By: Chris Yingling | Co-Editor in Chief
It was supposed to be a wrap-up for the Saint Francis Cougars.
To begin the second half of last Saturday's football game, Taylor freshman quarterback Everett Pollard chucked an interception. The Saint Francis defensive back returned the ball 29 yards for a touchdown, widening the Cougars' lead on the Trojans, 41-7. While SFU missed the extra point attempt, the game was essentially over. That should have been the nail in the coffin.
But Taylor is a second-half football team.
"That missed extra point was an open door," said head coach Ron Korfmacher. "The mentality on the sideline was to keep working and keep executing. We weren't thinking 'We need 34 points.' It was the mindset of 'Let's get six points and go from there.'"Korfmacher's mindset was put to the test in the third quarter. After the pick six, SFU again scored, this time on offense, to put the game out of reach, 48-7.
However, Pollard had other plans.
Junior Richardson Giordani's kickoff return put Taylor in good field position for Pollard and his offense to work. After a few short passes and a string of first downs, Pollard fired a pass to senior wide receiver Shawn Lashbrook on the right side of the end zone. Despite defensive pass interference, Lashbrook hauled in the football to make it a 48-14 game at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter started with fast offense. Pollard hurled a 21-yard throw to the corner of the end zone for Lashbrook to pick up within just 33 seconds. Lashbrook's third score of the day was a sign of good things to come for TU, as the team steadily crept back from a 27-point deficit.
The dynamic duo wasn't done. On Taylor's subsequent possession, Pollard found Lashbrook on a 25-yard bomb to curb the lead to 20 for Saint Francis. Junior Brandon Haan attempted to pull some theatrics on the Cougars with an onside kick. However, the ball recovered by senior Michael Miller was illegally touched on the play, giving the ball back to Saint Francis.
Not a problem for the TU defense.
Pressure from senior Adam Sauder forced a bad pass from the SFU quarterback. Senior Jake Venable caught the interception and returned it 16 yards. A familiar sight followed the interception, as Pollard immediately arched the ball to Lashbrook for a 39-yard touchdown. Taylor made it a two possession game with seven minutes to go.
A three-and-out from the Cougars gave the ball back to Taylor. A methodical drive led to a pass from Pollard to Miller, making the game a 48-42 one-possession game.
With two minutes to go, Taylor met its match. Pollard threw a game-ending interception.
"In that situation, you can't try to make too much happen, and that's what I took away from the game," Pollard said. "I had been making plays all night but forced that one."
Despite the loss, Taylor's offense made some huge strides. Pollard, in his second game starting for the Trojans, finished 32/52 passing for 371 yards and six touchdowns along with 53 yards on the ground. Pollard's six scores ties the Taylor record, paving the way to a strong career for the freshman quarterback.
Lashbrook also had a career game, highlighted by five touchdowns on his 187 receiving yards. Miller recorded a career-high eight catches for 74 yards and a score, while senior Zach Hershberger grabbed five catches in his collegiate debut.
"The credit has to go to the quarterback and the offensive line for playing well in the second half," Lashbrook said. "For being a young guy, (Pollard) has a good head on his shoulders. He's smart, he knows how to go through his progressions well."
The Trojans (1-1) will play the third of a three-game homestand against Butler on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Turner Stadium.
Photograph by Josh Adams
