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WACO, Texas – University of Mount Union head football coach and director of athletics Larry Kehres has been named an Honorary Member of the American Football Coaches Association. His continued dedication to football and bettering the community embodies the goals and values of the AFCA. As honorary members, Kehres will have a lifetime membership and access to all the educational and coaching resources available from the AFCA, as well as the opportunity to attend the annual AFCA Convention each January.
Kehres has been the head coach at Mount Union since 1986 and boasts an overall record of 317-24-3 at the conclusion of the 2011 season.
Kehres attended Mount Union from 1967-1971. He returned in 1974 as an assistant football coach, before becoming the school's athletic director in 1985, and head football coach in 1986.
He has led the Purple Raiders to 10 NCAA Division III National Championships, 20 undefeated regular seasons and 22 Ohio Athletic Conference championships. From 1994 through 2005, his teams won 100 consecutive games against Ohio Athletic Conference opponents.
Kehres has been named AFCA National Coach of the Year eight times and AFCA Regional Coach of the Year 16 times, both records with the AFCA. In 2010, he served as President of the Association.
Along with Kehres, businessmen Bill Proulx, Jon Butler, Ted Miller each received honorary member status.
The AFCA was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 11,000 members around the world ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, the AFCA was formed, in part, to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and in the coaching profession" and to "provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football."
SALEM, Va. – No. 2 ranked Mount Union rallied in the fourth quarter but three turnovers resulted13-10 loss to No. 1 ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater in Stagg Bowl XXXIX Friday night in Salem, Va.
Whitewater (15-0) won its third-straight NCAA Division III National Championship and extended the nation's longest winning streak to 45 games.
The most costly of the Purple Raider turnovers came late in the third quarter with Whitewater holding a 3-0 lead. Warhawk defensive lineman Loussaint Minett forced a fumble of Mount Union quarterback Matt Piloto (Rotonda West, Fla./Lemon Bay) which was recovered by the Warhawks on the one-yard line. The play earned Minett the game's most outstanding player honor.
One play later Coppage punched it in and extended the Whitewater lead to 10-0.
Mount Union got on the scoreboard with just over 11 minutes to go in the game as Tyler Almeida (Elyria/Elyria) hit a 19-yard field goal.
Eric Kindler, who kicked a 44-yard field goal in the first half, then answered with a 30-yard field goal with 5:34 to play.
The Raiders then went 72 yards in eight plays as Piloto hit A.J. Claycomb (Medina/Medina) with an eight-yard touchdown pass with 3:20 left.
Mount Union's defense, which held Whitewater to 210 total yards, forced a punt and got the ball back with just over two minutes to play but ran out of time.
Piloto finished with 177 yards passing (21-of-38) with a touchdown and two interceptions, Jeremy Murray (Martins Ferry/Martins Ferry) had 59 yards rushing on 22 carries and Jasper Collins (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva) had nine catches for 68 yards.
Whitewater All-American running back Levell Coppage had 91 yards rushing on 32 carries, quarterback Matt Blanchard was 9-of-13 passing for 97 yards with an interception while Tyler Huber had four catches for 35 yards.
Linebacker Jorge Carbonell (Miami, Fla./Archbishop Carroll) had 10 tackles, Isaiah Scott (Hamilton/Fairfield) had nine stops and Chaz Jordan (Medina/Buckeye) had an interception to lead a stellar performance by the nation's top defense.
For the first time in the seven-game series there was a scoreless first quarter.
Whitewater got on the board with a 44-yard field goal from Eric Kindler with just over 11 minutes in the half.
Photo Credit: Dan Poel/OhioSI.com
WACO, Texas - Mount Union junior safety Nick Driskill (Wabash, Ind./Southwood) was named to the American Football Coaches Association All-American Football Team.
Driskill was one of just five juniors named to the team and gives the Purple Raiders a record 19 all-time All-Americans named 20 times.
Driskill is the leading tackler (105 tackles) for the nation's No. 1 ranked defense as he also has 6.5 sacks, four interceptions, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries.
He also was awarded the Ohio Athletic Conference's Lee Tressel Award as the conference's top defensive back and named to the All-OAC First Team while also being selected D3Football.com North Region Defensive Player of the Year and OhioCollegeFootball.com Defensive Player of the Year.
