Home victory brings Tigers to 6-0

Football continues to impress and break records with a win over Huntingdon

by Brooke Sanchez

The Tigers knew they would face a challenge with the speedy fifth-ranked offense of Huntingdon College (Ala.) on Saturday, but they rose up and shut them down with a 24-7 win to boost their overall record to 6-0.

“We knew they had a lot of talent and that it was going to be a good game,” said junior linebacker Thomas Puskarich. “They’re definitely the best team we’ve played so far, but we did a really good job preparing for it.”

The Tigers got on the board first with junior quarterback Nykolas McKissic scoring on ten plays and 78 yards within the first five minutes of the game. Later in the quarter, Huntingdon tied it up 7-7.

“Getting out to an early lead on a first possession in the first quarter was huge,” said junior defensive back Antonio Debouse. “Our defense came right out and stopped them in three plays which made them force a punt. That really set the tone for the rest of the game.”

As the second quarter began, the Tigers scored another touchdown right away with a 25-yard pass from McKissic to senior wide receiver Jonathan Osei-Kuffour. Junior linebacker Nick Darling intercepted a pass later in the quarter that aided in setting up junior kicker Garret Biel’s 38-yard field goal, giving the Tigers a 17-7 lead by the end of the first half.

“In the first half we came out and started fast,” said assistant coach Ross Brunelle. “That’s been our key to success this year. We did a great job of getting points early in the game.”

The second half continued with momentum from the first half. In the third quarter, Debouse grabbed an interception that returned the ball 46 yards. Sophomore running back Desmond King then rushed four more yards, and then first-year wide receiver Matthew Kennemer ran the ball in for another touchdown. The score was locked in at 24-7 by the end of the third.

“We stuck to the game plan and didn’t give up any big plays,” Debouse said. “We knew it was going to be a battle. It was the number five offense going against the number four defense.”

Trinity’s defense stepped up and stopped the Huntingdon offense early on and continued to keep them down for the entire game.

Darling accounted for nine tackles and Debouse had eight while senior defensive back Tyler Barrett and senior linebacker Ben Robinson each recorded 11. Darling, Debouse and sophomore defensive back Zach Wright all snagged an interception each.

On the offensive side, the Tigers maintained control of the game, without committing a single turnover.

“McKissic did a great job of controlling,” Debouse said. “He made some big plays with receivers and our running backs ran the ball really well. The offensive line took control of the line of scrimmage right off the bat.”

McKissic totaled 18-29 for 194 yards while Osei-Kuffour had seven catches for 100 yards. Junior running back Patrick Granchelli had 21 rushing attempts for 51 yards, making him the twenty-first player to reach the 1,000-yard rushing mark in school history.

Biel scored six points in the game, putting him in 14th place in school history for career points. Junior punter Kyle Trella averaged 40 yards per punt, with a total of eight for the game that gathered 320 yards.

“The defense and offense both complemented each other really well this game,” Debouse said. “Defense definitely maintained a dominating position on the field and the offense’s running game was huge.”
As the Tigers continuously improve week to week, they keep the post-season in mind.

“This is the crucial part of the season,” Brunelle said. “We’re really getting into midseason form and every game counts as there are always post-season implications. We’re just taking one game at a time.”

Currently No. 17 in the nation in the NCAA rankings and 23rd on the D3football.com poll, the Tigers will face LaGrange College in Georgia tomorrow at 1 p.m.