JOLIET, Ill. -- The Trinity International defense forced five turnovers, but the No. 14 St. Francis Saints posted 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to knock off the Trojans, 44-30. TIU either held a lead or were tied throughout the game, until the Saints took their first lead with 6:58 remaining.

Box Score | Season Stats

TIU (2-1) generated 256 yards of total offense, their lowest total through three games this season. Quarterback Stephen Anderson finished the day with 204 passings yards with 22-for-39 passing, with two touchdowns. Running back Chris Elliott collected a season-high 80 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries.

Both defenses looked strong early, as the Trojans took a 7-0 lead when St. Francis snapped the ball over the head of their punter and into the end zone. Kyran Davis fell on the loose ball for Trinity's first score of the day. The Saints tied the game back up on their next possession, going 45 yards on eight plays, finishing with a two-yard TD run from Tyrell Mitchell.

Sophomore Cory Windle made the first of his two touchdown catches at the start of the second quarter, when Stephen Anderson found the wideout from 22 yards out. Windle finished the game with five receptions and 52 yards. St. Francis again scored on the next possession, but the drive stalled on the TIU 16-yardline, and USF converted a 33-yard field goal to cut the Trojan lead to 14-10.

Trinity was given great field position after the Saints dropped their second fumble of the game, forced by Riley Schussler, and picked up by Brad Badali on the USF 23-yardline. St. Francis held the Trojan offense to a three-and-out, but Jeremiah Carter split the uprights on a 39-yard field goal to increase TIU's lead back to seven, at 17-10.

A 10-play, 60-yard drive finished the first half for St. Francis, as USF's Sheldon Magee punched the ball into the end zone on a four yard run. The Saints failed to convert the extra point, however, giving TIU a 17-16 halftime advantage.

Both sides traded punts again to open the third quarter, when the Trojans took advantage of another USF turnover. J.J. Burmeister fell on the muffed punt at the 23-yardline for the third takeaway in the game. Andersron connected with Dillon Turk for a 21-yard pass on the next play, then Chris Elliott ran it in from two yards out. The Trojans missed out on their own extra point, keeping the lead at seven points, 23-16.

St. Francis nearly tied the game on their next drive, when quarterback Mitch Brozovich connected with Ryne Van Gennep on a 54-yard touchdown pass, but another missed extra point kept TIU in front 23-22. Windle then caught his second touchdown just 90 seconds later, capping off a 61-yard drive in just four plays, making it an eight-point game and giving the Trojans a 30-22 lead with 3:29 to play in the third quarter.

The Trojans committed their first turnover in the fourth quarter, when the Trojan offense fumbled the ball on their own 19-yardline. The Saints converted four plays later, then tied the game at 30-30 after completing the two-point conversion.

USF then took their first lead of the day after another Trojan fumble inside their own 20. Starting on the TIU 8-yardline, quarterback Trace Wanless found Troy Torrence in the end zone for the score, giving St. Francis the 37-30 lead.

A holding penalty called on TIU pushed the offense back to the 10-yardline to start their next drive, with 6:52 to play. Trinity went three-and-out on three incomplete passes, and were forced to punt the ball away. USF gained a 20-yard return on the kick, setting up at the TIU 22. Three plays later, the Saints scored to make it a two-possession game, 44-30. The Trojans made one last push to get back in the game, crossing midfield into Saints territory, but an intercepted pass ended the rally.

On defense, John Melton finished the day with a team-high 18 tackles, while Schussler collected 16 tackles with a forced fumble, and 1.5 tackles for loss. Freshman Daniel Harris picked off two passes in the second half, for the first two interceptions of his collegiate career.

Three TIU wideouts finished with five or more receptions, led by Courtney Johnson's seven catches and 48 yards. Turk posted six catches for 80 yards.

The Trojans will return home next weekend, when they play host to the Robert Morris Eagles. Kickoff against RMU is set for Saturday, September 27, at 1:00 p.m.