Also an excellent student in the classroom, he holds a 3.70 grade point average as a Biology major and was named Academic All-OAC, Academic All-District and a Capital One Academic All-American.
The AFCA All-American team is limited to just 25 elite players in the nation selected by member coaches and each school may only have one selection on the team.
No. 2 ranked University of Mount Union and No. 1 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater play in the NCAA Division III Football National Championship game -- The Stagg Bowl -- Friday, Dec. 16 at 7 pm at Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia.
The teams have played in each of the last six Stagg Bowls with Mount Union winning in 2005, 2006 and 2008 and Whitewater taking the title in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
Mount Union (14-0) completed its sixth straight undefeated regular season to win its 23rd overall and 20th straight Ohio Athletic Conference and an automatic bid into the 32-team tournament then won its opening round game 47-7 over Benedictine (Ill.), a 30-10 second round victory over #25 Centre (Ky.), a 20-8 win against #9 Wabash (Ind.) in the quarterfinals before a 28-21 victory over #7 Wesley (Del.) in the semifinals.
The Purple Raiders are making their 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance with a 73-12 record in NCAA Playoff games. Mount Union has advanced to the Stagg Bowl (National Championship game) 15 times and have won a record 10 National Championships.
Wisconsin-Whitewater (14-0) earned an automatic bid by winning the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title. The Warhawks are making their 10th playoff appearance with a 32-6 record in NCAA post-season play. Whitewater defeated Albion (Mich.) 59-0 in the first round, No. 17 Franklin (Ind.) 41-14 in the second round, a 34-14 win over No. 10 Salisbury (Md.) in the quarterfinals and beat No. 3 St Thomas (Minn.) 20-0 in the semifinals.
Aside from the six Stagg Bowls, the teams played a home-and-home regular season series in 2002 and 2003 in which Mount Union won both games to give the Raiders a 5-3 edge in the overall series.
The game will be broadcast LIVE on the television on ESPN2 and ESPN3 and on the radio on WRMU 91.1 FM and WDPN AM1310 (Alliance).
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the 2011 championship game will be $12.50 in advance. All seats are reserved.
The public can purchase Stagg Bowl tickets by using Ticketmaster or by contacting, Salem Civic Center, P.O. Box 886, Salem, Virginia 24153 (540/375-3004 or 888/VASALEM).
The public can purchase tickets for the Gagliardi Award Presentation ($25), Spotlight on Champions luncheon ($25) and Pre-Game Huddle meal ($20) by contacting Salem Civic Center Box Office (540/375-3004 or 888/VASALEM).
Every year, the challenge is there for the University of Mount Union football program. Get back to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl and play for the Division III national championship.
The 2011 version of the Purple Raiders tackled that challenge head on, and as a result will head back to Salem, Va., for Stagg Bowl XXXIX.
Mount Union (14-0), ranked No. 2 by the d3football.com and American Football Coaches polls, defeated No. 7 Wesley (Del.), 28-21, on Saturday, in a national semifinal at Mount Union Stadium.
Junior quarterback Matt Piloto (Rotonda West, Fla./Lemon Bay) threw for 271 yards and four touchdowns, tying a career high, and the Purple Raiders turned two third-quarter takeaways into touchdowns, advancing to their seventh consecutive Stagg Bowl and 15th in school history.
The Stagg Bowl will be played on Friday, December 16, with a 7 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2.
Three of Piloto's scoring passes went to junior wide receiver Jasper Collins (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva), covering 26, 31 and 18 yards. Collins caught nine passes overall for 139 yards.
Senior wide receiver A.J. Claycomb (Medina/Medina) caught the other TD pass from Piloto.
"We were pretty pleased with our performance [on offense]," said Piloto. "We got off to one of our better starts which we emphasized all week."
Wesley (12-2) also moved the ball effectively, finishing with 496 total yards, but the Wolverines were done in by six turnovers. Mount Union junior defensive back Isaiah Scott (Hamilton/Fairfield) had three interceptions, senior defensive back Alex Ferrara (Independence/Walsh Jesuit) had a pick, and Wesley fumbles were recovered by junior defensive back Alex Nicholls (Galion/Galion) and sophomore defensive lineman Matt Fechko (Twinsburg/Twinsburg).
