FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The final game of the current three-week road trip proved to be the toughest one of the bunch, as Trinity International fell short of a perfect 3-0 trip before their first home contest and fell to the No. 17 St. Francis (Ind.) Cougars, 45-3 on Saturday afternoon.

Box Score | Season Stats

The Cougars (3-0) took an early lead with a touchdown on their opening drive, going 75 yards in seven plays and two and a half minutes. Trinity (2-1) answered with a nine-play drive of their own, but stalled at the USF 40 yardline and were forced to punt. The Trojans suffered an interception on their second drive, setting the Cougars up with great field position, but the defense held strong, allowing a 24-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter.

Another USF touchdown midway through the second made it a 17-0 margin, and the Cougars looked to make it a four-possession lead before the halftime break. An Aaron Ordway punt placed St. Francis down at their own 1 yardline. Despite slowly working their way across the field, the Trinity defense stood strong in the closing minutes of the half; With a second and goal on the TIU 4, the Trojans stopped three straight running plays to keep the Cougars out of the end zone and forced a turnover on downs.

In the second half, Trinity's offense continued to find its rhythm, but were only able to enter the red zone once on the day. Jeremiah Carter connected on a 29-yard field goal to put the Trojans on the board early in the fourth quarter on the team's deepest drive of the game. The Cougars attack didn't let up, however, scoring 21 third-quarter points before the Trojans answered.

Two Trojans finished with double-digit tackles, led by junior linebacker Riley Schussler's 21 stops. Mauricio Portillo made 16 tackles as well, while Jarell Carter and Leland Orrin each finished with eight.

Quarterbacks J.J. Burmeister and Zach Chesser split nearly equal time under center, Burmeister finished 9-for-13 for 94 yards and an interception, while Chesser had a 5-for-11 performance for 29 yards and an interception.

Freshman Isaac Branch was Trinity's leading rusher, collecting 48 yards on 14 carries. Dillon Turk led the receiving corps with four catches and 37 yards on the day.

The Trojans fill finally host their first home game next weekend, when they host the Concordia Cardinals. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. from Leslie Frazier Field.