Offense Erupts in 38-23 Win Over St. Francis
September 19, 2009
A career-high 459 yards of total offense from junior quarterback Shaun Addison paved the way for an electrifying day from the Taylor offense en route to a 38-23 win on Homecoming at the University of St. Francis (Ill.) for Taylor's first road victory of the season.
Addison's 459 total yards establishes a new school record, previously held by Kenny Locke, who had 382 total yards against Manchester in 1992.
"Shaun had a really good day," said Taylor head coach Ron Korfmacher. "He was running the ball effectively and our offensive line play was really pivotal in his effectiveness."
Taylor's 38-point performance was the program's highest scoring total since a 42-7 win over Iowa Wesleyan on Sept. 28, 2002.
Taylor (2-1) picked up its first win in five tries against St. Francis (0-4) with 516 yards of total offense and a defensive effort that limited the Saints to 306 yards of offense.
Addison posted his career-best performances in several statistical categories. The most notable marks were his 320 passing yards and 139 yards on the ground. The Lebanon, Ohio, native threw for three touchdowns and ran for another.
Six different receivers caught passes from Addison, led by Trevor Terrell's seven receptions for 136 yards. The senior took a slant pass for 57 yards and a score late in the third quarter to give the Trojans their biggest lead of the game at 35-10.
The Taylor defense was led by junior linebacker Brent Corbett and senior defensive back Brandon Mitchell, who each recorded ten tackles and one tackle for loss. The swarming Trojans defense finished the day with a season-high 11 tackles for loss.
"Defensively we flew around," Korfmacher said. "We just felt this had to be a very physical, fundamental game, and very much a team effort."
On the first possession of the game, Taylor's Pagel Williams picked off a John Goolsby pass, setting the stage for the offense. Addison took a quarterback draw up the middle on third and three for 55 yards down inside the St. Francis five-yard line. Freshman Travis Spitnale took it in from two yards out for his first career touchdown.
After a USF field goal, the Trojan offense answered with a seven-play, 57-yard drive that ended with an Addison to Trenton Schmale nine-yard touchdown catch to give Taylor a 14-3 lead with 1:58 remaining in the first quarter.
Taylor strung together a nearly identical drive that started just four minutes later when Addison found junior wide receiver Ryan Magnuson on a 37-yard scoring strike to put Taylor up 21-3.
After five minutes of scoreless football, Taylor defensive back Marcellus Burton blocked a punt and gave Taylor excellent field position at the St. Francis 40 with 5:32 remaining in the half. Addison wasted no time finding Terrell for 39 yards down to the one-yard line, before the quarterback plunged in for his third rushing touchdown of the year to cap a 29-second scoring drive.
St. Francis closed the gap to 28-10 heading to halftime after putting together a drive that took the Saints 56 yards in 11 plays finished off when Goolsby found Jason Fiske in the end zone for a four-yard touchdown play.
Twelve minutes expired in the second half before Terrell's touchdown gave Taylor the 35-10 advantage.
With 5:41 left to play, St. Francis scored its first of two touchdowns in the team's final two drives. The scoring strikes of 12 and 14 yards came on passes from Goolsby to Markus Hood.
Taylor's final points came in between the two USF touchdown passes when Davis nailed a 24-yard field goal at the two-minute mark.
Heading into the bye week, Korfmacher explained that simply means the team doesn't play a game next Saturday. "The bye week is not a week off for us. We'll get after it," said Korfmacher. "The two things we really need to work on are the penalties from today and closing out the half and not giving up late opportunities."
Taylor is idle next week, followed by a return to Jim Wheeler Memorial Stadium for Parents' Weekend on Oct. 3 against No. 14 Saint Xavier at 1 p.m.