opens MSFA Mideast League Play with No. 7 Knights
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UPLAND, Ind. – Taylor battled No. 7 Marian to a 7-7 draw over the first 30 minutes of Saturday’s soggy Mid-States Football Association Mideast League opener inside Turner Stadium, but the Knights dominated the second half to pull away in the 51-7 contest.
TU jumped on the board quickly, winning the opening toss and choosing to take the opening possession. The Trojans cut their way through the Knights (4-1, 2-0 MSFA) on the first drive, marching 81 yards over 10 plays on their way to an early 7-0 lead.
Brendan Lamb got the possession started with a 15-yard burst on the first play from scrimmage of the afternoon, before Zac Saltzgaber completed a nine-yard pass to Harrison Eckel and an eight-yard dump to Lamb to move the chains again.
Three more touches by Lamb delivered another first down and back-to-back carries by Dylan Scally for a total of 18 yards put the ball on the MU 18. Saltzgaber took it from there, ripping off a 17-yard scamper to the one and then calling his own number for a one-yard touchdown run.
Marian hit back with a touchdown on its first drive of the game as well, tying the score at 7-7 before the two defenses took over to prevent any additional scoring over the rest of the half.
The two sides combined for just 284 total yards of offense in the first two quarters, with Taylor accounting for 120 yards without a turnover. Those numbers changed in the second half, as MU outgained the Trojans by a 279-to-49 margin and TU lost a pair of fumbles.
Momentum changed quickly over to the visitors out of the break, with Marian taking the kickoff 66 yards and scoring two plays later. The Knights ended up finding the end zone on five of their first six possessions of the second half and quickly put the game out of reach.
Taylor could not find any success offensively after the first drive of the game, picking up only 88 yards on 60 plays after the scoring drive to start the day.
Lamb was the story on offense, ending with 96 yards on 24 carries and also joining Eckel with a team-leading two receptions.
Josh Saltzgaber led the defense with 10 tackles and one pass breakup, with Reid Wheeler and Aven Jones each chipping in eight tackles. Tyler Watson posted seven tackles and one sack, Trevor Garbo had seven tackles and two sacks and Sam Bartu had six tackles and one sack.
Taylor (1-3, 0-1 MSFA) will return to play on Saturday, October 9, when it hosts Lawrence Tech (5-0, 1-0 MSFA) at 1:00 pm as part of TU’s 2021 Homecoming.
