TIU Football faces William Penn in season finale
Greg Gorham
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TRINITY INTERNATIONAL TROJANS (5-4, 2-3 MSFA Midwest) vs. WILLIAM PENN STATESMEN (4-6, 2-3 MSFA Midwest)
November 16, 2013 | 1:00 p.m.
Deerfield, Ill. | Leslie Frazier Field
Game Notes: Trinity International | William Penn |
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Kickoff
• In the final game of the 2013 season, twenty seniors on the Trinity International football team will be honored as part of the Senior Day festivities, as the Trojans take on the William Penn Statesmen at Frazier Field. TIU will look to record their first winning season in ten years, and their first .500 performance in the MSFA since 2004. The season finale will be available online via the 'Watch Now' link at TIUtrojans.com, as Brian Snow and Luke Cassis call the action.
Quick Hits
• The Trojans will look for their sixth win of the season, the team's highest win total since 2004.
• TIU is coming off a 37-20 loss at No. 23 St. Xavier last Saturday. The Trojans collected over 200 rushing yards and 420 yards of total offense, but committed four turnovers in the game.
• William Penn suffered a 25-17 loss at the hands of No. 3 Grand View last week, but had a chance to tie the game on the final drive, which ended with an interception at the Viking 1-yard line.
• TIU currently ranks third in the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 92.1 yards on the ground per game. The Trojans are 19th nationally in total defense, allowing 335.1 yards of offense to their opponents each week.
Series History
• Trinity International and William Penn first met in 2002, when the Trojans took a 24-1 win at Frazier Field.
• The Statesment lead the all-time series, 8-3 over the Trojans.
• WPU has claimed the last eight meetings over Trinity International. The Trojans won the first three matchups in the series, from 2002-04.
• TIU holds a 2-3 mark against William Penn in Deerfield, but have lost the last three meetings at home.
Last Time vs William Penn
• Trinity International held a 18-17 lead through three quarters, but the Statesmen outscored TIU in the fourth 19-7, to earn a 36-25 win on Oct. 27 last season.
• A 70-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter for William Penn made it a two-possession game with 9:43 to play, sealing the win for the Statesmen.
• Freshman running back Chris Elliott rushed for 134 yards, one of his four 100-yard rushing performances on the season. Elliott also collected two TDs on the day, matching a then-career high.
• Defensively, Kyle Mowens made a game-high 13 tackles. The Trojan defensive unit recorded three sacks on the day, holding the WPU passing game to just 121 yards.
About William Penn
• The Statesmen have a 4-6 record on the year, but have dropped three of their last four games.
• Five of WPU's six losses this year have come against ranked opponents, with the other coming against an NCAA Division II opponent in Truman (Mo.).
• The Cougars rank 4th in the NAIA in rushing offense, averaging 274.4 yards on the ground per game.
• Junior defensive end Nick DiMarco ranks 3rd in the NAIA with 21 tackles for loss on the season, and is 4th nationally with 11 sacks.
• Kicker Marcus Kerrigan is 21st nationally, with eight made field goals on the year.
A Trojan Win Would...
• ... Set the record for most wins in a single season in the Kirk Wherritt era, with six.
• ... Be the first win over William Penn since 2004, snapping an eight-game losing streak.
• ... Improve Trinity's MSFA Midwest League record to 3-3, marking the most conference wins in a season since 2006.
• ... End the season with a 6-4 record, the first winning season for Trinity International since 2004.
• ... Complete an undefeated home season, with a 5-0 record at Leslie Frazier Field.
A Trojan Loss Would...
• ... Drop TIU's MSFA Midwest League record to 2-4.
• ... Snap Trinity's home win streak at five games
• ... Extend William Penn's win streak over the Trojans to nine straight games.
• ... Be the fourth loss in the last five games for Trinity.
Leslie Frazier Field
• TIU is 8-12 at home in the Wherritt era, and are 49-68-1 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 five games at Frazier Field, their longest home win streak since earning eight straight wins from 2003-2005.
