Taylor's football team dropped to .500 this Sept. 22 after visiting Trine University. The Trojans (2-2) have now lost two straight games after dismantling their first two opponents earlier this season.
A 45-minute delay occurred early in the game due to heavy rain and lightning in the area.
The delay did not affect the Trojans much, since they had scored on an 8-yard rushing touchdown by senior running back Taylor Johnson six minutes in.
The point after attempt was good as freshman kicker Alec Eickert sent the ball straight through the uprights to put the Trojans up 7-0.
Late in the first quarter, Taylor put three more points on the board as Eickert connected on a 46-yard field goal. The Trojans were up on the Thunder 10-0, and it stayed that way for the rest of the half.
In the second quarter, Taylor's defense shone as they collected three sacks. Trine's offense could only get into Taylor's territory on one drive, which ended in a sack recorded by senior Adam Middlesworth and junior Jake Shapley.
Eickert attempted a 39-yard field goal with 49 seconds left in the third, but he was denied as Trine senior Myron Puryear blocked it.
Trine did not get anything going on their next drive as time expired at the half.
Up 10-0, Taylor looked to continue their first-half success into the second half. Trine had other plans.
Sophomore quarterback Jonathan Keith took over for senior Nick Freeman in the new half after Freeman's first-half injury.
"You never want to hear that one of your brothers is injured. However, there is still a game to be played," Keith said. "I trusted my teammates and my coaches to help me, and I was ready to play my role."
Less than five minutes into the half, the Thunder connected on a 50-yard touchdown to pull them within three of the Trojans.
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The next Trojan possession was a quick 3-and-out, and Trine picked up where they left off and returned junior Stephan Straits' punt for a 79-yard touchdown to put the Thunder up 14-10.
Taylor was able to hold onto the ball for more than five minutes in their next possession, but they failed to convert as their drive ended in a 39-yard missed field goal.
The Thunder responded with a 78-yard drive that resulted with another touchdown, putting Trine up 21-10.
"They came out with a lot of energy in the second half, and we failed to match their intensity," Freeman said. "Once they took the lead, we fell into the position of trying to catch up instead of being the aggressors."
Taylor responded as they forced their way down the field for 67 yards. Although they were not able to get into the end zone, Eickert was able to stick in another field goal to pull the Trojans within eight.
Trine responded quickly with a less-than-2-minute drive that ended in a 49-yard rushing touchdown. The point after was good, and the Trojans found themselves down 28-13.
The score remained the same for the last six minutes as Trine defeated Taylor by 15.
The Trojans captured more passing yards than their opponent, but they failed to amass enough rushing yards to match Trine.
Penalties seemed to hurt Taylor chances as nine were called against them for a total loss of 91 yards.
Although Taylor allowed 28 points, there were some standout performances. Senior Isaac McGaughey led the Trojans' defense with 16 tackles in the game.
The Trojans look to rebound against their first conference opponent, Siena Heights, on the road at 1 p.m. Sept. 29.
"There is a lot we have learned as a team by losing our last two games that will make us a lot stronger as a unit," Freeman said. "We understand that the only way we are going to be successful is by putting our team before ourselves and committing everything we have to one another for a complete 60 minutes."
