The Truman football team has been winning like it’s 1994. After another convincing victory this weekend on the road at Quincy University, the football team is 4-0 and making some noise. This win helped move the ’Dogs to the cusp of the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll. With 44 votes over the weekend, Truman was ranked 27th overall in Div. II football on Monday.
Last Saturday, the football team made the short trip to Quincy, Illinois, to take on the Hawks of Quincy University. This conference rivalry has been controlled by the Bulldogs over the last four years, with the last loss to the Hawks coming in 2015. This year’s installment was no different.
On Truman’s first drive of the game, quarterback Jaden Barr found tight end Jake Ellis twice for 34 yards and an 11-yard touchdown with 12 minutes left in the first quarter. After allowing their fifth touchdown of the season, the Bulldogs finished the quarter strong with another scoring drive to put Truman up 14-7. The second quarter began with an interception by defensive back Lawrence Woods. On the ensuing possession, Barr threw one of his three touchdowns of the day. Shortly after, the Bulldogs again marched down the field on another long touchdown drive. This time, the drive was led by running back Cody Schrader with 70 yards on the ground, 59 of which came from one touchdown run. At halftime, the Bulldogs were in control of the Hawks 28-7.
The third quarter only brought more offensive production for the ’Dogs with back-to-back touchdown drives following a fourth down and one defensive stand that returned the ball back to the offense. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Truman led 42-7 and had no plans to slow down. After an early touchdown by the Hawks, Truman scored 21 unanswered points to cap off the 63-14 victory, their fourth of the 2019 season.
Along with the win this week, a pair of Bulldogs received Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Week honors. Linebacker Reed McBroom was named Defensive Player of the Week for his performance on Saturday. McBroom finished the game with nine tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks. Along with McBroom, place kicker Josh Scheiderer was named GLVC Special Teams Player of the Week for his perfect 9/9 on extra point attempts over the weekend. This performance tied the Bulldogs’ single-game record, and was a career high for Scheiderer. Scheiderer’s award continues the Bulldogs’ special team dominance, as the team has claimed every GLVC Special Teams Player of the Week award this season.
The Bulldogs seem to be a team on fire. With the team’s best start in 25 years, the 2019 Bulldogs have their toughest conference opponents looming on the horizon Saturday. The Bearcats of Southwest Baptist University enter the weekend at 2-2 with losses against both William Jewell College and the tenth-ranked University of Indianapolis. To continue their historic winning streak, Bulldog offensive lineman Wyatt Titus said the team will need to repeat some of the success they have had on the ground.
“Winning the run game has been huge for us,” Titus said. “If we can keep winning the battle up front and scoring the ball on the ground, we’ll be tough to beat this week and hopefully the rest of the season.”
The Bulldogs have already proven to be a team that can win. This week, and the weeks to come, will show if the 2019 Bulldogs will be able to compete for a GLVC Championship and a chance to play in a bowl game. Right now, however, the only thing the Bulldogs are worried about is going 1-0 this week.