BANNOCKBURN, IL—The Trojan offense showcased its explosiveness throughout Saturday's MSFA battle at Leslie Frazier Field, but Trinity suffered a 42-14 defeat to the Lakers of Roosevelt University.

On a chilly but sun-kissed afternoon on Trinity's campus, the Trojans came out swinging right from the get-go, with reliable vet Khalid Humphreys hauling in a 12-yard grab on the second play from scrimmage to give Trinity their initial first down of the contest. A couple plays later, the Trojans turned to standout freshman Liam Mickle, who scampered out of the pocket and rushed down the sideline to seemingly convert on third and nine. However, the officials deemed him short of the line to make, giving punter Cameron Outlaw a chance to showcase his abilities with a picture-perfect 49-yard boot that was downed at the Roosevelt one yard line. After forcing a Roosevelt three-and-out, the Trojans took over again, marching down the field and getting all the way to the Roosevelt nine before failing to convert on a field goal attempt. After surrendering a touchdown on the subsequent Laker drive, the third time was the charm for Trinity. Taking advantage of solid field position courtesy of a 23-yard runback by the explosive transfer from Northern Illinois Bryce Thurman, Trinity evened the score on a beautiful downfield lob from Mickle that was hauled in by fellow rookie star Cameron Jones, who added to his remarkable season by twisting away from would-be tacklers and galloping in for a 60-yard touchdown. When the dust finally cleared from the action-packed first stanza, the score was even at seven apiece.

The second period was not as kind to the blue and white, as the Trojan offense grinded to a halt while the Lakers found paydirt twice to open up a 21-7 halftime lead. The quarter was not without its highlights however, with the Trojan defensive unit showing its resilience with several hard hits to make it tough sledding for the Roosevelt offense. Despite surrendering 131 yards of total offense in the period, Trinity did not concede a single play of 25 yards or more. The Trojan offense kicked into gear just before halftime, garnering some momentum for the final 30 minutes on a drive that saw Mickle complete three straight passes to three different receivers before the clock hit zeroes, sealing the halftime tally at 21-7 Roosevelt.

Unfortunately, the second half did not start out in the Trojans' favor, with Roosevelt scoring on their first two efforts of the half to seize a 35-7 lead. Moments after the fifth Laker touchdown of the day, Trinity showed their toughness, responding to the adversity with perhaps their best drive of the afternoon. Trinity employed a balanced attack, marching forward on the ground and through the air on a 10-play, 77-yard scoring effort that was capped by a sensational 21-yard catch and run by Thurman, who made multiple defenders miss with his shifty moves and plunged into the promised land to cut the deficit to 35-14. The Lakers would score once more before the third period was over to set the score at 42-14 after 45 minutes.

The final quarter was a fairly uneventful one, at least on the scoresheet, but Trinity continued to flash promise throughout the stanza. While the Trojans couldn't find the end zone, their offense did continue to click on occasion, with Mickle's 29- and 14-yard connections with Jones and a 13-yard shot to Humphreys adding to the day's extensive list of bright spots. The Trojan defense also finished their afternoon on a high note, not allowing the Lakers to complete a single pass in the quarter while pitching a shutout for the duration of the frame. Despite the strong finish, time would eventually run out on the Trojans, with the final whistle signaling a 42-14 defeat.

While the Trojans didn't get the result they were seeking, several offensive contributors filled up the Trinity box score. Mickle continued to show his poise with perhaps his finest game as a collegiate, completing 17 of 24 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first time in Mickle's brief career that he topped the 70% completion threshold, and he set a career-high in single-game completion percentage for the second straight week. The beat goes on for fellow freshman Cameron Jones, as the dynamic wideout not only topped 100 receiving yards for the third straight game with his 130-yard, one touchdown performance, but also brought his season total to a stunning 676 yards through the air, a whopping 113 yards per contest. Other Trojan notables in the passing game included Humphreys (5 catches, 43 yards) and Thurman (3 catches, 37 yards, 1 touchdown), with the latter finding the end zone for the first time of his Trojan career.

The Trojans (0-7) will wage war on home turf again on Saturday, October 22nd, when they square off with the nation's 16th-ranked team, the Cougars of St. Xavier.
 

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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.