BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- A defensive struggle throughout the first half opened up into a shootout, but the Trinity International Trojans came up just short Saturday night, falling on the road to the Olivet Nazarene Tigers, 36-29. The Trojans had two chances to score the game-tying touchdown in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, but a pair of interceptions ended both drives.

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Despite both sides only putting up a pair of field goals in the first half, the Trojans and Tigers combined for 831 yards of total offense. TIU quarterback Stephen Anderson threw for 304 yards and a pair of touchdowns, connecting on 29 of his 49 passes. Running back Chris Elliott collected 90 yards on the ground on 20 carries, and one TD. Two Trojan wideouts collected over 100 receiving yards, in sophomore Cory Windle, with 123 yards and 10 receptions, and freshman Brad Hargis, who posted 103 yards on nine catches.

The Trojans were held off the scoreboard until early in the second quarter, when kicker Jeremiah Carter connected on the first of his three field goals on the night, from 38 yards out. After the Tigers reclaimed a lead on their next drive with a field goal, the Trojans went on a 10-play, 66-yard drive that stalled inside the red zone, but the field goal missed wide left, leaving the Tigers in front 6-3. The TIU defense forced a three-and-out, leaving enough time for Carter to connect on a 32-yard field goal as time expired, tying the game at 6-6 at the half.

The start of the third quarter was when the offenses started firing on all cylinders. Olivet kicked the second half off with a touchdown drive, capped off with a four yard TD run from ONU's Antonio Tyson. The Trojans responded with a score of their own, as Anderson found Dillon Turk in the end zone from 13 yards out, tying the game for a third time, 13-13.

The Tigers scored on the game's third consecutive touchdown drive, highlighted by a 52-yard pass that set ONU up on the Trojan one-yardline. After the extra point Olivet Nazarene held a 20-13 edge with 7:55 to play in the third quarter.

Trinity's next drive was stopped, but the defense stepped up to put the Trojans in good field position, after forcing a turnover. Linebacker Riley Schussler forced an ONU fumble, which was picked up by Caleb Whitley at the ONU 45 yardline. TIU marched down to the seven, but could not punch the ball into the end zone, and Carter put three more points on the board, this time from 26 yards, cutting the Tiger lead to 20-16.

A Tiger punt gave the Trojans the chance to claim their first lead of the night early in the fourth quarter. Back-to-back 26 yard runs, first from Anderson, then again from Elliott moved the ball into Tiger territory, then a 17-yard pass to Windle put the Trojans on the 12-yardline. Elliott scored on the next play, giving the Trojans a 22-20 lead with the extra point pending. ONU however would block the PAT, and return the ball all the way for the defensive two-point conversion, tying the game at 22-22.

The longest drive of the night ran the clock down while Olivet Nazarene capped off a 10-play series with a six-yard touchdown pass, moving ahead again by seven. With a little over five minutes to play, the Trojans moved the ball into ONU territory, but Lucas Limberg picked off an Anderson pass and returned the interception for a touchdown, suddendly giving the Tigers a two-score advantage, 36-22.

Trinity would get one last chance to tie the game and force overtime. Anderson found Elliott on a six-yard TD pass on the next possession, cutting the ONU lead to 36-29 with 3:18 to play. The Trojan defense would get a big stop, forcing a punt with 1:41 remaining. The Tigers would stop the rally with their second interception of the night, however, finishing off the game.

Schussler, along with Darwin Stone finished with a team-high 11 tackles, while Stone also recorded an interception. Both players also forced a fumble in the game, along with linebacker Ethan Ming, who collected three tackles on the night.

The Trojans return home next Saturday, as St. Ambrose comes to Deerfield for Homecoming Weekend. Kickoff against the Bees is set for 12:00 p.m., as TIU Athletics celebrates the 25th anniversary of Trinity International Football with a team reunion, open to players and alumni from all 25 seasons of Trojan football.