It was a record-setting game for the Trojans when they faced Lawrence Tech on Oct. 25th. TU set a program record for total offense with 651 yards. It was the defense however that stole the show however as they held the Blue Devils scoreless in a 63-0 victory.
Freshman running back Jed Galvin had his biggest game of the year with 129 rushing yards on only five attempts and collected two touchdowns as well. He has been impressive throughout the rest of the season as well, averaging 10.9 yards per carry while only rushing the ball around four times a game.
“He’s just so explosive,” head coach Aaron Mingo said. “We are very pleased with his production so far this year, and we’ve expanded his role as much as we can and we continue to look for ways to do that.”
The defense was explosive and came away with eight team sacks for a loss of 63 yards. Senior defensive lineman Thad Thoman led the team with two which brought his season total up to four and a half.
The stout Taylor defense held the Lawrence Tech rushing attack to a measly 31 yards and only allowed 131 passing yards. Mingo says he was impressed by his defense’s performance.
“That was arguably the best game that we’ve played here in five years,” he said. “Defensively, we have just made so much progress. To pitch a shutout is a huge deal.”
On Nov. 1, Taylor faced their bitter rival, the No.13 Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats in the Battle of Grant County. There was no love lost between these two teams that are separated by just 11 miles. It was an absolute barn burner as the Wildcats emerged victorious with a 56-48 victory.
The game got off to a slow start with both teams throwing interceptions on their first drives. After forcing a Taylor punt, IWU had a chance to start the scoring and they capitalized on a 54-yard bomb to go up 7-0.
Taylor responded right away on the next drive with a 47-yard rushing touchdown from sophomore back Nathan Parker. Also during the game, Parker became just the seventh player in Taylor football history to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in a season as his season total was brought to 1,185.
“It’s always about the next play,” Jed Galvin said. “We know they’re (Indiana Wesleyan) going to make big plays and we know we’re going to make big plays.”
IWU outpaced Taylor 35-21 over the rest of the first half to go into the break up 42-28. Their junior quarterback Arjun Lothe had a stellar first half performance with 324 passing yards and four touchdowns.
The second half was full of chances for the Trojans as their offense clawed back from being down 14 at the half. The defense also came up big and forced four Wildcat punts, one of which came at a clutch moment with the Trojans down eight with 2:17 left in the fourth quarter.
Nathan Parker started off the drive with a three yard run up the middle. Freshman quarterback Alex Amburgy targeted senior wideout Jack D’Arcy but it was just out of reach. On the next play Amburgy got hit as he threw and the pass was intercepted to seal the game for the Wildcats.
Taylor’s next game is on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. against the Siena Heights Saints. It is a home contest at Turner Stadium.
