BANNOCKBURN, Ill. --- The TIU football team returned home to Leslie Frazier Field on Saturday afternoon as they hosted the Spartans of Missouri Baptist University in a Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Midwest League showdown. Coming off a slow offensive performance at Saint Xavier last weekend in Chicago, the Trojans looked to rebound with a much needed win to snap their four-game losing streak.

After TIU missed a 40-yard field goal attempt on their opening drive, the Spartans drove 75 yards in four plays to take a 7-0 lead on a 36-yard touchdown pass from Cole Martin to Darius Morrison. Trinity would respond eight minutes later as Derrick Taylor connected with Khalid Humphreys from 20 yards out to cut the deficit to one point after a missed PAT kick.

Missouri Baptist scored the only points of the second quarter, with a six-yard touchdown run by Ronald Allen to give MBU a 14-6 lead late in the half. The Trojan defense would face immense pressure throughout the half and during the entire afternoon with the Spartans offense operating much of the game in TIU territory. Trinity's defense unit would rise to the challenge in the final minute of the second quarter, intercepting Martin twice in a 53 second span, allowing the Trojans to go into halftime only trailing by eight points, 14-6.

TIU's defense would only continue to bring the pressure on the Spartans as the second half began, holding MBU scoreless for the remainder of the afternoon. Kemon Reese helped to erase the deficit in the third quarter with a 42-yard fumble recovery taken to the endzone for a touchdown, his first career defensive score.

The Trojan offense continued their attack in the second half predominantly through the air, seeking Humphrey, Deon Cook, and Mason Yoshino as primary targets. Early in the fourth quarter, Taylor once again connected with Humphrey for his second touchdown pass of the day, this time from 35-yards out to give Trinity an 18-14 lead after a failed two-point conversion. After Cameron Outlaw tacked on a 22-yard field goal midway through the fourth, Reese put the finishing touches on TIU's dominating defensive effort, picking off Martin for the third time on the day to seal the 21-14 win for the Trojans.

Taylor finished his career day with 346 passing yards on 26 competitions with two total touchdown passes. Cook notched 99 yards receiving, while Humphrey posted 95 yards to go with his two touchdown catches. Yoshino also recorded a career-best 64 yards receiving on four catches.

Defensively, Reese led TIU with 18 total tackles, two pass breakups, a fumble recovery for a touchdown and one interception. Steven Williams III and Lorenzano Blakeney each recorded one takeaway through the air, while Moses Smith and Cam Palmer each notched one sack each.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• TIU's win was their first ever against Missouri Baptist, snapping a five-game losing streak to the Spartans. MBU still leads the all-time series 5-1.

• Saturday's victory ends Trinity's 25-game losing streak against conference opponents. TIU's last win against a MSFA-Midwest League opponent came on Oct. 21, 2017 in a 34-28 victory over Robert Morris (IL).

• With the win, the Trojans have now won three games in a single season for the first time since 2016, when they finished 4-7.

• Derrick Taylor's two touchdown passes against the Spartans were his eighth and ninth of the season, and give him 11 in his TIU career.

• With his two touchdown passes, Taylor ties Kevin Oberlander for the tenth most touchdown passes in a single season in program history (9).

• Taylor surpassed 1,000 passing yards as a TIU quarterback with his performance against the Spartans. He previously threw for 1,833 yards in three seasons at Cincinnati Christian before transferring to TIU for the 2020 season.

• Taylor's 346 passing yards against MBU were a career-high. It was also his second career game of 300+ passing yards, including his first as a Trojan.

• Khalid Humphreys' two touchdown receptions were his second and third scores of the season, and give him five career touchdown catches. Saturday was also Humphreys' first career multi-touchdown game.

• Deon Cook's 99-yard receiving yards on the day give him 720 on the season, tenth most in a single season in school history. 

• Kemon Reese tied his career-high in total tackles for the second time this season with 18. Reese also passed Josh Tooley (2004-06) for seventh in program history in all-time total tackles.

• Reese's fumble recovery in the third quarter was the first of his career, as well as his first career defensive touchdown. The defensive score marked the sixth fumble returned for a touchdown in program history, and first since 2016. Reese's 42 yard return to the end zone also puts him third all-time in fumble return yards in school history.

• Reese's game-sealing interception on Missouri Baptist's potential game-tying drive in the fourth quarter was his first career pick.

• Defensive tackle Moses Smith posted a career-high three tackles for loss in Saturday's win. He leads all active Trojan defenders with 73.5 yards lost on TFL's.

• Lorenzano Blakeney's second quarter interception of MBU quarterback Cole Martin was his third of the season, and fourth of his career.

• Steven Williams III recorded his team-high fourth interception of the season, and fifth career takeaway on Saturday, picking off Martin on his second thrown interception of the day. Williams is now tied for the sixth most interceptions in a single season in team history.

UP NEXT

The Trojans (3-6) return to the field next Saturday, November 6 as they visit #17 Olivet Nazarene Tigers in conference action in Bourbonnais. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00pm CT at Ward Field, with the game being broadcast LIVE on the Tiger Sports Network.
 

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Trinity International University is a comprehensive, national university affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America and located in Bannockburn, Illinois, 25 miles north of Chicago. TIU educates men and women to engage in God's redemptive work in the world by cultivating academic excellence, Christian faithfulness and lifelong learning.