DIVISION III Mount Union breaks away to beat Mount St. Joseph

A big play and strong defense set the stage for Mount Union's 49-6 breakout win.
By ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
ALLIANCE -- After mustering just two yards combined on its first two offensive possessions, the Mount Union football team's offense broke out in a big play.
Quarterback Mike Jorris connected with speedster Pierre Garcon for a 92-yard touchdown with 7:27 remaining in the first quarter, giving the Purple Raiders a 7-3 lead.
The play set the tone for a 49-6 Mount Union rout of Mount St. Joseph, in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs Saturday at Mount Union Stadium.
Freshman running back Nate Kmic rushed for a career-high 158 yards to set up Mount Union's big-play passing attack.
"Nate was a very accomplished high school running back," Mount Union coach Larry Kehres said. "We didn't execute our offense in the first quarter and we put Nate in there. And he had some great runs and was producing, so we stayed with him. Aaron [Robinson] was sick today and Nate was able to come through for us."
Defense delivers
The Purple Raiders' defense continued its dominance since Mount Union's loss to Ohio Northern, as the unit has gone 18 quarters without allowing a touchdown.
Mount St. Joseph started three of its first four possessions in Mount Union territory, but the Purple Raiders‚ defense held the Lions to six points on two Kevin Koch field goals (33 and 37).
Those were the only scoring chances Mount St. Joseph had in the contest, as Mount Union totally dominated the rest of the way.
The defense was relentless, holding the Lions to a meager 58 total yards, and registered a season-high six sacks.
Mount St. Joseph entered the game averaging 351 yards per contest. Mount Union out-gained the Lions 565-58.
Defense sets the stage
"The key for us was that first quarter when we held them to just two field goals when they had excellent field position," Kehres said. "Our defense really built on that effort the rest of the way and played outstanding like it has all season."
The Mount Union offense welcomed back Garcon with open arms. It was only the second game back for Garcon, who missed five contests with a lower leg injury. The sophomore wideout hauled in three passes for 128 yards.
"He's just a dynamite player for us and we've really missed him," Kehres said. "He's not 100 percent healthy yet, but that long 92-yard touchdown pass really gave the players and the coaches a big lift."
A second Lions field goal trimmed the deficit to 7-6 after the first quarter.
But the Purple Raiders began to pull away with 21 points in the second quarter, including two scoring runs by Kmic. The freshman's 11-yard scoring jaunt put Mount Union ahead 28-6 at halftime.
Season-high rushing
"I had fun out there," said Kmic, whose 158 yards rushing is a season-high for a Mount Union back. "I was a little nervous getting up this morning, but once the game went on, I just lost the jitters and started to play."
Junior Aaron Robinson added 87 yards, despite playing ill. With the effort, he went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark this season (1,048).
Mount Union rushed for 321 yards and Jorris threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Backup Randy Mason (Girard) completed two-of-two attempts for 19 yards and one touchdown.
Mount Union (10-1), the No.2 seed in the North Region, advances to a quarterfinal playoff game Saturday when they host No. 3 seed Augustana (10-1) at Mount Union Stadium in a noon kickoff.
Augustana, which owns four national championships, defeated Lakeland, 49-22, Saturday in another first-round game.