Trojans win homecoming battle over Olivet Nazarene, 20-17
Greg Gorham
Box Score Box Score | Season Stats
DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Sophomore Chris Elliott finished with a season-high 159 rushing yards to lead Trinity International, as the Trojans defeated the Olivet Nazarene Tigers on Homecoming Weekend, Saturday afternoon at Frazier Field. The Trojans nursed a small lead thoughout much of the game, until a late rally from Olivet tied the score with just ove six minutes to play. Freshman kicker Jeremiah Carter put the Trojans on top for good with a late field goal, enacting a bit of revenge on ONU for their win last season on a late field goal of their own.
Elliott (Miami, Fla./Dade Christian HS) surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark for the fifth time in five games this season, and topped 150 yards for the first time this year. He picked up one touchdown on the day, while averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
The Trojans (4-1, 1-0 MSFA Midwest) looked poised to pick up a dominant win after the game's opening drive. The first three plays of the game went to Elliott, who rushed for a combined 29 yards. The sophomore capped off the drive with his lone score of the day, a nine-yard TD run that finished a nine-play, 75-yard drive, putting TIU ahead 7-0.
After Stephen Lockhart's interception of an Olivet pass, the TIU offense again drove down the field before stalling just short of the goal line. Carter (Irvine, Calif./Irvine HS) split the uprights on a 24-yard chip shot, putting TIU ahead 10-0 with 2:33 in the first.
The two sides traded missed field goals to finish out the first quarter and start up the second. Tiger kicker Andrew Muzljatovich set up for a 51-yard field goal that missed wide left, before Carter fired away on a 42-yard attempt of his own, knocking the right upright but falling no good.
The Trojan defense stepped up after the miss, forcing the Tigers to punt on a four-and-out. Quarterback Stephen Anderson took control, throwing three straight passes for over 10 yards, then rushing for a 8-yard score. Carter's extra point made it a 17-0 Trojan lead with under five minutes before the break.
Olivet Nazarene (1-4, 0-1 MSFA Midwest) started their comeback, scoring 17 straight points to even up the game. Junior rusher Michael Ho-Lewis punched in the Tigers' first touchdown of the day from one yard out, capping off a 12-play, 74-yard drive to get on the board before the half, cutting the TIU lead to 17-7 at halftime.
Both sides traded punts to start the third quarter, before Muzljatovich cut into the Trinity lead even more, with a 46-yard field goal, making it a one-possession, 17-10 lead. Olivet Nazarene was poised to tie the game in the third quarter; running back Zach Gross broke loose for a 51-yard gain, setting up the ONU offense inside the Trinity 30 yard line. ONU's Ryan Sample completed a 23 yard pass that nearly resulted in the game-tying touchdown, but Lockhart knocked the ball loose from the Tiger reciever, as Frankie Thammakhotvongxay picked up the fumble in the end zone, killing the ONU drive.
After a Trojan punt, Olivet took another shot at tying the game. Lockhart stepped up again, making his second interception on just the second play of the drive. The TIU offense took over at the ONU 46, but we unable to punch it in for a score. Carter ended up missing his second field goal of the day after ONU's Ben Backstrom blocked the 29-yard attempt.
The Tigers finally broke through to even the score on their third try, Sample completed a 29-yard pass to move inside the TIU 10 yard line, and Ho-Lewis scored on a five-yard TD run to make it a 17-17 score with 6:13 to play.
Trinity didn't take long to get back out in front however, as Elliott and Anderson combined for a 64-yard drive; Anderson found Christian Robinson for a 40-yard gain, called back in part due to a illegal block. Later in the drive, Elliott broke loose again for a 20-yard run, bringing the Trojans into ONU territory. The drive stalled out short of the end zone, but Carter stepped up to hit his second game-winning field goal in the last three weeks, putting his team ahead for good, 20-17.
Olivet had one final chance to finish their comeback, but the Trojan defense forced Sample to throw four straight incompletions to turn the ball over on downs to clinch the win.
Robinson and Patrick Alexander both finished with a team-high seven receptions, as Robinson collected 96 yards on the day. Anderson completed 18 of 27 passes for 181 yards, while rushing for 50 yards on eight carries. Defensively, Sione Maka led the Trojans with 10 tackles, including one tackle for loss and half a sack. Lockhart was the star of the defensive unit on this Homecoming weekend, however, with a pair of interceptions and a forced fumble.
The Trojans will hit the road next week, when they take on No. 11 St. Ambrose, on Saturday, October 12. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., and for fans unable to make the trip, an audio-only webcast will be available at www.StreamSports.TIU.edu.