"I think we had to adjust to their speed," said Mount Union junior defensive back Nick Driskill (Wabash, Ind./Southwood), who led the Purple Raiders with 13 tackles, including one for loss. "Their quarterback is a really good player."
Wesley senior QB Shane McSweeny was 19 of 33 for 350 yards and two touchdowns, and he rushed for an additional 62 yards. Running back Askia Jahad added 77 yards on the ground, but his fumble on the first play of the second half gave Mount Union the ball at the Wolverines' 39. Seven plays later Piloto found Claycomb in the corner of the end zone, and a two-point conversion gave Mount Union a 21-14 lead with 12:04 left in the third quarter.
"We definitely left some plays on the field," said Wesley coach Mike Drass. "We wish we could have had some of them back. Defenisively, even after the turnovers, we have to step up, but we couldn't keep them out of the end zone."
The Purple Raiders struck first, taking the opening kickoff and driving 79 yards in seven plays, with Piloto hitting Collins over the middle from 26 yards out. Collins broke a tackle at the 2 before getting into the end zone. The extra point was missed, leaving Mount Union ahead 6-0.
Wesley answered on its first drive, moving 65 yards in 11 plays, with quarterback McSweeny diving in from the 1. Dan Tryon's extra point gave the Wolverines a 7-6 lead with 5:22 remaining in the opening quarter.
The drive was momentarily stopped when McSweeny was intercepted by Scott, but Scott fumbled the ball on the return and Wesley recovered.
Mount Union regained the lead with a six-play, 71-yard drive, with Piloto hitting Collins in the right corner of the end zone from 31 yards out. Tyler Almeida's extra point made it 13-7 for the Purple Raiders with 2:38 left in the quarter.
After an exchange of punts, Wesley struck quickly to regain the lead. McSweeny found Matt Barile behind the secondary and hit him in stride for a 70-yard touchdown, and Tryon's extra point made it 14-13 in favor of Wesley with 8:45 left in the first half.
Each team had scoring chances but were turned away. Wesley twice had the ball inside the Mount Union 15, but McSweeny was intercepted — again — by Scott in the end zone, and Tryon's 32-yard field goal missed wide left.
The Purple Raiders got the ball in the final minute and three Murray runs for 49 yards, and a personal foul penalty on Wesley, allowed Mount Union to attempt a 32-yard field goal, which was blocked by the Wolverines' Tyler Hardy.
McSweeny lost a fumble on Wesley's second possession of the third quarter, and Mount Union responded with a five-play, 42-yard drive, Piloto hitting Collins from 18 yards out. Almeida's extra point made it 28-14 with 7:19 remaining in the third quarter.
Wesley closed the score to 28-21 on an 81-yard pass and run from McSweeny to Matt Barile, and Tryon's extra point, with 13:30 remaining in the game.
But the Purple Raiders stopped Wesley on two fourth down plays on their next possessions, and Scott ended the Wolverines' final drive with his third interception of the game.
"We played a good second half of defense today," said Mount Union coach Larry Kehres. "In the first half we were very average.
"Offensively, we got off to a good start, but we're still trying to put together an entire game."
Mount Union's NCAA Football Playoff semifinal against Wesley (Del.) Saturday at noon at Mount Union Stadium in Alliance will be broadcast LIVE locally on WIVM TV 39 Canton/Massillon, WIVN TV 29 New Philadelphia/Coshocton, WIVX TV 51 Loudonville and MyYTV 33.2 in Youngtown.
The game will also be carried throughout all of Northeast Ohio on Time Warner Cable's NEON network (check your local listings.) WIVM TV-39 is also available on Time Warner Cable in Stark County at channel position 989. WIVN TV-29 can also be seen on Time Warner Cable on channel 4 in Tuscarawas, Holmes and Carroll Counties. It is also on Massillon Cable channel 128 and Clear Picture Cable in Wayne County on channel 128. MyYTV is available on Time Warner Cable in Mahoning, Columbiana, Trumbull counties in Ohio and Mercer county in Pennsylvania on channel 997, on Armstrong Cable channel 13 in Mahoning county and Comcast Cable channel 3 in Columbiana county. The game will kickoff at noon and will be broadcast on LIVE television online on ESPN3 and also available on ESPN GamePlan pay-per-view platform. Check with your internet provider to make sure you have ESPN3 and your cable or satellite provider to order the game on ESPN GamePlan.
www.ESPN3.comESPN Game PlanWIVM TV-39 (Canton)MyYTV 33.2 (Youngstown) Time Warner Northeast Ohio NEON
WACO, Texas -- University of Mount Union football coach Larry Kehres has been named American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year for a record sixth-straight season and record 16th time overall.
