No. 21 Trojans prepare for Top 25 showdown with No. 9 St. Ambrose
Greg Gorham
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#21 TRINITY INTERNATIONAL TROJANS (4-1, 1-0 MSFA Midwest) at #9 SAINT AMBROSE FIGHTING BEES (3-1, 1-0 MSFA Midwest)
October 12, 2013 | 1:00 p.m.
Davenport, Iowa | Brady Street Stadium
Game Notes: Trinity International | Streaming Audio
Twitter Updates: @TIUTrojans | @SAUBEES
Join the Conversation: #TIUFootball
Kickoff
• Starting one of the toughest stretches on the schedule, the No. 21 Trinity International Trojans hit the road this week, to take on the 9th-ranked St. Ambrose Fighting Bees. The kicks off a two-game road swing, that will likely put the Trojans up against a pair of nationally-ranked foes. A win over the Bees would put the Trojans in the driver's seat in the race for the MSFA Midwest League title. Fans unable to make the trip to Davenport, Iowa can catch the game online, at TIUSportsNetwork.TIU.edu, as Brian Snow calls the action via audio webcast.
Quick Hits
• The Trojans will look for their second straight win, after a 20-17 victory over Olivet Nazarene last weekend
• St. Ambrose is returning home after a 53-34 win on the road at then-No. 22 William Penn.
• The Trojans have defeated the Bees only once in school history, in 2003, and are in the midst of a nine-game slide against SAU.
• TIU currently ranks second in the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 62.4 yards on the ground per game. The Trojans are 5th nationally in total defense, allowing 278.6 yards of offense to their opponents each week.
Series History
• Trinity International and St. Ambrose first met in 1990, when the Bees earned the 22-20 win in Davenport.
• The Trojans' lone win in the series came in 2003, with a 24-3 victory at Frazier Field.
• TIU has never won on the road against St. Ambrose; their closest finish was in the series opener back in 1996, when the Bees won by two.
• In the last six meetings, St. Ambrose has outscored the Trojans, 218-31.
Last Time vs St. Ambrose
• St. Ambrose cruised to a dominant 43-6 win over Trinity International last season, at Lezlie Frazier Field on Sept. 1.
• The Trojan defense held strong through the first quarter, holding the Bees scoreless, but SAU scored 43 unanswered during the second and third quarters.
• Stephen Anderson threw for 170 yards and one touchdown on 21-of-36 passing. Running back Chris Elliott was held to just 34 yards on nine carries in the loss.
• Wideout Danny Beals caught a 27-yard touchdown pass in the 4th quarter to avoid the shutout.
About St. Ambrose
• The Fighting Bees are looking to extend their two-game win streak, after defeating Concordia, 66-0, and #22 William Penn, 53-34 in their last two contests.
• SAU currently ranks 3rd in the NAIA with an average of 51.0 points per game. They're also 3rd in the nation in first downs per game, averaging 30.5.
• Wideout Sam O'Donnell is the national leader in receptions per game, averaging 8.5 catches each week.
• Quarterback Eric Williamson is 2nd in the MSFA, and 3rd nationally, with 348.3 yards of total offense per game.
• Linebacker Jeremy Wallace is the Bees' leading tackler, with 9.5 per game (7th in MSFA; 33rd in NAIA).
A Trojan Win Would...
• ... Set the record for most wins in a single season in the Kirk Wherritt era, with five.
• ... Give the Trojans their first win over a Top 10 opponent since 2004 (Walsh [Ohio], Sept. 25).
• ... Give the Trojans a pair of wins over nationally-ranked opponents in the same season since 2004.
• ... Start the MSFA Midwest League season with a 2-0 record.
• ... Be the best start through six games of a season since 2004, when the Trojans were 5-1 en route to a 8-3 season and an NAIA Fooball Championship Series berth.
A Trojan Loss Would...
• ... Drop TIU's MSFA Midwest League record to 1-1
• ... Extend Trinity's road losing streak to two straight games.
• ... Be the 10th straight loss to the Bees, and the 17th in the last 18 meetings
• ... Be the second straight loss as a nationally-ranked team this year.
Trojan Football History
• The Trinity International Trojan football program has an all-time record of 96-149-2, dating back to their first season as a varsity program in 1990.
• TIU's head coach for the inaugural season in 1989 through 1996 was Leslie Frazier. Frazier is currently the head coach of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, and had a record of 38-37-3.
