Box Score HILLSBORO, Kan. On the heels of their third consecutive loss to open the season, the Tabor football team had a strong response to the ninth-ranked Southwestern College on Saturday night but fell 20-10.
The Bluejays forced four first half turnovers, leading to a 10-7 lead at the break.
After a Tabor punt to open the game, lineman Darriene Gibbs forced a fumble at the Tabor 26-yard line. While the Bluejays punted again, they did force and recover another fumble after the Moundbuilders took the ball down inside the redzone.
"We teach our guys to punch at the ball and things like that. When they do tackle we try to teach them to put their shoulder into the ballcarrier's arm," Head Coach Mike Gardner said.
The teams traded punts until Tabor's Brooks Gardner, who led the team with 11 tackles, picked off Braden Howell's pass, leading to a 20-yard field goal from Nathaniel Heilig. Three plays later, cornerback Brandon King stepped in front of the Howell's pass and took it 26 yards for the pick six, giving the Bluejays the lead at half.
Both teams punted to begin the third quarter after minimal yardage. During the middle of the Moundbuilders next drive, lightning struck in the distance, leading to a delay for over an hour. After the delay, Tabor's defense held strong, taking the 10-7 lead into the fourth quarter.
Gardner said he didn't believe the delay had a major impact on the game, noting that neither team produced much offense immediately after.
A couple of big plays set the Moundbuilders up in the redzone to open the fourth quarter. Howell broke free on a draw from ten yards out to give Southwestern a 14-10 lead with 11 minutes left.
Tabor's offense went three-and-out on their next possession, leading to a punt. On the first play of the drive, Gardner stripped running back Joe Smyth and King recovered it at the Tabor 27.
A sack on quarterback Tyson Dozhier and a personal foul penalty on the first play of the drive killed what looked to be a great scoring opportunity. Tabor punted following an incompletion on third-and-42.
"He (Dozhier) made some good decisions, but at the same time he's still trying to learn, and we need to do a better job protecting for him. You can't put all of it on a QB. I do think that he's making strides so we'll see what we can do moving forward," Gardner said.
On fourth-and-1 at the Tabor 28 with 3:31 left, Southwestern was able to get just enough yardage. Later in the drive running back Jarious Burnett capped it off with a 2-yard touchdown run.
The Bluejay offense turned it over on downs, allowing the Moundbuilders to run out the clock with the 20-10 win.
Tabor (0-4) will return to the field at Friends University (3-1) during their Homecoming next Saturday, the 23rd. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 pm at Adair-Austin Stadium.
Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the NAIA and compete in the KCAC.