A 1971 graduate of Mount Union, Kehres is 316-23-3 (.928) in his 26th season at his Alma mater. Kehres is one of the most successful coaches in all of college football, as under his tenure, the Purple Raiders have claimed 22 Ohio Athletic Conference championships, including the last 20 in a row and 10 of the last 18 NCAA Division III National Championships.
He is one of only 11 coaches in the history of college football to win over 300 games.
His 16 regional coach of the year awards places him five ahead of Penn State's Joe Paterno (11). This is also is a record sixth-straight season he has won the award besting the previous record of five held by Mel Tjeerdsma (Northwest Missouri State) and Bob Devaney (Nebraska).
It is also the record 17th honor for Mount Union (Ken Wable won the award in 1985) which places the school ahead of the 15 by Nebraska (Bob Devaney-7, Tom Osborne-7, Frank Solich-1).
Sherman Wood (Salisbury, Md.), Jim Margraff (Johns Hopkins, Md.), Steve Mohr (Trinity, Texas) and Stan Zweifel (Dubuque, Iowa) were the other regional winners.
The winners are selected by active members of the AFCA who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions. Five winners in each division of football (FBS, FCS, NCAA Division II and III along with the NAIA) will be honored and a National Coach of the Year in each division will be named at the AFCA Convention this coming January.
Most Awards: Mount Union's Larry Kehres (1986-90-92-93-96-97-99-2000-01-02-06-07-08-09-10-11) has the most district/regional honors in AFCA history, extending his record to 16 awards this year. Penn State's Joe Paterno (District 2: 1967-68-71-72-73-77-78-82; Region 1: 1985; Region 3: 1994-2005) is second with 11 District/Regional Coach of the Year honors. Following Kehres and Paterno is Bloomsburg's Danny Hale with 10 awards (College Division I, Region 1 1986-87-88-94-95; Division II, Region 1, 2000-01-05-06-08). Hale won his first three awards while at West Chester. Seven coaches have won the award seven times: Mel Tjeerdsma, Northwest Missouri State, Jim Butterfield, Ithaca; Carmen Cozza, Yale; Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne, Nebraska; Tubby Raymond, Delaware and Bo Schembechler, Miami (Ohio), Michigan. Trinity's (Texas) Steve Mohr takes home his fifth Regional honor in 2011.
Most Winners by School: Mount Union-17 (Ken Wable-1, Larry Kehres-16); Nebraska-15 (Bob Devaney-7, Tom Osborne-7, Frank Solich-1); Penn State-12 (Rip Engle-1, Joe Paterno-11); North Dakota State-11 (Darrell Mudra-1, Ron Erhardt-4, Jim Wacker-1, Don Morton-3, Earle Solomonson-1, Craig Bohl-1); Texas-11 (Darrell Royal-6, Fred Akers-2, David McWilliams-1, Mack Brown-2); USC-10 (John McKay-6, John Robinson-2, Pete Carroll-2); Wittenberg-10 (Bill Edwards-3, Dave Maurer-4, Ron Murphy-1, Joe Fincham-2); Alabama-9 (Bear Bryant-4, Bill Curry-1, Gene Stallings-2, Mike Shula-1, Nick Saban-1); Michigan-9 (Bump Elliott-2, Bo Schembechler-6, Lloyd Carr-1); Arkansas-8 (Frank Broyles-4, Lou Holtz-1, Ken Hatfield-1, Houston Nutt-2); Ithaca-8 (Jim Butterfield-7, Mike Welch-1); Ohio State-8 (Woody Hayes-4, Earle Bruce-1, John Cooper-3); Oklahoma-8 (Chuck Fairbanks-3, Barry Switzer-2, Bob Stoops-3); Texas A&M-Kingsville-8 (Gil Steinke-2, Ron Harms-5, Bo Atterberry-1); Yale-8 (Jordan Olivar-1, Carmen Cozza-7).
