What to know about Mount Union's football showdown with John Carroll
The Game
John Carroll at Mount Union, 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Kehres Stadium.
On The Air
WRMU-FM (91.1) and WDPN-AM (1310).
The Records
Mount Union is 7-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference and 8-0 overall. John Carroll is 7-0 in the OAC and 7-1 overall. Mount Union is ranked No. 2 in both Division III polls, while John Carroll is 22nd in the D3football.com poll and 24th in the American Football Coaches Association poll.
The Coaches
Geoff Dartt is 25-1 in his third season at Mount Union. Drew Nystrom is in his first season as interim coach at JCU.
The Series
Mount Union leads 36-3-2 and has won the last five meetings since the Blue Streaks' stunning 31-28 victory in 2016. That is Mount Union's last regular-season loss. Last season the Purple Raiders won 28-14.
About John Carroll
The Blue Streaks have won seven straight after a 35-26 loss to Washington and Jefferson in the first week of the season. They have played well in all three aspects but one can point to senior quarterback Joe Collins, senior receiver Brennan Fugh, sophomore running back Evan McVay and a defense that has held opponents to 11.3 points and 245 yards per game, second only to Mount Union. Collins, from Grand Rapids, Mich., has completed 143-of-208 passes for 1,778 yards and 19 touchdowns against five interceptions. Fugh, from Pittsburgh, has caught 38 passes for 682 yards and five touchdowns and McVay, from Aurora, has rushed for 655 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 18 passes for 216 yards and three more scores. Collins also has reliable receivers in tight end Tadas Tatarunas (Mentor) and Joe Torok (Kirtland), who have combined for 52 receptions worth 561 yards and seven touchdowns. The defense ranks second to Mount Union in practically every category except touchdowns and fumble recoveries. Linemen Bricker Thiel and Nick Costanzo have combined for 42 solo tackles, 56 assists, 6.5 sacks and 14 tackles for lost yards. Linebacker Tyler Thimons leads the team with 27 solos, 33 assists, seven tackles behind the line, including three sacks.
About Mount Union
The offense and defense lead the OAC in all significant categories. The Raiders rank first in the country in points allowed per game (3.75), total defense (133 yards per game) and passing defense (101 yards per game) and second in run defense (32 yards per game). Wide receiver Wayne Ruby leads all of Division III in receiving yards per game (149.3), points per game (15.4) and is second in total receiving yards (1,045). Quarterback Braxton Plunk is second in passing efficiency (208.8) and fifth in total yards (2.439). The Raiders' defense posted their fourth shutout of the season last week as its linebacking crew of Mason McMillen, Kaleb Detellem and Rossy Moore continue to terrorize offenses. Another offensive bright spot has been senior running back DeAndre Parker, who has rushed for over 100 yards in each of his last five games and now has gained 763 yards and scored 13 touchdowns on 125 carries, He also has caught 38 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns, giving Plunk another target beyond wide receivers and tight ends.
What To Watch
Clearly, these are the two best teams with the two best quarterbacks in the OAC. Pick practically any statistic, offensive or defensive, and Mount Union ranks first and JCU ranks second, or vice-versa. Ruby did not play in last week’s victory over Otterbein but Dartt said he is hopeful his star receiver will be available this week. If not, senior Jaden Manley is more than a capable replacement and his nine receptions for 140 yards — both career highs — and three scores last week attest to that. Both have quality tight ends in former quarterback Tadas Tatarunas (Mentor) at JCU and Evan Weygandt and Chase Lawson at Mount. By the way, Lawson and Plunk are cousins. Plunk has riddled JCU in each of the last two seasons, completing 80-of-112 passes for 913 yards — a season-high 521 yards in 2021 — and 11 touchdowns against one interception. If he can come anywhere near matching those numbers and the defense maintains its ruthless ways, the Raiders will be on the threshold of a sixth straight and 33rd OAC title.
Something To Consider
If Mount Union wins and Baldwin Wallace beats Heidelberg this week and then BW upsets Mount next week while JCU beats Otterbein there would be a three-way tie for the OAC title. That has not happened since 1994 when the same three tied at 8-1.
Something Else To Consider
The Raiders are an all-time 73-24-2 and have won a combined 31 straight games against JCU and BW. They are an all-time 312-79-4 against the rest of the OAC. The last team to beat Mount Union that wasn’t called Blue Streaks or Yellow Jackets was Ohio Northern in 2005.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Mount Union football plays OAC rival John Carroll
