Chris Yingling | Echo
The football team closed their season in style on Saturday with a dominant road upset of No. 17 Saint Francis of Illinois, 30-20.
Turnovers were the name of the game for Saint Francis, as the Trojan defense recovered four forced fumbles and an interception to keep momentum on their side.
An early fumble recovery by junior defensive lineman Cody Schwerin immediately put the ball close to the end zone, where junior quarterback Jonathan Keith ran it in for the first touchdown.
After a 43-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Alec Eickert expanded the lead to 10-0, sophomore defensive back Dwayne Warren recovered another Saint Francis fumble on the USF six-yard line. Freshman quarterback Justice Odom capitalized by running into the end zone on the next play, bringing the score to 17-0.
After a Saint Francis turnover on downs, the Trojan offense put together a 75-yard drive, capped by a 21-yard dash to the end zone by sophomore running back Andrew Sheard, widening the lead to 24-0.
The poor offensive play of USF would continue as the half came to a close with yet another fumble, this time recovered by junior linebacker Dan McKenna. Odom and the offensive unit quickly responded to the opportunity, finding sophomore wide receiver Shawn Lashbrook in the end zone for a 21-yard score. The 30-0 lead would hold until just before halftime.
The Saints managed to score 20 points in a strong comeback attempt in the second half.
In a desperate drive near the end of the fourth quarter, Saint Francis needed a quick score to keep the game close. With just two minutes left, sophomore defensive back Tyler Mills intercepted the ball to bring any comeback hopes to a screeching halt. The turnover sealed the victory, and the Trojans finished their regular season with a 30-20 win.
"We came out and made some plays early," said head coach Ron Korfmacher. "We capitalized and it compounded. We played hard and had some good team ball."
Defensive play made the win possible for the hard-hitting Trojans. With four recovered fumbles and an interception, the defense tied their season high of five takeaways on the day.
The MSFA Defensive Player of the Week, junior Josh Dingeldein, accounted for one fumble recovery and logged two sacks, five total tackles and two tackles for loss on the day.
"The coaches put me in the right spot, but it definitely was a team win," Dingeldein said. "All my teammates helped me with every play, and all of us were going hard for the ball every play."
Lashbrook led the Trojan offense in receiving on the day, grabbing eight catches for 91 yards and a second-quarter score.
The rushing offense was efficient all afternoon, logging 200 rushing yards in the game. Odom led the rushing attack with 60 yards off of 19 carries and a touchdown. Sheard and Keith also had runs for touchdowns.
Finishing on a strong note, TU ended the season with a 5-5 record and 3-3 in conference play. Taylor says goodbye to 11 seniors but the Trojans look forward to building on this season's success, returning nine starters on offense and six on defense for the 2014 season.
Photography by Timothy P. Riethmiller
