Raiders Use Big First Half to Defeat Comets

Bexley, Ohio- Through their first five games of the season, the Mount Union Purple Raiders have started every game the same way: fast. On Saturday in Bexley, Ohio, against the winless Capital Comets, the Raiders kept up this trend and never looked back. Standing in second, the Purple Raiders defeated the Comets 49-14 on Saturday afternoon and kept a perfect streak for their season. 

Early in the first quarter, the Raiders were set with an excellent field position. After a strong opening kickoff return from linebacker Mason McMillen, Mount Union’s first drive was set up just outside the red zone. The Raiders then scored on their opening drive via a 10-yard pass from quarterback Braxton Plunk to receiver Edwin Reed. On their next drive, running back DeAndre Parker found the end zone from nine yards out for another Raider score. Closing out the first quarter and scoring for the Raiders was none other than receiver Wayne Ruby Jr. He turned a short slant route into a 58-yard touchdown reception, which extended the Raider lead to 21-0. Early in the second quarter, Parker had his second rushing touchdown of the half from 4-yards out and extended the Raider lead to 28-0. Closing out the first half and scoring once again was Wayne Ruby on a 4-yard receiving touchdown from Plunk. 

After leading 35-0 at the half, the Raiders were in for a more competitive second half. To open the second half, DeAndre Parker accounted for over 75-yards of offense on one drive alone. He capped off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run for his third touchdown of the game. Capital responded with a 3-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Trevor Harrison-Rawn to receiver Eddie Thomas. The Raiders opened the fourth quarter with a score of their own on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Braxton Plunk to Wayne Ruby. The duo’s third touchdown connection of the game. Capital scored late in the fourth quarter on a 12-yard pass from backup quarterback Brayton Schmidt to Justin McClelland, which left the final score 49-14 in favor of the Raiders. The 14 points the Comets managed to score are the most points they have gained during the current five week season (13). 

Braxton Plunk had another strong game for the Raiders. He finished 21 for 31 for 269 yards and 4 touchdowns. His leading receiver was once again Wayne Ruby, who finished with 7 receptions for 166 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ruby is now averaging over 150 receiving yards per game and has 16 touchdown receptions for the season. Edwin Reed had a season-high 5 receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown for Mount Union. Senior running back DeAndre Parker added 114 yards rushing and 5 receptions for 32 yards for the Raiders. All in all, the Raiders finished with 405 yards of total offense, with 287 yards passing and 118 yards rushing. The Raiders also were 3-5 on fourth down conversions, their most fourth down attempts this season. 

Once again, the Raider defense was strong this game, and they produced a season-high nine sacks. Sophomore linebacker Rossy Moore  was again named the Trap’s Sports Player of the Game after leading the defense with 9 tackles and 3 sacks. Duke Hill, Jazz Jackson, Landon Jenkins, and Elijah Franklin each came up with 1 sack for the Raiders, while Matt Lilja, Marcus Jackson, Von Factor, and Luke Lukowski finished with a 0.5 sack each. The Raider defense allowed 169 yards of total offense, with just 44 yards rushing allowed and 125 yards passing. