Kickoff

• Trinity International continues their five-game road swing this week, when they travel to Michigan and take on the Concordia Cardinals. Kickoff from Ann Arbor is set for 12:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. EDT.
• Streaming video of Saturday's contest will be available at TIUTrojans.com.

Quick Hits

• The Trojans are in the midst of a program-record five-game road trip, including four straight MSFA contests away from home.
• Trinity will look to improve their record to .500 with a win over the Cardinals, as TIU comes off a 49-24 loss to NCAA FCS opponent Valparaiso (Ind.) last week.
• Through three games this season, the Trojans rank 7th in the NAIA with 274.3 rushing yards per game.
• Concordia finished 5-6 last season, and are 2-1 so far this year, including a 41-0 home win over Siena Heights to open MSFA Mideast play.
• Against St. Francis (Ind.) on Aug. 27, senior wide receiver Cory Windle set the all-time TIU record for receptions, now with 122 catches over three-plus seasons. Windle is 282 yards from setting Trinity's all-time receiving yards record as well.
• TIU currently ranks 9th in the NAIA in rushing defense, as the Trojans average just 80.0 yards on the ground per game. Offensively, Trinity has put up 279.5 rushing yards per game, good for 6th in the NAIA.Kickoff
• Trinity International continues their five-game road swing this week, when they travel to Michigan and take on the Concordia Cardinals. Kickoff from Ann Arbor is set for 12:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. EDT.
• Streaming video of Saturday's contest will be available at TIUTrojans.com.

Series History

• This weekend will be the 6th meeting all-time between the Trojans and Cardinals, with both sides meeting each year since 2011.
• Concordia earned their first win in the series last season, with a 21-17 win in Deerfield on Sept. 26.
• The Trojans have outscored Concordia by a combined 91-3 margin in the two previous road games, in 2012 and 2014.

Last Time vs Concordia

• With three chances in the fourth quarter to take the lead, Trinity International came up just short, falling to the Concordia Cardinals 21-17 at Frazier Field in the Trojans' 2015 home opener. 
• Trinity held a 17-14 advantage late in the third quarter, following a 23-yard field goal from Jeremiah Carter, but Concordia responded with a 10-play, 59-yard touchdown drive to take their first lead of the day with 1:39 remaining in the third.
• TIU running back Chris Elliott finished with 106 yards on 22 carries; the senior also scored his 31st career touchdown, moving him into 2nd place on TIU's all-time rushing TD list.
• Zach Chesser played the majority of snaps going 20-for-36 for 244 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions.

About Concordia

• The Cardinals opened the season with two wins in their first three games, over St. Ambrose and Siena Heights; their only loss game at NCAA FCS Wagner (N.Y.) two weeks ago.
• Offensively, Concordia averages just 247.7 yards of total offense per game, but the Cardinal defense holds opponents to about 280 yards of total offense, while forcing six takeaways so far.
• Ty Peterson and Kaleb Pohlman have three sacks apiece, while four players overall have at least two sacks on the season.

A Trojan Win Would...

• ... Improve the team's record to 2-2.
• ... Raise the team record to .500 for the second time this season.
• ... Be the fifth win over Concordia in six meetings.
• ... Snap a five-game road losing streak, dating back to last season.

A Trojan Loss Would...

• ... Drop the Trojans' overall record to 1-3.
• ... Be the first road loss to Concordia in the all-time series.

Leslie Frazier Field

• TIU is 11-23 at home in the Wherritt era, and are 52-79-1 all-time at Frazier Field.
• The Trojans are 15-11-1 all-time in home openers, and have won the first game of the year at Frazier Field in five of the the past seven seasons.
• TIU's head coach for the inaugural season in 1989 through 1996 was Leslie Frazier. Frazier was a member of the 1985 Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears, and is currently the secondary coach of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. He had a record of 38-37-3 while at TIU, and remains the winningest coach in Trinity International history.

Trojan Football History

• The Trinity International Trojan football program has an all-time record of 103-171-2 (.375), dating back to their first season as a varsity program in 1990.
• Trinity has won three MSFA Midwest League titles in school history (1994, 1995, 2003).
• TIU has earned two NAIA Football Championship Series berths (1994, 2004). The program is still searching for their first NAIA playoff victory, falling to Northwestern (Iowa) and Georgetown (Ky.), respectively.
• TIU has one appearance in the NCCAA Victory Bowl, where they fell to Garner-Webb (N.C.), 54-14, in 2001.
Offensive Leaders
• Senior quarterback J.J. Burmeister is averaging 166.3 passing yards per game this season, completing 60.3 percent of his passes and throwing six TDs on the year.
• Senior Alex Johns-Moore leads the Trojan receiving corps with 12 receptions, 227 yards, and three touchdowns.
• Sophomore running back Isaac Branch leads the Trojans with 343 yards on the ground, including a career-high 181-yard performance against Valparaiso on Sept. 17.
• Branch is averaging 114.3 rushing yards per game, and has reached the century mark in two of three games this season.
• Senior kicker Jeremiah Carter is Trinity's all-time leader in field goals made, and points scored by a kicker. This season, Carter leads the team with 27 points, going 5-for-6 on field goals, and a perfect 12-for-12 on extra points.

Defensive Leaders

• Linebackers Riley Schussler and Mauricio Portillo continue to lead the Trojan defense, with 35 and 26 total tackles, respectively. Schussler recorded a team-high 16 tackles last week at Valparaiso.
• Godfrey Collins II recorded two sacks against Wisconsin Lutheran on Sept. 3, and is now the team leader. Collins is tied for 7th in the MSFA in total sacks.

National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete

• Senior linebacker Riley Schussler was selected as a nominee for the 2016 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments.
• To be nominated, a player must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a grade point average of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.
• Schussler becomes the first player in Trinity history to be nominated for the award.

TIU in the Polls

• The Trojans are currently unranked; their last appearance in the coaches' poll was in 2013.
• Trinity was ranked as high as No. 21 on Oct. 7, 2013, following their win over Olivet Nazarene.
• Before the 2013 season, Trinity's last ranking came in 2005 (No. 24, Sept. 19).
• TIU has been ranked 29 times in the program's history, and holds an all-time record of 15-12 (.556) as a nationally-ranked team.
• The Trojans are 7-51 (.121) all-time against ranked opponents, and 55-70 (.440) against unranked teams.
• When TIU is unranked, they are 51-120 (.298) since the poll's debut in 1999.

NCCAA Victory Bowl

• The top two teams in the NCCAA based on Massey Rating will meet at the end of the season in the 2016 Victory Bowl.
• The Trojans dropped two spots this week, to No. 5 in the NCCAA rankings. TIU is the 2nd-ranked NAIA program in the NCCAA standings.