Trojans Ride Fast Start to Season-Opening Win at SHU

ADRIAN, Mich. – Taylor dominated the first half of Thursday evening's 2024 season-opener at Siena Heights and held off a determined second-half charge from the hosts to snap a six-game slide against the Saints and move to 4-0 in openers under Aaron Mingo with a 34-28 victory.

The Trojans bolted to a 28-7 lead behind a diverse and fast-paced offensive attack throughout the first half, as TU flexed its offensive firepower with a trio of plays over 40 yards in that time.

A 49-yard strike from Damon Hockett to Dakohta Sonnichsen opened the scoring on TU's first drive and the duo combined for a 41-yard completion on the following possession. Hockett then found JJ Payne for a 49-yard heave, before Kyle Stratton hit Nathan Munson in the end zone for 11 yards and a 14-0 lead.

The gap moved to 21-7 as Hockett extended a drive with an 11-yard scamper on third-and-six, before dialing up a 17-yard connection with Sonnichsen and a 24-yard pass to Hutson Hohlbein to get back into the red zone. Devin Stupples then took a toss and fully extended on a dive to break the goal line for seven more.

A methodical 11-play march pushed the gap to 28-7 with 1:13 remaining in the half, before the SHU attack finally came to life and used a pair of long passes to close the opening-half scoring at 28-14.

Taylor piled up 15 first downs to SHU's three in the first 30 minutes, going six-of-eight on third down and running 22 more plays than the hosts. The result was a 291 to 94 advantage in total yards for the Trojans and the 14-point cushion.

The Saints' offense continued its rhythm after the break however, manufacturing two long drives in the third quarter but producing just seven points, after a lost fumble on the TU one-yard line ruined their first touch of the half.

Yet another big play from the Trojans' passing game provided some needed breathing room, as Hockett and Munson connected on a 75-yard touchdown to send TU into the final quarter with a 34-21 lead.

The Taylor defense continued to bend but refused to break, again seeing the hosts move the ball into the red zone. This time on fourth-and-one from the 18, Aven Jones and Reid Wheeler broke through the line and hit the ball carrier for a two-yard loss to spoil another scoring opportunity.

After TU book-ended a punt with two offensive turnovers, Siena Heights drew to within a single score with a touchdown at the 1:56 mark.

A failed on-side kick from the hosts set the stage for Taylor to seal the victory with a single first down and Hockett delivered once more. The junior pulled the ball back on third-and-four and raced for seven yards to provide a fresh set of downs and allow Taylor to run out the remainder of the clock from the victory formation.

The third down success was a turning point in the contest for TU, as the Trojans picked up eight of their 19 first downs on third-down snaps. Taylor ended the night with 470 total yards of offense on 7.0 yards per play, with 287 yards through the air and 183 on the ground.

Hockett led the way with 276 passing yards and two touchdowns, to go with 48 rushing yards on nine carries.

Jameson Chesser did the bulk of the work in the backfield for Taylor with 18 carries for 106 yards, while Kyle Turanchick and Stupples each rushed for a score.

Sonnichsen ended the night with his three long catches for 107 yards and a touchdown, with Munson ending both of his receptions in the end zone for 86 yards in his collegiate debut.

Munson's freshman classmate, Grady Stanley, led the Taylor defense with 12 tackles and Jones followed with 10 stops. Justin Schroeder and Luke Graft recorded TU's two sacks in the game and David Worlds and Caleb Ranzau each collected a fumble recovery, with Graft also forcing a pair of fumbles.

Chesser also performed well as TU's punter, averaging 42.8 yards per punt over four attempts.

Taylor (1-0, 1-0 MSFA) will now turn its focus to Olivet Nazarene for a MSFA crossover tilt in Bourbonnais, Illinois on September 7.