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    1985 Playoffs

     Mount Union College qualified for the post-season playoffs for the first time in the school's history at the conclusion of the 1985 football campaign.  This was unknown territory to the Purple Raiders as this land belonged to the Augustanas, the Ithicas and the Wittenbergs of Division III football.  Mount Union, under the guidance of head coach Ken Wable had just concluded the most successful season in the school's history with a perfect 10-0 record and winning the Ohio Athletic Conference Championship.  Season highlights included back-to-back victories over Wittenberg (38-15) and Baldwin-Wallace (14-3).  The first round opponent was former Ohio Athletic Conference member Denison.

-First Round-

     The Purple Raiders hosted Denison on Saturday, November 23rd before a near capacity crowd of 5,126 at Mount Union College Stadium.  The Raiders were able to shutdown the Big Red's single-wing offense and defeated the visitors 35-3 in a one-sided affair. 

     Denison held a 3-0 first quarter lead but Mount scored two second quarter touchdowns on a two-yard run by fullback Tony Taratino and a 39-yard pass from quarterback Scott Woolf to Vince Boddy.  Boddy, a junior from Cleveland, tied a playoff record with three touchdown receptions for the game.   His other two scores came in the third quarter when Mount Union exploded for 21 points.  He finished the game with seven receptions for 142 yards.  The other third quarter score was a 14-yard pass from Woolf to tight end Jeff Erskine.

     Raider linebackers Chris Weber and Pat Brandon were credited with 12 and 10 tackles, respectfully.  Safety Vic Harris recorded nine tackles and intercepted a pass for the ninth consecutive game.   Legendary Dennison coach Keith Piper was glowing in his praise of Woolf and the Raiders passing game.  He said, "It hurt not playing against someone as good as Woolf all season."  The Mount Union defense limited the Big Red to 287 yards of total offense.

Mount Union 35       Denison 3

Scoring

-Quarterfinals-

     Two-time defending National Champion Augustana ended the Raiders season the following week with a 21-14 victory over the Raiders at snow-covered Rock Island Public School Stadium in front of 1,800 fans.   The difference in the game was that Mount Union turned the ball over four times to their hosts while the Vikings did not commit one turnover.  All three Augustana touchdowns came after pass interceptions.

     Trailing 7-0, the Raiders tied the score early in the second quarter on a nine-yard pass from Scott Woolf to Jeff Erskine.  The Vikings game plan was to pressure Woolf and the slippery field made their task that much easier.   The Raiders scored first in the second half as Tony Taratino scored from the two-yard line early in the third quarter.  Leading 14-7, Mount Union began a 90-yard drive from its own eight -yard line to the Augustana two-yard line where a fourth down rollout pass fell incomplete.  In the fourth quarter the Raiders drove to the Vikings nine-yard line where they were held on downs.

     Mount Union outgained the Vikings 326 yards to 246 yards and led in first downs 20-11. Raider head coach Ken Wable, who was coaching his final game, noted that, "Good teams, like Augustana, make big plays."   He noted that the Vikings playoff experience was probably the difference.

Augustana 21       Mount Union 14

Scoring