STERLING, Kan.    In their first game after the dominant Homecoming win over Bethel College, Tabor took advantage of four Sterling College turnovers, leading to points in a comfortable 24-10 victory on Saturday afternoon. 

"It was a really good effort from a lot of different people. I felt like defensively we bent but didn't break and we didn't really give up any big chunk plays," Head Coach Mike Gardner said.

The Bluejays got the scoring going with a Nathaniel Heilig field goal to take a 3-0 lead after an interception forced by defensive back Martavian Jackson.

Sterling would get on the board early in the second quarter with a touchdown at the end of a nine play drive to make it 7-3.

In response, quarterback William Green (12-29, 124 yards), the reigning KCAC Player of the Week, found Devin Jones (five catches, 21 yards) for a 10-yard touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, Tabor was able to recover the short kick, giving them great field position. Shortly after, running back Jordan Bolden (19 carries, 80 yards) punched in the touchdown from one yard out to give them a 17-7 halftime lead.

Field position was key for the Bluejays in this one as punter Brodrick Smith pinned three punts inside the 10-yard line, in addition to the forced turnovers.

"We had good field position. We were able to capitalize on an interception. Our defense, we had three interceptions and one fumble recovery. So any time you're able to get good field position like that, you ought to be able to take advantage of that and we were able to," Gardner said.

On the second play of the second half, defensive back Jayton Alexander picked off a Warrior pass to set the Bluejays up at midfield. Green found Bolden down the sideline for a 48-yard gain, setting up the two-yard touchdown run for Moises Haynes (five catches, 55 yards), making the score 24-7.

Sterling got its second score of the game on a short field goal, set up by a 30-yard deep pass to cut the lead to 24-10. 

A fumble from Tabor one play into their next drive gave Sterling life going into the fourth quarter, taking over at the Tabor 43. The Warriors were able to get down to the 22-yard line, but were stopped short on a fourth-and-two.

The teams would trade punts throughout most of the fourth quarter, highlighted by the play of linebacker Brooks Gardner, who had a game-leading 17 tackles. Defensive back Brandon King picked off another Sterling pass, allowing the Bluejays to run out the clock with the 24-10 win.

The win gives Tabor its second straight win, improving their record to 2-5.

"I think part of it is we've always had the ability to do this. We've just been able to put together a couple of key drives. When we got down 7-3 early we didn't really panic. We haven't done that and we've got some really good teams coming up these next few weeks. We're going to have to get a little bit more consistent with our passing game. If we can continually run the ball and not turn it over, I think that we have a chance to continually give ourselves a chance," Gardner said.

Up next, Tabor will return home on Saturday, Oct. 21 to host Avila University (1-6) at Joel H. Wiens Stadium, with kickoff set for 1 p.m.

Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the NAIA and compete in the KCAC.