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Mount Union survives scare from John Carroll
By Greg Gulas
ALLIANCE
Mount Union secured its 20th consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III semifinals with a 36-28 victory Saturday over Ohio Athletic Conference rival John Carroll University.
But it wasn’t easy.
Kevin Burke threw four touchdown passes and the Purple Raiders racked up 408 yards of total offense as Mount Union (13-0) posted their second win in three weeks over the Blue Streaks at Mount Union Stadium.
“At halftime in the locker room the defense knew that we had a seven-point lead and if John Carroll wasn’t able to score, we could win the game,” Mount Union coach Vince Kehres said. “We felt like we were playing good defense. We felt like we were playing good even though they had 21 points on the board at halftime.”
It took the Purple Raiders just over two minutes to take an early 7-0 advantage on Burke’s 13-yard TD pass to Roman Namdar. Burke has 42 touchdown passes on the season and 124 during a stellar four-year career.
“I can’t say enough about my offensive line; they’re great. I treat them well and they treat me well and when they give me time, good things happen,” Burke said. “This group, there’s five, six, seven of ‘em that step up all the time.”
Kehres agreed.
“Our offensive line played with a lot of effort today,” Kehres said. “They were a big part of us winning this game, no doubt about it. Also, the first thing I looked at when I picked up the stat sheet was that we had 174 yards in returns and they had 44 so I think special teams was huge today as well. In our two games with John Carroll this year special teams have been huge.”
An 18-yard scamper by Logan Nemeth increased the Purple Raiders’ lead to 14-0 heading to the second quarter.
The Blue Streaks (11-2) cut Mount Union’s lead in half at 12:43 of the second quarter when Tommy Michaels scored from two-yards away and when Mark Myers found Zach Strippy from a yard out at 9:03, the John Carroll knotted the score at 14-all.
“Not being able to run the ball hurt us, but our offensive line stepped up and we were able to pass the ball and move the ball down the field,” Myers said. “Tommy [Michaels] was great in pass protection but when we needed a run he made some plays, too.”
Mount Union’s Sherman Wilkinson, who caught the first of his two scores at 2:55, gave the Purple Raiders a 21-14 lead, but when John Carroll’s Marshall Howell was on the receiving end of Myers’ 75-yard heave 16 seconds later, the Blue Streaks tied the game again at 21.
Wilkinson’s second touchdown reception with 1:24 remaining then helped Mount Union forge a 28-21 lead at intermission.
Mount Union extended its lead to 30-21 on a safety with 1:35 left in the third quarter and when Burke threw his fourth scoring strike of the day, this time to Luc Meacham with 10 seconds left in the period, it extended the lead to 36-21 with a quarter to play.
Myers’ second scoring toss to Strippy, this time from three yards out with 6:51 remaining cut the lead Mount Union lead to eight points but it proved to be too little, too late.
“Words can’t describe the type of people that we have in our locker room. What they stand for; what they represent; the success that they’re gonna have far beyond the football field. I promise you that,” John Carroll coach Tom Arth said.
Myers completed 31 of 56 passes for 362 yards for the Blue Streaks while Roman Namdar caught six passes for 123 yards for Mount Union, which has won 208 of its last 216 contests.