• The Trojans have won three MSFA Midwest League titles in school history, in 1994, 1995, and 2003.
• Trinity International has earned two NAIA Football Championship Series berths, in 1994 and 2004. TIU is still searching for their first NAIA playoff victory, falling to Northwestern (Iowa) and Georgetown (Ky.), respectively.
• TIU has one appearance in the NCCAA Victory Bowl, where they fell to Garner-Webb (N.C.), 54-14, in 2001.
Leslie Frazier Field
• TIU is 7-11 at home in the Wherritt era, and are 48-68-1 all-time at Frazier Field.
• Including the win over Concordia this season, the Trojans are 14-9-1 all-time in home openers, and have won the first game of the year at Frazier Field the past three seasons.
• The Trojans have won their last four games at Frazier Field, their longest home win streak since earning eight straight wins from 2003-2005.
TIU in the Polls
• Trinity International rejoins the NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll at No. 21 after thier homecoming victory over Olivet Nazarene last weekend.
• The Trojans fell out of the poll, after suffering a 33-26 loss to then-unranked Robert Morris on Sept. 28.
• The Trojans earned the No. 24 spot in the poll two weeks ago after their upset win over then-No. 17 St. Francis (Ill.) on Sept. 21.
• Before this season, Trinity's last ranking came in 2005 (No. 24, Sept. 19).
• TIU has been ranked 17 weeks in the program's history, and hold a record of 14-10 as a nationally-ranked team.
• The MSFA has a total of six teams in the top 25, and eight MSFA programs are at least receiving votes in the latest poll. The MSFA Midwest League is tied with the Heart of America and Great Plains Athletic Conferences with four ranked teams apiece.
• With the 4-1 start, the Trojans are currently tied for second in the NCCAA Rankings, with North Greenville (N.C.). Greenville (Ill.) sit atop the rankings at 5-0.
• The top two teams in the NCCAA Rankings at the end of the regular season will meet for the 2013 Victory Bowl, taking place Nov. 23 in Rome, Ga.
National Leaders
• The TIU defense has statistically been one of the best in the NAIA this season, ranking second in the NAIA in rushing defense, giving up just 62.4 yards on the ground per game. The Trojans also rank fifth nationally in total defense (278.6 per game), 4th in opponent 4th down conversions (23.1%), 12th in scoring defense (19.0 ppg), and 17th in sacks (2.6 per game).
• Offensively, the Trojans rank 11th in the NAIA with 38.4 points scored per game.
• Largely in part to Luciani Lubin's kick return for a touchdown against Robert Morris earlier this season, the Trojans rank fifth in the NAIA in average kickoff return yards, at 27.5.
• The Trojan offense ranks 4th in the NAIA in fourth-down conversions, going 8-for-9 (88.9%) on fourth down this season.
Carter on Mitchell Award List
• Freshman kicker Jeremiah Carter earned a spot on the September Monthy Recognition List for the Fred Mitchell Award, given to the top placekicker in NCAA FCS, Division II, Division III, NAIA, and NJCAA college football.
• Carter ranks 4th in the NAIA with seven field goals this season, 5th in FG per game (1.4), and 5th nationally in scoring among kickers (8.0 ppg).
• The freshman is 21st in the NAIA with a .778 field goal percentage. Carter went 3-for-3 in the season-opener at Trinity Bible, with a long of 44 yards, and then went 2-for-2 including the game-winner against St. Francis (Ill.).
• Against Olivet Nazarene, Carter missed his first two attempts of the season; one was a 42-yard attempt that hit off the right upright, the second a 29-yard kick that was blocked.
• The Irvine, Calif. native is the only freshman to make the list, and is one of only four kickers from the NAIA. The Olivet Nazarene kicker, Andrew Muzljatovich, is also on the Monthly Recognition List.
TIUSportsNetwork.TIU.edu
• All TIU Football home games will be broadcast live, and on-demand, with Brian Snow of Arena Sports Network on the call.
• A live and on-demand audio broadcast will be available for each road game in 2013.
• Selected TIU Athletics home events are also broadcast online, including Trojan volleyball, and men's and women's soccer matches during the fall season.
• Broadcasts are available through the 'Watch Now' link on the homepage at
www.TIUtrojans.com, or at www.TIUSportsNetwork.TIU.edu
