MOUNT UNION Raiders roll past John Carroll

The Ohio Athletic Conference leaders will clash in Alliance next Saturday.
By JOHN BUTERA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS -- The Blue Streaks of John Carroll University were added to the winning streaks of Mount Union Saturday at Don Shula Field, as the Purple Raiders handed JCU a 34-16 defeat.
The win sets up next Saturday's showdown between Mount Union and Capital. Both teams are 6-0 overall and 5-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. The game begins at 1:30 p.m. at Mount Union Stadium.
John Carroll (4-2, 3-2) was looking for the upset but was held well below its average of 28 points per game.
The Purple Raiders have won 48 straight games, while capturing 43 in a row on the road and 90 straight in the regular season.
The victory also put coach Larry Kehres two wins shy of 200 as Mount Union coach.
"I got one of these [a sweatshirt] when I got my 100th," joked Kehres, "so maybe you can drop the hint that I'd sure like another one. The sleeves on this are just about worn out."
Little trouble
Kehres' good mood was understandable as his team had little trouble all day. Mount Union fashioned an 80-yard drive the second time it had the ball, showing a nice mix of passing and running.
The drive covered 12 plays and 4 minutes, 14 seconds off the clock, and Rick Ciccone's 1-yard run at 9:46 put the Purple Raiders ahead 7-0.
Ciccone finished with 71 yards on 24 carries.
Following a missed field goal on its next possession, Mount Union turned in its best march of the day, going 88 yards in 11 plays and 5:08.
The drive was capped at 8:26 when Zac Bruney found Brian Miller on a fourth-and-5 from the 13. Miller grabbed the pass at the 7 on a play and ran in.
Bruney and Miller connected earlier in the drive for 20 yards while Jessie Burghardt also found Miller for 21. The drive's other highlight was Burghardt hitting Drew Manley for 26 yards on third-and-10.
Miller, who would score again, ended with five catches for 88 yards. His play drew praise from Kehres: "Brian plays his position as well as anyone on the team. It was nice to see him recognized statistically."
Starting their next drives on the John Carroll 24 and 35, the Purple Raiders went ahead 20-0 at 1:54 when Bruney hit Nick Sirianni from 13 yards.
By intermission, Mount Union held a 20-3 lead.
Second half
After JCU pulled to 20-10, Mount Union sealed the win when Miller's second score, a 10 yard reception from Bruney, made it 27-10 with 14:52 remaining in the game.
Matt Caponi's 42-yard interception return ended the Raiders scoring.
Bruney finished 15-of-24 for 227 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also added 58 yards rushing on 11 carries.
Kehres said of Capital: "We haven't caught them on film yet. But I'm sure they'll be ready coming in and I know it'll be a tough battle."