UPLAND, IND - The (RV) University of Saint Francis Cougars powered past (RV) Taylor University with a 49-35 road victory on Saturday, October 4. 

The Trojans started Saturday's matchup strong, with Taylor making defensive stops while their offense found the end zone twice for a 14-0 lead. Ladre Harris intercepted a pass from Alex Amburgy to give the Cougars back the ball with 7:04 on the clock in the second quarter. Joshua Kulka connected with Beau Braun for a 60-yard touchdown pass three plays later to cut the Trojans' lead in half. The Cougars secured another key takeaway after  Joshua Nziza came away with an interception, giving Saint Francis the ball with 3:33 left to play in the first half. After converting on a fourth-and-one by inches, Kulka delivered another big blow with a 30-yard touchdown strike to Adjaye Dandridge to even the score. Taylor was unable to score again in the first half as the two teams went into the locker room tied at 14-14.

The Cougars were able to retake the lead on their first drive of the third quarter thanks to a 39-yard touchdown pass from Kulka to Colin McPeek. The Trojans would tie the game up once again with a two-yard rushing touchdown with just under five minutes on the clock. SF needed just four plays to score again in the third quarter off a Bohde Dickerson 38-yard receiving touchdown. After the Trojans got the ball back, Nick Nondorf recovered a fumble and returned the ball 43 yards for another Saint Francis touchdown. The Trojans scored on their first drive of the fourth quarter, but the Cougars answered shortly after with a 28-yard catch from Adam Smith that resulted in another six points for Saint Francis. Taylor battled back to within 42-35, but the Trojans were unable to slow down the Cougars as Azariah Wallace rushed for 72 yards to extend SF's lead to 49-35. Saint Francis stopped Taylor from scoring on the final drive of the game as the Cougars secured the road win.

Despite Taylor's 448 yards of total offense, Saint Francis capitalized on big plays, averaging 12.8 yards per pass attempt and scoring 21 points in the third quarter to take control. Saint Francis finished with 434 total yards of offense. Kulka led the charge, completing 14 of 23 passes for 295 yards and five touchdowns without throwing an interception. Kulka spread the ball around to multiple receivers, with six different Cougars finding the end zone. Adam Smith (72 yards, one TD), Colin McPeek (61 yards, one TD), Braun (60 yards, one TD), Dandridge (45 yards, one TD), and Dickerson (38 yards, one TD) all made key scoring grabs. Braun also added 19 yards on a kickoff return. On the ground, Wallace provided balance with 23 carries for 137 yards. Kicker Austin Deleon was perfect on the day, going 7-for-7 on extra points.

The Cougar defense recorded 89 total tackles while tallying two fumble recoveries and two interceptions. Jaydin Evans had a team-high nine tackles, including four solo tackles. Samuel Ampeliotis and Nondorf both finished with eight tackles, while Ifeoluwa Adeoba, Bobby Weiler, and Nziza contributed to four QB hurries. 

With the win, Saint Francis improves to 4-1 overall and extends its win streak to four straight games. The Cougars will look to continue their momentum on the road at Madonna University on Saturday, October 11. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. in Livonia, Mich.

Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business. In addition to its traditional programs, Saint Francis designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point, Lafayette and online. Saint Francis Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis, recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution, has 21 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships. More than 1,900 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.