AREA COLLEGE ROUNDUP | Saturday’s other games

Mount Union 42, Otterbein 0

ALLIANCE

Quarterback Matt Piloto and wide receiver A.J. Claycomb stepped in for injured starters to lead Mount Union to its eighth consecutive victory. The Purple Raiders (8-0, 7-0 Ohio Athletic Conference) rolled up 548 total yards of offense behind Piloto, a junior, who stepped in when starting quarterback Neal Seaman was injured on the first series of the game. Piloto finished 16 of 22 passing for 223 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Claycomb, a senior. Claycomb finished with five receptions for 88 yards, as the Purple Raiders leading receiver, junior Jasper Collins did not dress with an injury. Junior running back Jeremy Murray added 122 yards on 23 rushes and he scored a pair of touchdowns. Murray surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the season -- he now has 1,093 yards and 14 TDs. As a team Mount Union gained 548 total yards. Meanwhile, the nation’s No. 1 rated defense held Otterbein (2-6, 1-6) to 155 total yards. The Cardinals entered the game ranked first in the OAC in passing offense (279.9 yards per game) and fourth in total offense (488.9 ypg). Otterbein quarterback Austin Schlosser led the OAC in total offense and passing efficiency, but was held to 15 of 29 passing for 140 yards and he was intercepted three times. Junior Alex Nicholls, senior Chris Favazzo and senior Alex Ferrara had the interceptions for the Mount Union defense. The Purple Raiders were held scoreless in the first quarter for the second consecutive week, then pulled away with a 28-point outburst in the second period. Mount Union drove 93 yards in five plays following an Otterbein punt, taking a 7-0 lead on a career-long 59-yard run by junior Blair Skilliter and the extra point by senior kicker Tyler Almeida with 11:54 remaining in the half. The Purple Raiders took control with by scoring three touchdowns in the final five minutes of the half.

Slippery Rock 28, Mercyhurst 21

SLIPPERY ROCK, PA.

Slippery Rock quenched an 11-year-long thirst for a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division championship and cashed a ticket to the PSAC championship game for the first time since 1974. Rock senior quarterback Cody Endres scored on a 1-yard burst with 57 seconds left for the game-winning points. The TD was set up by a pass interception and 59-yard return to the Mercyhurst 2 by redshirt sophomore cornerback Anthony Saunders. A facemask penalty on Saunders’ return moved the ball half the distance to the goal. The win, which assured The Rock (8-1, 6-0) of a share of the PSAC-West, was the Green and White’s sixth straight. Mercyhurst (3-6, 1-5) won last year’s title. The division title was the first won by The Rock since it shared the PSAC-West crown with three other teams in 2000. A Rock win next week in the final PSAC-West game of the season at Gannon University in Erie will assure SRU of its first outright division title since 1999.

Waynesburg 17, Saint Vincent 14

WAYNESBURG, PA.

A 24-yard field goal by Saint Vincent’s Morgan Porter as time expired gave the Bearcats the victory in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference game. The teams combined for 10 turnovers (three interceptions and two lost fumbles each. It was Waynesburg’s first loss in 51 years to its rival from Latrobe. Senior Mike Kale piled up a team-high 66 of the 142 yards rushing for St. Vincent (4-4, 3-3). Senior quarterback Aaron Smetanka completed 16-of-35 passes for 136 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. For the Yellow Jackets (4-3, 4-2), senior Josh Graham completed 17-of-29 passes for 133 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions.

Thomas More 27, Westminster 10

NEW WILMINGTON, PA.

Robert Kues threw for a touchdown and ran for two more to lead Thomas More (8-0, 7-0 PAC), which is ranked No. 6 nationally in Division III. Thomas More outgained Westminster, 321-294, in total yards including Kues passing for 41 yards on 8-of-17 passing, while Domonique Hayden rushed 20 times for 99 yards. For the Titans (5-3, 4-2), Shawn Lehockcy career highs with 25 pass completions and 48 pass attempts before finishing with 225 passing yards. He threw a career high-tying three interceptions and he was sacked four times and he finished with minus-7 yards on 17 rushes. Junior wide receiver Collin Wallace set career highs with nine catches for 112 yards, while junior Geno Pasquinelli (Salem) snared six balls for 61 yards. The Titans were victimized by five turnovers, three interceptions and two lost fumbles.

Geneva 50, Thiel 31

BEAVER FALLS, PA.

Rocco Collavecchia paced the Golden Tornadoes (3-6, 3-4 PAC), rushing for 110 yards and a pair of scores on 22 carries while completing 5-of-8 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. Corey O’Patchen collected three catches for 73 yards and a touchdown and Alex Mack totaled three catches for 57 yards and two scores. Solomon Hejirika had a game-high 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble for Geneva. Scott Erb and Dillon Goodell each had seven tackles in the win. Zach Hayward completed 12-of-20 passes for 137 yards and two scores. De’Von Drish ran for 90 yards and a career-high three touchdowns for Thiel (0-8, 0-6). Tim Taylor totaled 4.5 sacks, tying his career high. His 18.0 tackles for loss this season rank second only to Will Haase’s 19.5 during the 2008 season while his 9.0 sacks are tied for fourth. Taylor also broke in to the Tomcats’ top five in career tackles for loss Saturday with 40.0. Jared Soell finished 10-of-24 passing for 100 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Soell also rushed 11 times for 40 yards. Matt Fedzen had four catches for 45 yards and a score for Thiel.

Staff report