The Trojans are off to a solid 1-1 start to begin the season.
Taylor played in a high-scoring home opener against Olivet Nazarene on Aug. 8th that went into overtime. TU got the board first on a one-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Nathan Parker. Taylor punched it in again from one yard out – this time on the legs of junior running back Kyle Turanchick.
After allowing back-to-back scores from the opposition, Taylor responded with three unanswered touchdowns that put them up 35-14. The Tigers roared back to life, rattling off four straight touchdowns themselves, taking the lead 42-35.
Senior quarterback Damon Hockett hit senior wideout Jack D’Arcy from 28 yards out to tie the game at 42 with just over 3 minutes left. Olivet was unable to score before time expired and the game went to overtime.
Olivet struck first on a 25-yard pass but missed the extra point to put them up by six. On Taylor’s ensuing drive, Hockett was intercepted by junior defensive back Jalen Perkins on the third play to lose the game.
“I think we got off to a really good start in the game, both offensively and defensively,” head coach Aaron Mingo said. “Hats off to Olivet. They’re a good football team and they’re gonna win a lot of football games this year.”
This season, Mingo has installed a two-quarterback system. Sophomore Kyle Stratton earned himself meaningful reps during the game. Oftentimes, he was on the field at the same time as Hockett, lining up as a running back.
Stratton rushed for 22 yards on seven carries. He also completed one of two passes for a deep 50-yard rocket to D’Arcy. Despite the unconventional strategy, Mingo hopes to unlock Stratton’s athletic ability for his offense.
“I think that he’s (Stratton) extremely explosive and a dynamic playmaker,” Mingo said. “Keeping him on the bench or keeping Damon on the bench is really difficult to do when we look at how dynamic both guys are so we want to be able to play both.”
Taylor’s next opponent was St. Francis (Ill.) on the road in Joliet, Ill. The game got off to a rocky start when Hockett threw an interception on the second play of the game, which St. Francis turned into a touchdown. The interception didn’t faze the Trojan offense as they scored touchdowns on their next six drives on their way to a 42-14 halftime lead.
In the second half, the TU offense struggled to add more points to the scoreboard. After two failed fourth-down conversions and a good field goal attempt, Taylor was only able to muster up three points in the entire second half. The Fighting Saints tried to mount a comeback, but the Trojans' defense did enough to ward them off, forcing six turnovers in a 45-28 win.
After a fantastic showing last season, expectations are high for the Trojans before conference play begins. With some tough matchups still ahead, Taylor is looking to stay in the win column.
Looking ahead for the Trojans, they have a home matchup with the Knights of Kentucky Christian (1-0) on Sept. 13 at 4 pm. Last season, the Trojans easily defeated the Knights 67-35.
After that Taylor enters their bye week before traveling to Elgin, Ill. to take on the Judson Eagles (0-2) on Sep. 27th at 2 pm. Taylor defeated Judson 52-29 last season.