Consecutive Years: Mount Union's Larry Kehres is the only coach to win district/regional honors in six consecutive years, winning in Division III from 2006-11. Northwest Missouri State's Mel Tjeerdsma and Nebraska's Bob Devaney are the only coaches to win district/regional honors in five consecutive years. Tjeerdsma earned the honor in Division II from 1996-2000. Devaney earned the honor in the AFCA's old University Division (1962-66). Carroll's Mike Van Diest joins Trinity's (Texas) Steve Mohr, North Dakota State's Ron Erhardt and Kehres as the only men to win the award four years in a row. Van Diest earned the honor in NAIA from 2007-10. Erhardt earned district honors in the AFCA's old College Division (1967-68-69-70) while Mohr earned the honor in Division III (1996-97-98-99). Kehres is the only coach to ever win Regional Coach of the Year honors for four years in a row (1999-2002), and six years in a row (2006-11), on two different occasions.
No. 2 ranked University of Mount Union hosts No. 7 ranked Wesley College in the national semifinals of the 2011 NCAA Division III Football Playoffs Saturday, Dec. 10 at Mount Union Stadium in Alliance.
The game will kickoff at noon and will be broadcast on LIVE television online on ESPN3 and also available on ESPN GamePlan pay-per-view platform. Check with your internet provider to make sure you have ESPN3 and your cable or satellite provider to order the game on ESPN GamePlan.
Mount Union (13-0) completed its sixth straight undefeated regular season to win its 23rd overall and 20th straight Ohio Athletic Conference and an automatic bid into the 32-team tournament then won its opening round game 47-7 over Benedictine (Ill.), a 30-10 second round victory over #25 Centre (Ky.) and 20-8 win against #9 Wabash (Ind.) in the quarterfinals.
The Purple Raiders are making their 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance with a 72-12 record in NCAA Playoff games. Mount Union has advanced to the Stagg Bowl (National Championship game) 14 times and have won a record 10 National Championships.
Wesley (12-1) scored a 35-28 win over Hobart (N.Y.) in the first round, a 49-34 victory against #5 Linfield (Ore.) in the second round before scoring a 27-24 win in the quarterfinals at #3 Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas).
The Wolverines earned the lone Pool B bid to the 2011 tournament, allotted for teams competing either as an independent or in a conference not eligible for an automatic bid. Wesley is making its eighth NCAA Playoff appearance and has an 18-7 record in the playoffs and has made the semifinal round now five times over the last seven years.
MOUNT UNION FOOTBALL ON RADIO AND ONLINE
All Mount Union football games are broadcast on the radio on WDPN 1310 AM and WRMU 91.1 FM and simulcast online along with a LIVE STATS game tracker. You can also here the WRMU 91.1 FM feed on any phone by calling (330) 445-7900.
THE SERIES
This will be the second-ever meeting between the two teams, which previously met in the semifinals of the 2009 NCAA Playoffs which Mount Union scored a 24-7 win in Alliance.
THE COACHES
Larry Kehres (Mount Union '71) is 316-23-3 (.928) in his 26th season as head coach and is one of the most successful coaches in college football history as he is one of only 11 coaches in college football history to win at least 300 games. His teams have won 22 OAC Championships, including the last 20 in a row, along with 10 of the last 18 NCAA Division III National Championships. He is a past president of the American Football Coaches Association and this past summer was the offensive coordinator for Team USA as they won the gold medal in the IFAF World Championships.
Mike Drass (Mansfield, Pa. '82) is 167-46-1 (.780) in his 19th season as head coach and 22nd year at Wesley. He has built the Wolverines into one of the nation's top NCAA Division III programs as the Wolverines are 82-10 with five NCAA semifinal appearance since 2005. An all-conference offensive lineman at Mansfield (PA), he spent four years as a high school coach and two years as an assistant at his alma mater before joining the staff at Wesley in 1989.
UP NEXT ...
The winner heads to the NCAA Division III National Championship game - The Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Salem, Virginia against the winner of the other semifinal between St. Thomas (Minn.) and Wisconsin-Whitewater next Friday at 7pm. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU and online at ESPN3.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
This will be Wesley's second trip to Stark County this year as they played NCAA Division II Walsh in October. On the trip offensive coordinator Chip Knapp's son Ben, had a serious health issue and was just moved out of intensive care this week. This event and the last few weeks have brought Wesley's players together and inspired them.
