Trojans Defeat Knights on Last-Second TD
October 31, 2009
Ryan Magnuson caught a 44-yard pass with no time left on the clock Saturday for his sixth touchdown catch of the day as Taylor overcame a 17-point deficit on the road to defeat Marian 36-35. Quarterback Shaun Addison threw all six touchdown passes as Taylor recorded its first win over Marian in school history.
Taylor had trailed the entire game until Addison received the snap from center with one second on the clock and scrambled for several seconds before completing a bomb to Magnuson on Marian's five-yard line. Magnuson eluded two defenders and crossed the goal line to shock the Marian Homecoming crowd of more than 2,000.
Eight school records were broken Saturday, including the most passing yards in a game by a single player. That record now belongs to Addison, who passed for 390 yards on 29-of-36 passing. The junior's 29 completions and .805 completion percentage are also Taylor all-time marks. Addison threw for 326 yards in the second half.
Magnuson, a junior from Grand Rapids, Mich., established three new school records. The 6-foot-4 wide receiver scored on plays of 4, 22, 26, 30, 5, and 44 yards. He scored all 36 points for the Trojans, who were unable to convert on a single PAT attempt. Magnuson finished the game with 11 catches for 196 yards.
"Shaun (Addison) and Ryan (Magnuson) were on the same page today," said Taylor head coach Ron Korfmacher in a postgame interview. "Magnuson has always been a good receiver, but we've challenged him recently and he has taken it on to become a more complete player. He's become that and it showed up a bunch today."
With the win, Taylor improves to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the MSFA Mideast League. For the first time since 1999, the Trojans are guaranteed at least a .500 record. Marian, which was receiving votes in the latest NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll, falls to 5-4, 2-3 MSFA.
"I'm proud of our guys," Korfmacher said. "There were several areas where we weren't sharp, but we played well enough to keep competing and keep alive so that coming down the stretch we had a chance to win."
After falling behind 13-0 to start the game and being dominated in the first, the final outcome for Taylor seemed as improbable as Magnuson's six touchdown catches. Taylor had five turnovers in the game and the Trojans were outrushed by more than 100 yards. Marian led 20-12 at halftime, and with 5:20 remaining in the second half, the Trojans had fallen behind by another score at 27-12.
Less than two minutes later Magnuson caught his third touchdown of the day on a 26-yard strike to pull Taylor within nine points of the lead.
Marian struck next on a six-play, 51-yard drive that resulted in a William Stubbs 1-yard touchdown run that put the Knights up 35-18 for the Trojans' largest deficit of the game.
However, it took Taylor just three plays and 44 seconds to respond. Addison completed three straight passes to three different receivers, the last of which was another Magnuson touchdown on a first and ten from the Marian 30-yard line.
After forcing a three and out on Marian's next possession, Taylor took over at its own 8-yard line.
"Our defense struggled at times," Korfmacher said, "but did a good job in spots. Anytime there's a shootout like this, somebody's going to make a stop that will turn the game around."
Addison executed the hurry up offense to near perfection as the junior completed eight of his nine passes on the drive, including five for first downs. His final completion of the 92-yard march down the field went to none other than Magnuson to make the score 35-30.
Marian recovered a Taylor onsides kick attempt on the Trojans' 30-yard line with 2:46 left in the game. Chris Wheeler and Bryan Onuselogu combined to sack Marian quarterback Matt Rogers on the first play, and Marian was later forced to punt the ball to the Taylor 5.
Undaunted, Addison used four different receivers in the final 2:16 to drive the length of the field before finding Magnuson for his sixth touchdown and one of the most dramatic wins in Taylor football history.
Taylor will look to build on the momentum from the win as they travel to Olivet Nazarene next Saturday for a 1:30 pm CST kickoff.
Box Score | Video clip of final play | WBAT Full Audio Archive | WBAT Audio - Final 1:30 |
Season Stats
Game Notes
- Taylor was 0-2 against Marian coming into the game.
- Marian hosted the game as part of its Homecoming festivities.
- The win marks the second time this season that Taylor has defeated a team in the receiving votes section of the NAIA Top 25 Poll. The Trojans also defeated Malone on Oct. 10.
- Taylor punted just three times in the game for a 36.0 yard average
- Marian won the time of possession battle 33:15 - 26:45. Taylor had the ball for only 10:21 in the first half.
Single Game School Records Broken or Tied
- Most touchdown catches - 6 - Ryan Magnuson
- Most points - 36 - Ryan Magnuson
- Most touchdowns - 6 - Ryan Magnuson
- Most touchdown passes - 6 - Shaun Addison
- Most passing yards - 390 - Shaun Addison
- Most completions - 29 - Shaun Addison (tied Kenny Locke '92 & '93)
- Highest completion percentage - .805 - Shaun Addison
- Most passing yards (TEAM) - 390
- Most touchdown passes (TEAM) - 6