JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – J.T. Rogan is going to have a lot more company along the sidelines in USD's final four games of the season.

The Toreros lost more than a 30-29 decision at Jacksonville yesterday. They lost the services of three key starters for the rest of the season, all of whom suffered a broken leg/ankle in a see-saw game that wasn't decided until Jacksonville's Donovan Curry connected on a 50-yard field goal with 1:23 left in the game.

By the time Curry connected for the game winner, USD's sideline looked like a MASH unit. Starting defensive ends Julian Strickland and Josh Sutchar sat next to Rogan with a pair of crutches alongside all three. A short distance away, starting center Conrad Smith had several team doctors examining his leg and calling for yet another pair of crutches.

It was enough to bring usually upbeat Toreros coach Ron Caragher to despondency.

“I've never been around a game where we've had two, maybe three broken legs,” Caragher said. “Our two defensive ends are out and now our center will have to have his leg X-rayed, too, and it doesn't look good.”

A fourth-quarter Toreros collapse didn't look good either. After trailing at the half 17-3, their first such halftime deficit and the biggest margin they had trailed any team this season, the visitors came out blazing in the third quarter.

Three possessions, three touchdowns – in the span of 12 minutes. USD quarterback Sebastian Trujillo accounted for all three scores with 9-and 51-yard tosses to John Matthews and a 15-yard strike to Ben Hannula. Trujillo's fourth TD pass of the game came in the fourth quarter when he connected with Godfrey Smith from 4 yards out.

That enabled USD (6-1, 3-1 Pioneer League) to build its lead to 29-20 with a little more than six minutes left. But Jacksonville (5-3, 3-1) rallied behind backup quarterback Erik Stepelton, who had replaced starter Josh McGregor when he went down with cramps late in the third quarter.

Stepelton hit five of eight passes for 65 yards, including a 22-yard TD toss to running back Rudell Small to bring the Dolphins within two points at 29-27.

The Toreros then took possession at the 21-yard line after Taylor Wright's 17-yard kickoff return. A holding penalty followed by three plays that netted minus-1 yard forced Kyle Negrete's fifth punt of the game. He hit his best, a 45-yarder, but JU's Elliott Finkley returned it 20 yards to give the Dolphins possession at USD's 37. Three plays later, Curry connected on his career best for the game winner.

Had USD not missed a pair of extra points, JU would have been forced to go for a touchdown on its last drive. But James Cullen had one PAT blocked, and he pushed his fourth attempt wide to the left.

In another kicking fiasco, Negrete's first punt of the game from his own 6-yard line went just 14 yards, giving JU possession at the 20; the Dolphins scored three plays later.

“Looking back at it, and I don't like looking backwards at things, but I think our special teams play was poor today,” Caragher said. “That was the difference in the game. You look at the yardage and first downs and possession and it was all pretty equal, but the special teams play was the difference.”