The offense centers on South Region Offensive Player of the Year -- quarterback Shane McSweeney. The senior has completed 65.3 percent of his passes this season for 2,669 yards and 31 touchdowns while throwing just six interceptions. McSweeny has been just as impressive with his feet, rushing for 712 yards on a team-high 158 carries with a team-high 12 TD's. Junior Askia Jahad also has 795 yards and 9 TD's rushing, while senior tight end Sean McAndrew is the top receiver with 35 catches, 10 for TD's, for 407 yds.
All-South Region First Team senior defensive end Chris Mayes with 20.5 tackles for loss seven sacks and three forced fumbles was lost for the season with an injury in the second round win against Linfield, but the Wolverines have many other talented players on the unit. Senior linebacker Jeff Morgan has a team-best 99 stops with seven sacks while defensive backs in senior Dakevis Howard and sophomore Leon Jones each have four interceptions.
BY THE NUMBERS
166-6Mount Union's win-loss record since 2000
55, 54The Raiders hold the NCAA's two longest consecutive college football win streaks -- 55 from 2000-2003 and 54 from 1996-99.
72-12Mount Union's record in the NCAA Playoffs
63game regular season win streak for Mount Union dating back to a 21-14 loss to Ohio Northern in Alliance on Oct. 22, 2005.
59game home winning streak for Mount Union dating back to a 21-14 loss to Ohio Northern in Alliance on Oct. 22, 2005.
104consecutive regular season road victories for Mount Union dating back to a 21-18 loss at Baldwin-Wallace on Sept. 28, 1991.
117-0Since 1996, the Raiders record when winning the turnover battle.
162-1The Raiders record since 1990 when winning the turnover battle. That lone loss was a 20-17 loss to Wisconsin-LaCrosse in a 1995 national semifinal game. In that game, the Raiders had a +1 turnover margin.
50Mount Union has hosted 50-straight playoff games (not including Stagg Bowl that is played at a neutral site) dating back to a national semifinal vs. Wis.-LaCrosse in 1996 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, which the Raiders won 39-21.
BRACKETOLOGY
For the seventh year the NCAA Division III Football Championship consists of a 32-team field. For perspective, in Mount Union's first appearance in the playoffs in 1985, the field was 16 teams. This year's field breaks down like this: Automatic bids will be given to 25 conference champions, one spot is reserved for teams that are independents or in conferences not granted automatic bids and the final six spots are national at-large bids.
Each team is allowed to dress 52 players for a game. Six additional players can go through warm-ups but must be in street clothes and a jersey during the game.
THE RAIDERS in 2011
Mount Union returned 16 starters and 48 letterwinners in 2011.
300 WIN CLUB
With a 49-0 win over St. Lawrence in the first round of the 2010 NCAA Playoffs, Larry Kehres became the 11th coach in college football history to win at least 300 games. Here is a list of the others.
483 John Gagliardi * (Carroll, MT, St. John's, MN)409 Joe Paterno (Penn State)408 Eddie Robinson (Grambling State)377 Bobby Bowden (Samford, West Virginia, Florida State)323 Paul "Bear" Bryant (Alabama, Maryland, Kentucky, Texas A&M)319 Pop Warner (Georgia, Carlisle, Pitt, Stanford, Temple)316 Larry Kehres * (Mount Union)314 Roy Kidd (Eastern Kentucky)314 Amos Alonzo Stagg (Springfield, Chicago, Pacific)305 Frosty Westering (Parsons, Lea, Pacific Lutheran)300 Tubby Raymond (Delaware)* Active
DRISKILL NAMED NORTH REGION DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Junior safety Nick Driskill (Wabash, Ind./Southwood) was named D3football.com North Region Defensive Player of Year as one of the leaders of the nation's No. 1 rated defense. The OAC's Defensive Back of the Year, has a team-high 92 tackles and last week he had a sack, forced fumble, a fumble recovery and blocked a kick. Driskill, who also has a 3.69 gpa as a Biology major, is an Academic All-OAC, Academic All-District selection and is a nominee for the Capital One Academic All-American team.
