JOLIET, Ill. --- Despite pitching a shutout in three of four quarters in its Homecoming contest against Taylor University, the University of St. Francis football team could not overcome a 28-point second quarter by the Trojans as the Fighting Saints fell 28-10 in a Mid-States Football Association crossover game on Saturday afternoon at Joliet Memorial Stadium.
USF (0-3) taking its first lead of the 2026 season on its second possession of Saturday's contest only seemed to agitate Taylor, which responded with its 28 unanswered points on its next four series. USF's score – a 44-yard field goal from
Adrian Guerrero – came on the Saints' longest drive of the season, a 13-play, 50-yard possession.
Taylor, which ran the ball for 450 yards one week earlier, used a pair of big passing plays to set up two of its scores, not to mention a fumble recovery. The first series was keyed by a 33-yard run on a fourth-and-one play with the second by a 47-yard pass to put the Trojans in USF's red zone.
The heartbreaker, however, might have been TU's third score. After USF reached the Taylor 20-yard line before turning the ball over on downs, Trojan quarterback Alex Amburgy hit John Irwin on a 72-yard scoring strike five plays later to put the guests up 21-3.
The fourth score – Evan Barker's two-yard run – was set up by a 24-yard pass play to Aidan Zimmer right after the Saints turned the ball over on the fumble. Zimmer, who also caught the 47-yard pass on Taylor's second scoring drive, finished the day with 158 yards on just seven receptions. Amburgy was 16-for-19 for 268 yards with the two scores opposite a pair of interceptions.
In all, Taylor's 28 points came in a span of just over 13 minutes.
USF had its chances to get back in the game in the second half, picking off Taylor on three of its six possessions after the break. The Saints, however, cashed in just once on a
David Maddox 34-yard pass from
Jalen Webb-Starkey midway through the third quarter. They also missed on a 32-yard field goal two series earlier and a 28-yarder on their last possession.
On the positive side, USF's defense kept the NAIA's No. 9-rated rushing offense 119 yards below its 271.0-yard average at 152 yards. The Saints also limited Taylor running back Jedidiah Galvin to just 4.3 yards per carry with his 68 yards on 16 attempts. He came into the affair as the nation's top runner, averaging 191.5 yards per game and 12.4 yards per carry.
St. Francis' pass defense, however, suffered, yielding 308 yards with two Trojan quarterbacks completing all but four of their 22 passes.Â
Taylor also controlled the ball for better than 37 minutes to USF's 22:29.
Webb-Starkey threw for over 100 yards for the second week in a row. He finished the day completing 10 of his 29 attempts for 126 yards. His top receiver again was
Mason Hackman with four catches for 58 yards.
On the ground,
Larry Stringham carried the ball 16 times for 64 yards as part of USF's 237 yards of total offense. Taylor finished with 460 yards of offense.
Defensively, USF's three interceptions were authored by
Gavin Day,
Sabion Wilder and
Wynton White. Day also led the charge in tackles with 10, including 2.5 for loss.
Other Notes: Maddox's touchdown was his first at the collegiate level … Season starting quarterback
Jonny Sorensen saw time in the slot on Saturday and caught one pass for nine yards … After going 4-for-29 on third down in its first two games combined, the Saints were 8-of-15 on Saturday … Taylor quarterbacks actually completed all but one of their 22 passes on Saturday, 18 to their own players and three to St. Francis defenders … Following back-to-back home games, the Saints do not return to Joliet Memorial Stadium until one month from now to face first-year league member Defiance College (Ohio) on Oct. 10. USF hits the road in two of the next three weeks with its bye date in between.
Up Next
The Saints head to Michigan to take on Lawrence Technological University in another MSFA crossover game. Kickoff is set for 12 pm Central time.
You can keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on X @USFSaints.
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