BANNOCKBURN, IL—The Trojans did everything they could on Saturday to battle not only the visiting Tigers of Olivet Nazarene University, but also the wind, rain, and mud, and despite an impressive showing in the ground game, Trinity was unable to emerge victorious, losing 27-14.

Prior to the contest, the Trojans honored their 16 graduating seniors in front of around 100 hardy souls who braved the gusting winds to support their squad in the Trojans final home outing of the year. Once the ballgame got underway, the Trojans surrendered an opening drive touchdown before things really got wild on Trinity's first offensive possession. While the winds had been whipping across the confines of Leslie Frazier Field all morning, a torrential downpour started soaking the playing surface and everyone on or near it. While the run game already figured to feature prominently for Trinity due to the windy conditions, the mucky field, wet ball, and lack of traction rendered the high-powered aerial attack marshaled by the freshman duo of quarterback Liam Mickle and dynamic wideout Cameron Jones fairly powerless. Instead, Trinity's two-headed backfield monster of Derek Lowe and Javier Acosta stepped into the spotlight, but first it was the Trojan defense's time to shine for the remainder of the first quarter. After managing a pair of quick stops that continued to buy time for the offense to find a rhythm, Trinity's defensive unit was truly put to the test late in the frame, as the Tigers slowly ambled down the field, marching all the way to the Trojan one-yard line. In need of a big play and seeking to shift the momentum, Trojan defensive back CJ Watkins burst into the backfield to strip the ball away from the Tiger rusher and get the ball back in the hands of his offense before the quarter expired with Olivet leading 7-0.

While the sheets of rain had ceased their unrelenting barrage on the field of play, the damage was already done. The soggy field began to resemble a motocross circuit as the trampled grass gradually fell away to reveal a layer of slick, syrupy mud. The teams again engaged in a defensive stalemate on the spongy surface as the Trojan resistance rose to the occasion, halting the Tigers on a pair of fourth downs to continue to keep things close as the offense sputtered. Trojan freshman Jeremy Walton spearheaded the defense's exploits, continuing his luminescent rookie campaign with his 11th sack of the season, a mind-bending total that puts him third in the nation among all NAIA schools. The conditions reared their ugly head late in the half when Trojan punter Cameron Outlaw, who performed admirably throughout the contest despite the added challenge posed by the elements, was forced to improvise after a botched punt operation. While Outlaw managed to pick up ten yards via a spur-of-the-moment rush as his converted wideout instincts took over, he still came up shy of the line to gain and the Tigers traded the short field for seven more points to establish a 14-0 halftime lead.

It was more of the same hard-hitting, gritty brand of football as the third quarter rolled in, but the Trojan offense did begin to show signs of life. Despite the challenges posed to the normally potent Trojan passing game, the fearsome freshman duo of Mickle-to-Jones couldn't be held down forever, as the pair hooked up for a trio of completions throughout the quarter for a total of 17 yards. The Trojan defense continued to bask in the limelight however, coming up with two more fourth down stops and only allowing a single touchdown, keeping the Tigers within shouting distance as the offense booted up to take on the 21-0 deficit.

While the Trojan offense had gathered momentum throughout the third, the unit truly started to click in the final 15 minutes. Though the Tigers opened the stanza by pounding in another score to increase their lead to 27-0, the Trinity offense was undeterred, putting together a surgical 11-play, 75-yard drive to find paydirt for the first time all day. It was the formidable duo of tailbacks Derek Lowe and Javier Acosta who led the Trojans to the promised land, with Lowe gashing the defense for rushes of 20 and 21 yards on a drive where he amassed 62 yards on the ground to set up Acosta's 22-yard scamper for the score. After another swift stop courtesy of the Trinity defense, the Trojans again went to work offensively, leaning on Lowe for another hefty contribution of 25 rushing yards. While Lowe did the dirty work, Acosta was just as pivotal on the impressive drive, hauling in a screen pass from Mickle for a 15-yard gain to convert a 4th-and-10 before barreling into the end zone from eight yards out for his second touchdown in as many drives. Despite the late heroics, the final whistle eventually snuffed out the Trojan comeback, sealing the final margin at 27-14 in favor of the visitors.

While the Trojans were unable to emerge victorious while playing in front of their home faithful for the final time in 2022, they certainly gave their diehard supporters that withstood the elements plenty to cheer about. The Trinity defense was tremendous for much of the afternoon, gallivanting through the slop to hold the Tigers to a mere six yards through the air on just two completions. And while Mother Nature seemed hell-bent on preventing Mickle and company from eclipsing the 200 passing yard plateau for the fourth straight time, the Trojans found success with their two-pronged rushing assault, leaning heavily on Lowe (season-high 88 rushing yards) and Acosta (56 rushing yards, 15 receiving yards, 2 rushing touchdowns) as well as an inspired effort in the trenches to get things going offensively. It may not have been the performance Coach Tillman and his crew were looking for in their final clash at Leslie Frazier Field until next season, but it was one that encapsulated what has been a trying yet encouraging fall for the Trojans—the results haven't always been there and the team has faced many challenges, but they continue to find ways to improve and never stop fighting until the final bell.

The Trojans will take the short ride down the road to Elgin, Illinois to battle the Eagles of Judson University in the season finale on Saturday, November 12, at 1:00 p.m.

 

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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.