Mount Union routs Albright, 55-3, in D-III playoff

ALLIANCE (AP) — Terrance Morring ran for three scores and caught a touchdown pass, leading Mount Union to a 55-3 win over Albright (Pa.) in the quarterfinals of the Division III playoffs on Saturday.

The Purple Raiders (13-0) extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 28 games and will play host to undefeated Wesley in the semifinals next Saturday.

“Mount Union is a great, great football team,” Albright coach John Marzka said. “They’ve got great players and they’re extremely well coached.”

Mount Union, the defending Division III champions, has appeared in the national semifinals 15 consecutive years.

Morring scored on runs of 1, 2 and 3 yards in addition to combining with quarterback Kurt Rocco on a 45-yard touchdown. Safety Drew McClain returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the game before Rocco scored on a 7-yard run.

Morring, who went over 1,000 yards for the season, gained 85 yards on 21 carries.

“You always want to approach a game like it’s your last game,” he said. “You never know when your last game might be. I go out and play hard. My motto is to keep getting better every week.”

John Whelan kicked a 26-yard field goal for Albright (11-2) early in the second quarter, cutting Mount Union’s lead to 14-3, but the Purple Raiders responded by scoring the next 41 points. Rocco hit Vince Petruziello with a 68-yard TD pass in the third quarter, extending the lead to 48-3.

Linebacker Charles Dieuseul recovered a fumble in the end zone for Mount Union’s final score.

Both teams committed five turnovers, but that didn’t stop the Purple Raiders from scoring 50 or more points for the seventh consecutive game.

Despite the gaudy offensive numbers, Mount Union coach Larry Kehres credited a team effort with the output.

“Each one of those has been a good defensive performance,” he said. “Fourteen of the points were defensive points. Those have all been good defensive games where we’ve had good field position and a short field to work with. We have improved offensively.”

Mount Union recorded seven sacks and held Albright to 6 yards rushing. The Purple Raiders rolled up 488 total yards, including 220 on the ground.

Mount Union is 257-11-1 since 1990, including the two longest win streaks in college football history of 55 and 54 games.