Football: Mount Union Claims 32nd Undefeated Regular Season, Set for NCAA Playoffs

11/11/2023 | Football | Box Score

ALLIANCE, Ohio - The No. 2 nationally-ranked Mount Union football team won its season-finale, 41-17, over Baldwin Wallace, sealing an undefeated regular season for the 32nd time in program history.

The Purple Raiders already won the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championship (their conference-record 34th in program history) and received the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Playoffs with their victory last week over John Carroll.

After the game was tied 3-3 after one quarter, Mount Union (10-0, 9-0 OAC) outscored the Yellow Jackets, 21-7, in the second quarter to lead 24-10 at halftime. Baldwin Wallace (6-4, 6-3 OAC) scored its lone touchdown in the first half off a 42-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass from Joey Marousek to Darius Stokes as time expired.

BW and the Raiders traded touchdowns in the third quarter, with the Mount Union score coming off a 39-yard touchdown catch by senior Tyrell Sanders (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike) from senior Braxton Plunk (Plant City, Fla./Plant City). Junior Tyler Echeverry (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier) capped off the scoring with a 29-yard touchdown run, finishing the day with a game- and career-high 114 yards on the ground - his second career 100-yard game.

Plunk finished 34 of 47 for 309 yards (his second 300-yard game this season) and four touchdowns, completing passes to seven different receivers, including to his cousin senior Chase Lawson (Plant City, Fla./Lakeland Christian) who caught eight balls for 75 yards (both career highs), to go along with a score. Senior Wayne Ruby (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Charles W. Flanagan) caught two touchdowns from seven catches and 57 yards, his fourth multi-touchdown game of the season (third time in the last four games). Sanders finished with a career-high five catches with a game-high 84 receiving yards.

Mount's defense held Baldwin Wallace to 26 yards rushing on the ground, the sixth opponent this year the Purple Raiders have held under 50 rushing yards this season. Junior Rossy Moore Lima, Ohio/Lima Central Catholic) led the Raider defense with 1.5 sacks and nine tackles. Moore now has 23.5 career sacks, seventh all-time in program history. Senior Ricky Buggs (Crestview, Fla./Crestview) registered his first career sack. Junior Von Factor (Fair Haven, N.J./Rumson-Fair Haven) totaled a game-high two tackles for loss (tied a career best), with a half sack and a career-high eight tackles. Mount Union had three interceptions, tying second most in school history, courtesy of seniors John Roland (Livonia, Mich./Northville), Ian Sexton (Dover, Ohio/Dover), and Josh Jones (Twinsburg, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary). Jones extends to career total to 14 INTs, tying ninth-most in school history.

Freshman kicker Deaglan Camron (Fort Myers, Florida/Bishop Verot) was a perfect 2 for 2 in field goals (from 34 and 32) and made all of his extra points. Camron is now 66 for 66 in extra points and has made 10 field goals this season.

The NCAA will release the 32-team playoff bracket Sunday, Nov. 12 at 5 p.m. on an online selection show at NCAA.com. First round games will be Saturday. Nov. 18.