THE BACK MAKES A COMEBACK
Junior running back Jeremy Murray (Martins Ferry/Martins Ferry) had 152 rushing yards and two TD's for his ninth 100-yard rushing performance this season and 16th of his career. In 27 career games, Murray has 3,167 yards on 579 attempts with 41 TD's. He is in fifth on the school's all-time rushing list and is 128 yards behind fourth place spot of Russ Kring (3,295 yds. 1983-84, 86-87).
DIEUSEUL KEEPS HIS FOOT ON THE GAS
Junior defensive end Charles Dieuseul (pronounced Diesel) (Winter Haven, Fla./Lake Region), the OAC's Defensive Lineman of the Year, was named to the All-North Region First Team as he is second on the team in tackles 70 along with a team-high 18.5 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks and three forced fumbles.
LINE ITEMS
Junior tackle Antonio Tate (Cleveland/Villa Angela St. Joseph) and senior center/guard Brett Ekkens both earned All-North Region First Team honors. The duo were part of an offensive line that is rated No. 16 in the nation and blocking for the nation's No. 20 rusher Jeremy Murray (Martins Ferry/Martins Ferry).
FERRARA AND COLLINS NAMED ALL-NORTH REGION
Senior defensive back Alex Ferrara (Independence/Walsh Jesuit) and junior wide receiver Jasper Collins (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva) were both named to the All-North Region Third team. Ferrara has started all 13 games with two interceptions, a forced fumble and a blocked kick while Collins leads the team with 49 catches for 637 yards with 10 TD's in just nine games this season.
DID YOU KNOW?
Larry Kehres is in his 26th season as head coach and 37th year working at Mount Union as he spent 10 seasons (1975-84) as an assistant to Ken Wable then in 1985 worked only as director of athletics before adding head football coach in 1986. You might not know, he was also the first swimming coach at Mount Union. If you include his four years as a quarterback with the Raiders (1967-70), the 1971 Mount Union grad has spent 41 years as a student-athlete, assistant coach, head coach, teacher and administrator.
Mount Union claimed its 23rd OAC Football title this season. The Raiders won their first title in 1985, Ken Wable's last year as head coach, their second in 1986 in Larry Kehres' first year as head coach. Mount Union next won the 1990 title then started a run of 20-straight starting in 1992.
Nine of 12 Mount Union opponents have been held to 200 yards or less of total offense. The Raiders are No. 1 in the nation in total defense allowing 180.2 yards per game. They have only allowed 20 first half points all year and just six in the second quarter.
PURPLE RAIDERS IN THE PROs
Wide receiver Pierre Garcon was a sixth round draft pick in 2008 and is in his fourth season as a member of the Indianapolis Colts.
Cecil Shorts III was a fourth round pick this past spring and is in his rookie season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Two Raiders in the NFL coaching ranks are Dom Capers, the defensive coordinator of Green Bay Packers and Nick Sirianni as the offensive quality control coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.
NEW TURF, NEW HOME UNIFORMS
Mount Union replaced its 10-year old AstroPlay surface with a new FieldTurf playing surface this past summer. Fans will notice that the football and soccer lines are permanent with two tones of alternating green and black end zones. The black also carries over to new Nike home purple jerseys that the Raiders will wear this season. Mount Union's newest teams -- men's and women's lacrosse will start varsity play in the spring of 2013 and their lines will be painted onto the field. New turf was put in the South end zone which moved the students and band to the North end leading to Mount Union warming up on North side and entering the stadium from the Northwest corner of stadium.
The kickoff time has not been announced by the NCAA as ESPN is picking up the game to broadcast LIVE on one of its stations next week.
The Wolverines earned the lone Pool B bid to the 2011 tournament, allotted for teams competing either as an independent or in a conference not eligible for an automatic bid. Wesley is making its eighth NCAA Playoff appearance and has an 18-7 record in the playoffs.
This will be the second-ever meeting between the two teams, which previously met in the semifinals of the 2009 NCAA Playoffs in which Mount Union scored a 24-7 win in Alliance.
Tickets for playoff game will be available for $8. All seats in Mount Union Stadium are reserved and no passes will be accepted. Advance tickets can be purchased online by clicking here.
