Wildcats Use Ground Game to Secure Win over Taylor

Hockett 61-Yard Touchdown Run | Sideline Highlights

UPLAND, Ind. – The Taylor football team continued its gauntlet of five-straight games against NAIA Top-25 or NCAA Division I foes with a clash against No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan (6-0, 3-0 MSFA) on Saturday evening. The Trojans had good moments within the affair but could not stop the IWU ground game in a 42-17 outcome.

Second-year quarterback, Damon Hockett, provided several of those highlights with his play under center. Hockett set season-highs with 21 completions that resulted in 164 yards through the air and also set a season-high with 67 rushing yards. Hockett's best moment came via a 61-yard touchdown scamper late in the first half that cut the deficit to 21-10.

The trio of Hutson Hohlbein, Jack D'Arcy and Drew Bagley were Hockett's main targets throughout the crisp autumn night under the Turner Stadium lights. Hohlbein led the way with four catches for 56 yards, with D'Arcy grabbing a team-leading five passes for 48 yards and Bagley adding four receptions.

Hockett's 67 yards led the club, while Dylan Scally also chipped in with 45 yards on the ground as the Trojans piled up over 150 rushing yards for the sixth-straight outing this season.

Zane Shilts accounted for five points on three kicks, dialing it up from 39 yards out for Taylor's first score of the contest and later adding a pair of extra-points.

The defense was led by Hojun Yun's 10 tackles and Jacob Hockett's nine stops. Braxton Green collected one of Taylor's three sacks and added another hit for lost yardage.

Taylor posted 343 total yards of offense in the game, orchestrating touchdown drives of 14 and 13 plays and doubling up the Wildcats in time-of-possession. TU's 17 points were also the highest scoring output any NAIA foe had posted against the Indiana Wesleyan defense this season.

The guests were too much on the ground however, as IWU averaged 10.6 yards per carry and ran for 351 yards before the final horn sounded.

TU (1-5, 0-2 MSFA) will continue its schedule on October 14 when it plays at Siena Heights (2-3, 0-2 MSFA) in a 2:00 pm start.