By: Lincoln Reed | Sports Editor
Taylor football annihilated Olivet Nazarene 40-0 on Saturday with a display of stellar offense and defense.
After receiving the opening kickoff, the Trojans proceeded to march the ball 82 yards down the field in nine plays. Senior Justin Keys ran into the end zone on a three-yard rush to give the Trojans an early 7-0 lead.
Taylor controlled the remainder of the game in an impressive display of offense that earned the Trojans 189 yards rushing and 313 yards receiving. Junior Tim Barrett led the Trojans in rushing with 95 yards and senior Michael Miller had a career-high 174 yards receiving. Taylor's offensive strategy against Olivet featured a balanced combination of running and passing that hadn't been present in the last two weeks.
"We really just focused on getting the run started," Barrett said. "The last couple games against Butler and Saint Francis we were completely pass oriented, so this week we really wanted to focus on getting the run game started and that's what we did."
The second Trojan touchdown came in the waning minutes of the first quarter when redshirt freshman Everett Pollard completed a nine-yard pass to senior tight end Hans Lundberg within reach of the end zone. A forced fumble set the ball loose but senior Shawn Lashbrook recovered it in the end zone to put Taylor up 14-0.
With 41 seconds left in the first quarter, senior safety Adam Sauder intercepted a pass and returned the ball for a touchdown. This is Sauder's first interception of the 2015 season and the eighth in his career at Taylor.
After an impressive 20-0 lead after the first quarter, the Trojans continued a steady scoring pace on offense. The next Taylor touchdown came in the final seconds of the second quarter when Pollard expertly completed a Hail Mary pass to Miller for a 43-yard touchdown. The barrage continued in the third quarter when Pollard connected with Lashbrook for a 28-yard touchdown with nine seconds left to play.
Pollard's performance earned him the MSFA Mideast League's Offensive Player of the Week. Pollard threw for a total of 297 yards and completed 20 out of 28 passes. This is the first time Pollard has earned the award in his career as a Trojan.
"He did an amazing job this weekend," Miller said. "He distributed the ball well, stayed in the pocket when there was a lot of pressure."
Junior quarterback Wilson Alexander entered the game during the fourth quarter and completed an 11-yard pass to senior Andrew Sheard to round out the Trojans' lead to 40-0.
Taylor's defense completed the shutout by allowing only 65 yards rushing and 135 yards receiving for Olivet Nazarene. The defense forced three turnovers and sophomore Austin Shope led Taylor with seven tackles.
"It was a shutout," said head coach Ron Korfmacher. "That's a big deal . . . there aren't many shutouts. They are difficult to get. In college football, shutouts don't come easy."
The 40-0 win improves Taylor's record to 2-2. The Trojans travel to St. Louis to play Missouri Baptist in an MFSA showdown beginning at 11 a.m. tomorrow.Photograph by Shannon Smagala
