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November 2004 News

Posted by Ric 11/30/04

I've uploaded a number of audio highlights from Mount Union's second round playoff victory over Wheaton.  You can hear them here.

Posted by Ric 11/29/04

The Mount Union College Sports Information Director's office has previewed this Saturday's Division III quarterfinal playoff game between the Purple Raiders and the Carthage Redmen at Mount Union Stadium.  You can read it here.

Posted by Ric 11/28/04

 
I've added our game story of Mount Union's second round playoff victory over Wheaton.  You can read it here.

Posted by Ric 11/27/04

Mount Union defeated Wheaton this afternoon 27-6 in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs before 3,132 fans at Mount Union Stadium.

Jeff Strauch ran for 206 yards on 25 carries, scoring twice, including on an 81-yard run with 5:44 to play to put the game away.  Zac Bruney added 145 rushing yards on 14 attempts and one touchdown as the Raiders ran for 399 yards in the contest.  Kelechi Ibeh also scored once for the Purple & White, who improve to a Division III best 41-8 all-time in playoff action.

Mount Union's defense forced five Wheaton turnovers, including a pair of interceptions by Jesse Clum.  Shaun Spisak led the team in tackles with 18. 

The Purple Raiders will face Carthage next Saturday at Mount Union Stadium.  The Redmen defeated Wooster 14-7 in playoff action today for the right to face the Raiders next week in the quarterfinals.  This will be the first meeting between the two schools on the football field.  Carthage enters the contest 11-1 while Mount Union brings a perfect 11-0 mark into the game.  Kickoff is set of 12:00 noon.

Posted by Ric 11/26/04

I've uploaded some audio highlights of Jeff Strauch's six-touchdown performance in Mount Union's regular season ending win over Muskingum.  You can hear them here.

Posted by Ric 11/25/04

The SID's office at Mount Union College has posted game notes for the Purple Raiders second round playoff match-up with the Wheaton Thunder.  You can get to it here.

Posted by Ric 11/24/04

 
Mount Union senior quarterback Zac Bruney is one of 10 finalists for the 12th annual Gagliardi Trophy.

The award, presented to the outstanding football player in NCAA Division III, honors excellence in athletics, academics and community service.  The award program is sponsored by Jostens, Inc. and conducted by the J-Club of St. John's (MN).  This year's winner will be presented in Salem, VA, on Thursday, December 16th, at a luncheon kicking off festivities for the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, which will be played there on Saturday, December 18th.

The 10 finalists along with Bruney are: Scott Burnoski, WR, Wis-La Crosse; David Crowley, WR, Centre; Nick Cushman, WR, Albright; Rocky Meyers, FS, Wesley; Lance Moore, RB, Hardin-Simmons; Brad Musso, WR, Wheaton; Tony Sutton, RB, Wooster; Daniel Swanstrom, QB, Rhodes; and Jordan Talge, CB, Concordia-Moorhead.

The Gagliardi Trophy winner is determined by a 30-member national selection committee, which includes college coaches, former athletes, college administrators, business leaders and members of the media.

Four Purple Raider football players have previously won the trophy: Dan Pugh (2002), Chuck Moore (2001), Bill Borchert (1997) and Jim Ballard (1993).

Posted by Ric 11/23/04

The Mount Union College Sports Information Director's office has previewed this Saturday's Division III second round playoff game between the Purple Raiders and the Wheaton Thunder that will be played at Mount Union Stadium.  You can read it here.

Posted by Ric 11/22/04

Three Purple Raider football players were honored with 2004 Ohio Athletic Conference Special Awards today.

Senior quarterback Zac Bruney was chosen as the Mike Gregory Award winner as the conference's best offensive back, senior middle linebacker Shaun Spisak was named the Bill Edwards Award winner as the most outstanding linebacker and senior free safety Jesse Clum received the Lee J. Tressel Award as the OAC's top defensive back.

In addition, 14 Mount Union players were named to the 2004 All-OAC Team, including eight first-team selections.

Those named to the first-team offense include Bruney, senior tight end Drew Hanley, senior offensive lineman Rick Prescott and junior offensive lineman Tom Manning.  Named first-team defense were Spisak, Clum, senior defensive lineman Johnny Josef and senior linebacker Anthony Frate.  Hanley, Spisak and Frate are two-time first-team selections.

Second-team honorees include senior running back Rick Ciccone, senior wide receiver Jason Cavell, junior defensive lineman Jesse Wells and junior defensive back Ross Watson.  Receiving Honorable Mention status were junior defensive lineman Justen Stickley and junior defensive linebacker Mike Gibbons.

Also, defensive backfield coach Jeff Wojtowicz was named OAC Co-Assistant Coach of the Year as voted by the ten head coaches. Congratulations Purple Raiders!

Posted by Ric 11/21/04

It's playoff time and that means we've added our ever-popular "Tale of the Tape" to the site.  Click on the link to take an in-depth statistical look at Mount Union and Wheaton.  The Purple Raiders and Thunder square off in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs Saturday at Mount Union Stadium.

Posted by Ric 11/20/04

Mount Union will host Wheaton in the Second Round of the NCAA Division III playoffs next Saturday in Alliance.  The Thunder defeated Mount St. Joseph 31-7 this afternoon to earn the right to face the Purple Raiders for the fourth time in each school's history.  Mount Union owns a 3-0 record in the series, with victories of 40-14 in 1995, 42-21 in 2002 and 56-10 last year.  All three games were played during the post season.  Kickoff from Mount Union Stadium is set for 12:00 noon.

