TIU Football falls to William Penn on Senior Day
Greg Gorham
Box Score
Box Score | Season Stats
DEERFIELD, Ill. -- On a cold and rainy afternoon at Frazier Field, twenty seniors were recognized before taking the field one final time, as the Trinity International Trojans held a fourth-quarter lead before ultimately falling, 23-18, to the William Penn Statesmen. The Trojans had trailed throughout most of the day, before taking a one-point lead at the end of the third quarter, but a late Statesmen touchdown proved to be the game winner with just over five minutes to play.
The Statesmen (6-4, 3-3 MSFA Midwest) struck first, taking the opening drive 81 yards for the touchdown, capped off by Sam Tvedt's four-yard TD run. TIU answered on their first drive as well, as quarterback Stephen Anderson rushed for one of his two touchdowns on the day, a nine-yard score. The Trojans missed the extra point, however, and still trailed 7-6.
In what became a theme throughout the first half, Willam Penn's slow and methodical rushing attack ate up nearly eight minutes on their next drive, using 14 plays to go 72 yards. The Statesmen used 13 rush plays compared to just one pass on the drive, which finished with a three-yard touchdown run from WPU's Evan Ressler, giving his team a 14-6 lead early in the second quarter.
TIU looked to match the Statesmen score for score, briefly crossing into William Penn territory on their next drive. A stuffed run, followed by a false start, however, pushed the Trojans back to midfield. Trinity looked to catch WPU off-guard with a fake punt, but the play was sniffed out quickly, setting up the Statemen in TIU territory.
The Trojan defense picked up more momentum throughout the day, and held Penn to just 13 yards on their next drive. A 44-yard Marcus Kerrigan field goal split the uprights with the wind to his back, as WPU claimed a 17-6 edge.
TIU looked poised to make it a one-possession game at the half, moving the ball 67 yards on 11 plays over the final five minutes of the second quarter. Trinity put the ball inside the William Penn 10-yard line, but an interception in the end zone stopped the drive with no points on the board. The Statesmen kneeled on the next play, ending the first half of action.
Coming out of the break, the Trojans chipped away at the deficit with a 52-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by a 20-yard gain from Anderson to freshman wideout Cory Windle that put TIU in the red zone. Anderson capped the drive off with a 1-yard touchdown, finding the open space on the read option. Trinity went for two on the next play to make it a three-point game, and after converting, the Trojans had to try again from the 18-yard line after a hands-to-the-face penalty call. TIU couldn't convert on the long conversion attempt, but still cut the lead to 17-12.
After William Penn marched down the field 67 yards on their next drive, the TIU defense held strong, stopping the Statesmen in the red zone and forcing a 31-yard Kerrigan field goal that missed wide left. TIU took over on their own 20 with a chance to take their first lead of the day, but an interception near midfield put the ball back into Penn's hands with 3:35 to play in the third quarter.
The defense held strong again, on the first of back-to-back three-and-outs. On the following punt, senior Kyle Mowen got a hand on the ball for the block, setting up the offense in solid field position at the TIU 48-yard line.
Anderson found senior wideout Cristian Robinson for his seventh touchdown pass of the season, giving TIU a 18-17 lead heading into the start of the fourth quarter. During the drive, sophomore running back Chris Elliott recorded his 1,000th rushing yard of the season. Elliott becomes the fourth Trojan in program history to reach the 1,000-yard plateau, and the first Trojan ever to do it twice, repeating the feat after reaching 1,000 yards as a freshman in 2012.
Following another three-and-out, the Trojans looked to make it a two-possession lead in the fourth quarter. TIU moved the ball to the William Penn 29-yard line, but the third interception of the day stopped the drive without any points. Taking over on their own 30-yard line, William Penn called ten straight run plays, moving 70 yards in almost four minutes, finishing with a four-yard TD run from Dylan Latham. The Statesmen went for two, looking to make it a seven point lead, but after a false start penalty, could not convert from the seven yard line.
The Trojans had time for one final push, looking for a late touchdown to grab the lead for good. Opening with a sack on Anderson, TIU was pushed back to their own 18-yard line, but rallied to cross midfield in the closing minutes. On a 3rd-and-16, Anderson was flushed out of the pocket, and was intercepted near the WPU 25-yard line, ending the rally.
Trinity International (5-5, 2-4 MSFA Midwest) close the year with the most wins since 2004, and the best record to date in the Kirk Wherritt era. For the first time in program history, the Trojans have a two-time 1,000-yard rusher in Chris Elliott, who finishes his sophomore campaign with 1,026 yards and 11 touchdowns.
