GAMEDAY CENTRAL | Taylor vs Indiana Wesleyan | Game Six

Free HD Webcast | Live Stats | Gameday Program | Purchase Tickets

UPLAND, Ind. - Taylor will jump back into MSFA Mideast League action on Saturday, when it welcomes cross-county foe, Indiana Wesleyan, to Turner Stadium. The sixth all-time meeting between the two rivals will begin at 6:00 pm.

SCOUTING TAYLOR: TU's Aven Jones is off to a strong start, having logged at least 10 tackles in four-of-five games this season. The senior middle linebacker enters Saturday ranked fourth in the NAIA with 59 total stops and currently leads all MSFA Mideast League players with 11.8 tackles per game. Second-year cornerback, Reese Pinckney, is also grabbing attention by ranking 11th in the NAIA and tops in the MSFA Mideast League with six pass breakups.

SCOUTING INDIANA WESLEYAN: With five-straight wins to open their sixth season, the fourth-ranked Wildcats are off to their best start in program history. The 5-0 start is highlighted with a 24-22 home win over NCAA Division I FCS Valparaiso and a 16-15 win at No. 15 Saint Xavier. Even with those two narrow victories, IWU still boasts an average margin of victory of 21.8 points per game.

LAST MEETING: Taylor and Indiana Wesleyan played through 30-to-40 mile-per-hour wind gusts in a 61-20 IWU home win last fall. The Wildcats broke open a 17-14 game deep into the first half with an eventual 44-0 burst that included 30 points in the third quarter to pull away. Aven Jones and Jacob Hockett combined for 22 tackles for the Trojans, while Reese Pinckney took an interception back 65 yards for a score.

SERIES HISTORY: Taylor is 2-3 all-time against Indiana Wesleyan on the gridiron. TU is 1-1 against IWU under third-year head coach Aaron Mingo.

LAST TIME OUT: TU got out of the gates slowly in its last contest, failing to crack the scoring column against then-No. 14 Saint Francis (IL) until the third quarter. The Trojans ended the game with over 150 rushing yards for the fifth time in as many outings this season, led by 62 yards and a score from Ja Thomas.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Trojans will head north to square off with Siena Heights on October 14, before returning home to host Madonna on Homecoming on October 21 and No. 5 Marian on October 28.

TICKET INFORMATION: Fans looking to purchase tickets to any Taylor game can do so by visiting TaylorTrojans.com/tickets.

TOY DRIVE: Taylor Athletics is partnering with Community Outreach to host a Toy Drive leading up to a December 9 delivery date. The main collection date will be during Taylor's home football game with Indiana Wesleyan on Saturday, but donations can be made leading up to and after that date at various drop-boxes around campus, in residence halls, the student center and the library. You can also bring toys to the TWO/TSO office in the student-center. We hope you can join us in helping make a positive impact on our surrounding local communities! For more information, please contact Reid Frame at reid_frame@taylor.edu, or Lily Gerry at lily_gerry@taylor.edu.

JOIN THE TROJAN CLUB: The Trojan Club is Taylor University's athletics booster organization that is comprised of alumni, supporters and friends of TU, with the purpose of raising funds to further advance the development of Taylor's intercollegiate athletics program. If you have not already, please consider joining by going to www.TaylorTrojans.com/Trojan_Club, or calling 765-998-4331.

FOLLOW THE TROJANS ONLINE: Be sure to follow TU on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to catch all of the latest news, scores, videos, photos and more! Simply search TaylorTrojans on Facebook and Twitter, or TaylorUTrojans on Instagram. You can also sign up for customized text and email alerts for our latest news and updates by going to the Fan Zone.

TROJAN SPORTS NETWORK: Taylor University is pleased to continue offering free live video webcasts of most home athletics events throughout the 2023-2024 year. If you are not able to come to the event, simply go to youtube.com/TaylorAthletics to catch the action. Be sure to click the subscribe button to make sure you do not miss any of the action.