Posted by Ric 11/16/04

Mount Union finishes the regular season number one according to this week's AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll, receiving 38 of 40 first-place votes.  Ohio Northern moved up one spot to 17th place while Capital received votes.  You can see the entire poll here.

Posted by Ric 11/15/04

Mount Union received 18 of a possible 25 first place votes in the final regular season D3football.com Top 25 poll to remain number one, while Ohio Northern kept the 15th spot.  The entire Top 25 is here.

Posted by Ric 11/14/04

Mount Union has received a number one seed and first round bye in the 2004 NCAA Division III football playoffs.  The Purple Raiders will host the winner of next week's Mount St. Joseph (10-0) at Wheaton (IL) (9-1) game.  Kickoff from Mount Union Stadium on November 27th will be at 12:00 noon.  The Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl will be played on December 18th in Salem, Virginia.  You can see the entire playoff bracket here.

I've also posted our game story of Mount Union's regular season final victory over Heidelberg.  You can read it here. 

Posted by Ric 11/13/04

Mount Union completed a 10th consecutive unbeaten regular season with a 59-10 victory over Heidelberg this afternoon in front of 4,272 fans at Mount Union Stadium. 

Jeff Strauch had a career day with 221 rushing yards and 46 receiving yards.  The senior running back tied a school record that has stood for 73 years with six touchdowns in the game.  Leo Grimes first scored six times for the Purple Raiders on November 7, 1931 in a 52-0 win over Detroit Tech.

Mount Union rushed for 375 yards and finished with 570 total yards while limiting Heidelberg to just three yards rushing and 217 total yards in the contest.  With the win, the Purple Raiders finish the regular season 10-0 overall and 9-0 in conference play. 

Mount Union has automatically qualified for the NCAA Division III playoffs by virtue of winning the OAC and will await the bracketing, which will be announced by the playoff committee tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. 

Posted by Ric 11/10/04

The Sports Information Director's office at Mount Union College has posted game notes for the Purple Raiders final regular season contest against Heidelberg this Saturday.  You can read them here.

Posted by Ric 11/9/04

Mount Union remains the number one team in this week's AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll, receiving 38 of 40 first-place votes.  Ohio Northern moved up five spots to 18th place while Baldwin-Wallace and Capital received votes.  You can see the entire poll here.

Also, I've uploaded a few audio highlights from Mount Union's victory over Muskingum.  You can hear them here.

ESPN2's Cold Pizza, a national weekday morning show that airs from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., will be in Alliance this Friday, November 12th and part of the show that morning will air live from Mount Union College.  Co-host Thea Andrews and correspondent Zach Liebowitz will be on campus for the show.  Among the features will be an interview with Purple Raider Head Football Coach Larry Kehres. The event will be free and open to the public.

Posted by Ric 11/8/04

The Mount Union College SID's office has previewed this weekend's OAC season finale between the Purple Raiders and the Heidelberg Student Princes at Mount Union Stadium.  You can read it here.

I've posted our game story of Mount Union's come from behind win over Muskingum.  You can read it here. 

Posted by Ric 11/7/04

Mount Union received 19 of a possible 25 first place votes in this week's D3football.com Top 25 poll to remain number one again this week.  Ohio Northern moved up six spots to number 15 while Capital received votes.  The entire Top 25 is here.

Mount Union's final junior varsity football game scheduled for today was cancelled by the Pittsburgh Blue Storm.  The JV squad finished unbeaten for the fifth straight season.  You can see their 2004 results here.

Posted by Ric 11/6/04

Mount Union scored four fourth quarter touchdowns to pull away from Muskingum 34-7 this afternoon in Alliance. 

Zac Bruney connected with Drew Hanley, Jason Cavell and Scott Casto for touchdowns, and Aaron Robinson added a score as the Purple Raiders broke open a 7-7 tie entering the final period.  Rick Ciccone scored in the second quarter to even the game at seven after the Fighting Muskies jumped out to a one touchdown advantage after one stanza.

Mount Union finished with 377 total yards to Muskingum's 156.  With the win, the Raiders move to 9-0 overall and 8-0 in conference play. 

The Purple & White will try to complete a 10th straight unbeaten regular season next Saturday when Heidelberg visits Alliance.  The Student Princes enter the contest 0-9 on the season.  Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. at Mount Union Stadium. 

Posted by Ric 11/4/04

The Sports Information Director's office at Mount Union College has posted some game notes on Saturday's contest between the Purple Raiders and Muskingum.  You can read them here.

Posted by Ric 11/2/04

Mount Union remains the number one team in this week's AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll, receiving 38 of 40 first-place votes.  Baldwin-Wallace fell to 22nd, while Ohio Northern is 23rd and Capital dropped to 24th.  You can see the entire poll here.

Posted by Ric 11/1/04

Mount Union's junior varsity football team defeated John Carroll 41-21 this evening at Mount Union Stadium.  The JV squad is now 8-0 on the year and will finish out their season Sunday at 2:00 p.m. vs. the Pittsburgh Blue Storm in Alliance.  You can see their schedule and results here.

I've uploaded some audio highlights from Mount Union's win over Baldwin-Wallace.  You can hear them here.

The Mount Union College SID's office has previewed this weekend's OAC match-up between the Purple Raiders and the Muskingum Fighting Muskies at Mount Union Stadium.  You can read it here.