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Purple Raiders pound feisty Jackets
By JEFF ZUPANIC
BEREA
It’s not often the play of the game happens before the opening kickoff, but that seemed to be the case when Baldwin Wallace stormed the field after Saturday’s coin toss and swarmed toward the Mount Union sidelines.
The shenanigans resulted in the entire team getting an unsportsmanlike penalty, which would prove costly later in the first quarter. More importantly, it fired up the defending Division III national champions who rolled to a 56-21 win at George Finnie Stadium.
The Purple Raiders (2-0, 1-0 Ohio Athletic Conference) needed just one offensive play to take a 7-0 after junior D’Angelo Fulford hit junior Justin Hill for a 33-yard touchdown.
Defensive lineman Andrew Roesch gave the Purple Raiders a 14-7 lead with a 25-yard interception return and Mount Union led 21-7 later in the first quarter.
“That’s [the start] was what we were hoping to see, getting our passing game going and playing up tempo,” Mount Union head coach Vince Kehres said.
The Yellow Jackets (2-1, 0-1) appeared to have tied the game on a 75-yard touchdown reception by Jordan Leverette, but the score was taken off the board when the senior wide receiver taunted the Purple Raiders’ defense before crossing the goal line.
Leverette also was ejected after getting an unsportsmanlike penalty, his second of the contest.
BW never recovered, and Mount Union didn’t give the Yellow Jackets the opportunity.
“I think we settled in [defensively],” Kehres said. “They gave us a few looks that we were not ready for or didn’t have the right personnel on the field and that’s my fault.
“They presented us with a tremendous challenge and we did some good things.”
Fulford threw the ball all over the field with precision in the first half and the Purple Raiders led 42-14 at halftime.
Senior Lucas Herrington had a pair of touchdown catches while Fulford completed 15-of-17 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns.
The halftime break didn’t slow the Purple Raiders. Fulford found a wide-open Hill for a 61-yard touchdown on the second play of the third quarter to extend the lead to 49-14. It was the fifth TD pass of the game for Fulford, who accomplished that feat five times last season.
Fulford finished 18 of 22 for 364 yards (a career high) and five touchdowns. Hill had six catches for 161 yards and two TDs. Herrington also had a pair of touchdowns.
“I have to give all the credit to our coaching staff for putting us in the right spots and for my veteran teammates stepping up and being ready to go,” Fulford said. “I know everybody focuses on [Jared] Ruth and ‘J-Hill’ but don’t sleep on 17 [Herrington].”