ALLIANCE Kmic leads Mount with 361 yards

The freshman has rushed for 518 yards and seven TDs in two playoff games.
By ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
ALLIANCE -- If what Mount Union freshman running back Nate Kmic has accomplished in his first two career playoff games is any indication, they may want to consider reserving him his own permanent seat at post-game press conferences for years to come.
One week after coming off the bench to rush for a season-high 157 yards, the freshman made his first career start in place of injured senior Aaron Robinson when the Purple Raiders took on four-time national champion Augustana in a second-round playoff game Saturday.
Kmic made the milestone memorable, breaking a school record in the process, piling up a Mount Union single-game record 361 yards and four touchdowns to propel the Purple Raiders to a convincing 44-7 victory over the Vikings at Mount Union Stadium.
Two-game playoff standout
In two playoff contests, Kmic has 518 yards on 62 carries and seven touchdowns.
"It's amazing," said Kmic, who was still trying to catch his breath a good 20 minutes after the game ended. "Coming into the season I didn't expect to play much because most freshmen here don't.
"I've just tried to do the best I could with the opportunity I've had; I'm grateful to be here," Kmic said.
"The line was really blocking great today. I wasn't even getting hit until after five yards and it's all downhill from there," Kmic said. "I was getting tired near the end, but I was still hoping to get the ball."
The Mount Union single-game rushing record was 269 yards by Mike DiBlasi vs. John Carroll in 1970.
In a 2001 playoff victory over Wittenberg, Chuck Moore piled up 346 yards.
But because the NCAA did not start recognizing playoff statistics in its records until 2002, DiBlasi's mark was the one listed as the official Mount Union record in the media guide.
Mount Union rolled up 536 yards of total offense, including 424 on the ground. It was the most total offense Augustana had surrendered this season.
Kmic was ready
"Nate looked pretty fresh today," Mount Union coach Larry Kehres said. "A season really takes a toll on a player, but with Nate not having started this season, he was rested and ready for this.
"We knew Augustana had a very good pass defense, so we wanted to see how well we could run the ball at the start of the game," Kehres said. "We had enough success early that we just stayed with it. We couldn't have predicted how well things went today."
Augustana, which entered the game No. 5 in the country with a +17 turnover margin, lost that battle against Mount Union losing two fumbles and an interception while forcing just one Purple Raider fumble.
Mount Union jumped out to a 13-0 advantage with a 20-yard touchdown run by Kmic and a 40-yard scoring toss from Mike Jorris to Pierre Garcon.
Augustana cut the deficit to 13-7 with 1:52 left in the second quarter via a 2-yard run by Greg Cozzi and a point-after kick from Josh Patterson.
Broke 19-quarter streak
The touchdown broke a streak of 19 straight quarters during which Mount Union had not allowed a six-pointer.
But Kmic and the Raiders seized momentum and thwarted any hopes of an Augustana comeback with a quick five-play, 45-yard drive at the end of the first half.
Kmic broke free for a 19-yard score with 34 seconds left to put Mount Union ahead 20-7 at the break.
The Mount Union defense pitched a shutout the rest of the way and Kmic added two more touchdowns to seal the deal.
"I'm really proud of how our offensive line blocked today and controlled the game," said senior offensive lineman Tom Manning, an Ursuline grad and second team All-OAC honoree. "Nate ran hard all day, we had a great game plan and we executed well.
"Personally, I like it when we run the ball more, even though it isn't always the best fit for our offense. But I'm just proud of how we've rebounded from that Ohio Northern loss and really played hard. We just want to keep winning the rest of the way."
Mount Union (11-1), the North Region's No. 2 seed, moves on to play host to Ohio Athletic Conference rival Capital in the third-round of the playoffs.
The Purple Raiders defeated the Crusaders 42-24 in Week 4.
Capital, the No. 4 seed in the North Region, upset top-seeded Wabash 14-11 to earn the rematch against Mount Union.