Trojan Football History
• The Trinity International Trojan football program has an all-time record of 98-152-2 (.393), 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.
Trojan Ground Game
• The Trojans rank 3rd in the MSFA, and 22nd in the NAIA, with 201.2 rushing yards per game.
• Sophomore running back Chris Elliott has been essential to the TIU offense this season, averaging 116.5 yards per game, and 11 rushing TDs. Elliott ranks 2nd in the MSFA in rushing offense, and 16th in the NAIA.
• Elliott is 68 yards away from a 1,000-yard season, with one game on the schedule this season.
• The Miami, Fla. native posted a season-high 184 rushing yards at St. Ambrose. Elliott's career high came last season, with an MSFA-record 346 yards in the final game of the year over Waldorf.
• Last season, Elliott became the fourth Trojan ever to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. If he repeats the feat, he will become the first player in TIU history to reach that mark twice in his career.
• Elliott surpassed the 2,000-yard mark for his career last week at St. Xavier, and is 218 away from moving into third in the TIU all-time rushing list (Isreal Diaz, 2,281, '98-'01).
TIU in the Polls
• Trinity International fell out of the NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll three weeks ago, after suffering a 47-14 loss at No. 3 Grand View.
• The Trojans earned their first rank of the year (No. 24) after their upset win over then-No. 17 St. Francis (Ill.) on Sept. 21.
• The Trojans fell out of the poll, after suffering a 33-26 loss to then-unranked Robert Morris on Sept. 28, but bounced back with their win over Olivet Nazarene, reappearing at No. 21.
• Before this season, Trinity's last ranking came in 2005 (No. 24, Sept. 19).
• TIU has been ranked 18 weeks in the program's history, and hold an all-time record of 14-11 (.560) as a nationally-ranked team.
• The MSFA has a total of five teams in the top 25, and six MSFA programs are at least receiving votes in the latest poll. The Heart of America Conference and Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference are tied for the most teams in the poll, with four apiece.
• The Trojans are 7-41 (.149) all-time against ranked opponents, and 49-61 (.445) against unranked teams.
• When TIU is unranked, they are 45-101 (.308) since the poll's debut in 1999.
• With the 5-4 record, the Trojans are currently tied for fourth in the NCCAA Rankings, with Geneva (Pa.), Mississippi College, and Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas). Greenville (Ill.) sit atop the rankings at 9-0, while Azusa Pacific (Calif.) are second with a 7-2 mark.
• Greenville (Ill.) and Azusa Pacific (Calif) have been selected as the top two teams in the NCCAA Rankings, and 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 third in the NAIA in rushing defense, giving up just 92.1 yards on the ground per game. The Trojans also rank 11th in opponent 4th down conversions (33.3%), 19th nationally in total defense (335.1 per game), 29th in scoring defense (24.7 ppg), and 30th in sacks (20).
• Offensively, the Trojans rank 26th in the NAIA with 31.8 points scored per game.
• The Tojan offensive line has been one of the best in the country, ranking 29th in the NAIA with just 15 sacks allowed on the year. The unit has helped the TIU offense to 201.2 rushing yards per game, 22nd-most in the NAIA.
• The Trojan offense leads the nation in fourth-down conversions, going 14-for-18 (77.8%) on fourth down this season.
Carter on Mitchell Award List
• Freshman kicker Jeremiah Carter earned a spot on the October 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 18th in the NAIA with nine field goals this season, 8th in FG per game (1.1), and 17th nationally in scoring per game among kickers (6.4 ppg).
• The freshman is 31st in the NAIA with a .692 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.).
• The Irvine, Calif. native is the only freshman to make the list, and is one of only four kickers from the NAIA.
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.
• Broadcasts are available through the 'Watch Now' link on the homepage at www.TIUtrojans.com, or at TIUSportsNetwork.TIU.edu