To reserve tickets by phone calling (330) 829-4100 on Monday - Wednesday from 9 am - 2 pm Those tickets will be available for pickup on Friday from 12 pm - 2 pm in the lobby of the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex on campus and at the Will Call window at Mount Union Stadium on Saturday starting at 10:30 am.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
All Mount Union football games will be broadcast on the radio on WDPN 1310 AM and WRMU 91.1 FM and simulcast online along with a LIVE STATS game tracker at http://athletics.mountunion.edu. You can also here the WRMU 91.1 FM feed on any phone by calling (330) 445-7900.
ALLIANCE, Ohio — Junior running back Jeremy Murray (Martins Ferry/Martins Ferry) rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns, and the Mount Union defense held Wabash to 194 total yards, as the No. 2-ranked Purple Raiders defeated the No. 9 Little Giants, 20-8, in a NCAA Division III football national quarterfinal game at Mount Union Stadium on Saturday.
The Purple Raiders (13-0) advanced to the national semifinals of the NCAA tournament for the 17th consecutive season. Mount Union will play host to No. 7-ranked Wesley (Del.) (12-1) at a time to be determined on Dec. 10.
Wabash, champions of the North Coast Athletic Conference, finishes with a 12-1 record.
The Little Giants were averaging 171.8 yards per game rushing, but Mount Union allowed just 31 yards on the ground on Saturday.
"I would say this was our best game of the year, defensively," said Mount Union coach Larry Kehres. "This late in the season you're facing some outstanding teams, and I thought we played exceptional on defense."
The defense was led by junior defensive back Nick Driskill (Wabash, Ind./Southwood), who blocked a punt, recovered a fumble, had a quarterback sack and forced a fumble.
"We're definitely happy to get to [the national semifinals]," said Driskill, "but our ultimate goal is the final game [the Stagg Bowl on Dec. 16]."
Murray's biggest play of the game was a 46-yard run that got the Purple Raiders out from the shadow of their own goal line, and set up his 17-yard touchdown run a few plays later that put Mount Union ahead 7-0.
"The linemen all blocked well, and the hole just opened up," said Murray of his big run.
The Purple Raiders broke a scoreless tie on their third possession of the game, driving 82 yards in nine plays. Murray, whose 46-yard run got Mount Union out to its own 48, rushed five times for 75 yards on the drive, including the final 17 to the end zone, with 1:13 remaining in the opening period. Senior kicker Tyler Almeida (Elyria/Elyria) added the extra point to give the Purple Raiders a 7-0 lead.
Wabash was forced to punt, and Driskill blocked the kick, setting up Mount Union at the Little Giants' 11. The Purple Raiders couldn't get a first down, however, and Almeida booted a 22-yard field goal to make it 10-0 with 10:59 remaining in the first half.
Mount Union extended its lead to 17-0 on a five-play, 47-yard drive late in the second quarter. Murray, again, was the key man on the possession, carrying the ball four times for 30 yards, including a scoring run of 1 yard with 1:11 left in the half. Almeida added the extra point.
The Purple Raiders extended their lead to 20-0 on a 33-yard field goal by Almeida with 13:18 remaining in the third quarter.
Wabash scored its points in the fourth quarter when the Purple Raiders took an intentional safety with 6:59 remaining, and when quarterback Chase Belton ran into the end zone from 4 yards out with 4:31 to go. The two-point conversion failed. Mount Union recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
"We played poorly in the first half," said Wabash head coach Erik Raeburn, a 1991 Mount Union and nephew of Larry Kehres, "and just dug ourselves too deep of a hole."
The Purple Raiders finished with 236 total yards, including 136 on the ground. Junior quarterback Matt Piloto (Rotonda West, Fla./Lemon Bay) was 6-of-8 for 40 yards on the Purple Raiders' first series before leaving the game. Junior Neal Seaman (Louisville/Louisville) was 6-of-10 for 36 yards, and freshman Kevin Burke (Westlake/St. Edward) was 2-of-4 for 24 yards.
Junior wide receiver Jasper Collins (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva) caught eight passes for 61 yards.
Defensively, Mount Union junior defensive back Isaiah Scott (Hamilton/Fairfield) had eight tackles and two pass breakups. Junior defensive back Alex Nicholls (Galion/Galion) had an interception.
Photo Credit: Todd Thoenen
