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Top-ranked Mt. Union over Ohio Northern |
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by Tim Glon, Sports Information Director, Ohio Northern |
| ADA, OH --- Ohio Northern got 125 yards rushing from Jamal Robertson and 247 yards
passing from Shane Franzer, but Mount Union's 564 yards of total offense was just too much for the Polar Bears
as the Purple Raiders posted a 48-24 Ohio Athletic Conference football victory Saturday before a standing-room
only crowd of 4,611 at Ada War Memorial Stadium. The ninth-ranked Polar Bears fall to 2-2 overall and 2-1 in OAC play. Top-ranked in the USAFOOTBALL.COM poll, the Purple Raiders move to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the OAC with their 58th consecutive regular season victory. Chuck Moore carried 23 times for 137 yards and three TDs and caught two passes for 25 yards and a TD to pace the Raiders. The four touchdowns was a career-high for the senior. Dan Pugh carried 23 times for 127 yards and two TDs and Gary Smeck completed 20-of-31 passes for 289 yards and two scores. Adam Marino caught 12 passes for 177 yards and a score for MUC. The two teams combined for 997 yards of total offense in the contest. Robertson carried 24 times for 125 yards, giving him 3,061 yards for his career, just seven behind ONU's all-time career rushing leader Arnie Boigner's mark of 3,068 from 1989-92. It is the third time in four games this season Robertson has surpassed the 100-yard mark. Franzer finished the day 20-of-44 passing for 247 yards and two TDs and ran seven times for 50 yards and another score. Trailing 28-0 in the third quarter, the Bears scored 17 points in a span of 5:26 to get within 28-17 with 14:03 left in the game. Franzer started the flurry with a 28-yard pass to Frank Van Dresser on a fourth and 13 play to make it 28-7 with 4:29 to go in the third quarter. After Chad Lorton sacked Smeck and forced a fumble at MUC's 44 yard line, Northern scored on a 19-yard pass from Franzer to Tony Mitchell to make it 28-14 with 1:03 to play in the third. Another MUC fumble gave the Bears the ball on the Mount 41. Seven plays later J.R. Cipra nailed a 32-yard field goal to make it 28-17. That's when the Purple Raiders showed why they have won three of the last four Division III national championships, as they scored on their next three possessions to go up 48-17 with 2:25 to play. Franzer scrambled in from five yards out with 12 seconds left to cap the scoring. After a scoreless first quarter, Mount Union scored three times in the second period to take a 21-0 lead at intermission. Moore dove in from one yard out with 9:28 to go in the second period, Pugh scored from three yards out at the 6:07 mark and Moore ran in from three yards out with 2:26 to go for the Raiders. Mount went up 28-0 on its first possession of the third period when Smeck hit Marino on a 5-yard TD with four minutes gone. "Mount Union's offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage all day," ONU head coach Tom Kaczkowski said. "Our offense had some early opportunities and we didn't capitalize. You can't get into a track meet with a team that good. Our defense played as well as they could, but Mount's offense is better than it was last year." Northern drove deep into Mount Union territory on its three of its four first-half possessions, but turned it over on downs twice and had an interception and trailed 21-0 at the half. The Polar Bears will travel to OAC foe Otterbein and Mount Union will return home to host Marietta next week. |
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