TU Drops Game at No. 16 Concordia
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Taylor continued its daunting road schedule on Saturday, taking on a third-straight top-20 foe in as many road games and suffering a 31-14 setback to No. 16 Concordia.
CU (8-1, 4-1 MSFA) entered the game ranked top-10 in the NAIA in rushing offense and rushing defense and controlled the ground game against the Trojans throughout play on Saturday. The Cardinals racked up 186 yards on the ground, while limiting TU to 72 yards.
Taylor found success through the air, continually moving the chains with 51 passing attempts for 316 yards and two scores but was hindered by a pair of interceptions.
The game was a defensive struggle until Concordia broke loose for 21 points in the fourth quarter. TU did not crack the scoring column until the third quarter, when Everett Pollard found Daniel Boy for a 41-yard strike to draw the Trojans within 10-7 at the 7:28 mark of the third period.
Pollard also connected with Holden Hodge for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, capping an eight-play, 86-yard drive with a 10-yard completion in the end zone to narrow the deficit to 17-14 with 6:32 to play.
Taylor would get no closer however, as Concordia struck back on its next possession and then capped the scoring with an 80-yard interception return for a score and the 17-point lead with 2:48 remaining.
TU managed 25 first downs in the contest and limited Concordia to only 15, but the Cardinals ripped off 7.1 yards per play and won the turnover battle by a 3-1 margin.
Pollard ignited the offense with 29 completions for 316 yards and two touchdowns, while Grant Hohlbein caught eight passes for 86 yards. Hodge ended with five catches for 103 yards and a score and Boy caught four passes for 69 yards and one touchdown.
Jackson Bronkema led the defense with a team-high nine tackles, Matt Nguyen added eight hits and Cameron Gray posted seven stops. Tyler Gerig had the lone takeaway for the Trojans with an interception.
Taylor (3-5, 1-3 MSFA) will face another nationally-ranked opponent on the road in its next outing, playing at No.1 Saint Francis (9-0, 5-0 MSFA) on November 4 at noon.
