Football: Mount Union Takes Care of John Carroll in NCAA Playoffs, Advances to Third Round

ALLIANCE, Ohio - The Mount Union football team started the 2024 NCAA Playoffs with a dominant 42-7 win over John Carroll in the Second Round at home on Saturday at Kehres Stadium.

Senior running back Tyler Echeverry (Naples, FL/Barron Collier) tied his career-high rushing yards total with 176 (matching his career-best he had against JCU in the regular season), with a 7.0 average per carry, for his sixth-straight game of at least 100 yards on the ground. He totaled two rushing touchdowns and one receiving score, achieving 211 yards from scrimmage.

Senior Rossy Moore (Lima, OH/Lima Central Catholic) had a 31-yard fumble return for a touchdown, to go along with nine tackles and a sack. Seniors S Brandon Yanssens (Columbiana, OH/Crestview) and LB Marcus Jackson (Dallas, TX/Richardson) had a team-high 10 tackles each.

Graduate QB TJ Deshields (Beloit, OH/West Branch) finished 17 for 25 for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Senior RB Darnell Williams (Cleveland, OH/John Adams) had a 1-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter and senior RB Shaun Thomas (Lima, OH/Lima Central Catholic) added a rushing touchdown in the fourth.

Mount Union set the tone with an opening drive touchdown, consisting of 14 plays, 75 yards (over seven minutes off the game clock), capped off by a fourth-down rushing touchdown by Echeverry, the 2024 OAC Back of the Year.

John Carroll's first drive was cut short when junior Kaleb Brown (La Plata, MD/La Plata) strip-sacked JCU's QB Nick Semptimphelter and Moore returned the fumble 31 yards for a touchdown for the All-American's first touchdown of his career.

Following a Blue Streaks touchdown, the Raiders scored twice more courtesy of Echeverry with an 8-yard rushing score and a 1-yard touchdown reception - both on third downs. The touchdown catch capped off a 97-yard drive.

The Purple Raiders, who earned a first round bye, won their league-record 35th OAC Championship to secure the conference's NCAA automatic qualifying bid for this year's NCAA Playoffs - their 35th NCAA Playoff appearance is an NCAA Division III record. The Blue Streaks, who received an at-large bid, announced they will join the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) in Fall 2025. Mount Union is now 5-0 against John Carroll in the NCAA Playoffs.

Mount Union will play Carnegie Mellon in the NCAA Third Round next Saturday at Noon. The location is to be determined. The Tartans beat Centre, 24-15, today in their NCAA Second Round game.