Trojans roll to 49-3 road win over Concordia
Box Score ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- After allowing their opponents the first score of the new season, the Trinity International Trojans looked dominant in all phases of the game, scoring 49 unanswered points en route to a 49-3 win on the road over the Concordia Cardinals. The Trojans used a balanced offensive attack, with five different players scoring touchdowns either in the air or on the ground, plus two more scores from a blocked punt and interception return.
Junior quarterback
Stephen Anderson finished the day with 171 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns, going 15-for-28 in the air.
Chris Elliott rushed for 74 yards on 13 carries, with one touchdown. Sophomore
Cory Windle finished the day as the Trojans' leading receiver, collecting 76 yards and one TD on seven catches.
The offense looked a little out of rhythm to start the game, as the first three drives for Trinity resulted in an interception and a pair of punts from within their own 35-yard line. The Trojan defense was able to step up, however, forcing a three-and-out on Concordia's first possession, then stopping the Cardinals on fourth down when they tried to force the issue on their second drive.
Concordia struck first, going ahead 3-0 on Brayden Bennett's 41-yard field goal with 3:21 to play in the first quarter. Following a three-and-out for the TIU offense,
Brad Badali put his team in great field position with his first interception of the season. Anderson connected with
Courtney Johnson on the very next play for a 26-yard touchdown pass that gave the Trojans a 7-3 edge at the end of the first quarter.
It was all TIU from that point onward, as the Concordia offense struggled to cross midfield the rest of the game, as their best drive outside of the first quarter stalled at the TIU 41-yard line. On the first Cardinal punt of the second quarter, the Trojans pushed through the line to block the kick, as
Darwin Stone picked up the loose ball and went on to score a 45-yard blocked kick return touchdown. Trinity would go into the half with a 14-3 lead thanks to the special teams play closing out the first half.
The Trojans scored twice in the third quarter, with Windle's 7-yard TD catch from Anderson at the 5:43 mark.
Justin Hackley gave the defense another highlight play, picking off the Concordia pass deep in their own territory and returning it for a 16-yard pick-six. With 15 minutes to play, the Trojans looked in control with a 28-3 lead.
Trinity's rushing attack was featured in the fourth quarter as TIU looked to run out the clock. Three different rushers would score touchdowns in the period, led by Elliott and his 15-yard TD run with 10:29 to play. Freshman
Patrick Murano would then cap off a seven-play, 34-yard drive with his first career touchdown, and sophomore
Andrew Florivil would finish off the day with a 13-yard TD to put Trinity ahead by the final margin of 49-3.
Three Trojans finished with a team-high eight tackles on defense, in
Kuziah Ferebee,
Riley Schussler and
John Melton. Melton also collected three sacks on the day, for a total loss of 21 yards. Along with his interception, Hackley posted a sack and a half of his own, while sophomore
Kelvin Acosta grabbed his first career pick as well. The defensive backs were disruptive all day, as TIU combined for a total of 13 broken passes.
With the win, the Trojans start the new season at 1-0, for the third straight year. The win also marks the fourth straight victory over Concordia in the all-time series, dating back to 2011.
Trinity will now return to campus, and prepare for the home opener next week. The Trojans will host Wisconsin Lutheran on Saturday, September 13, at Frazier Field; kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
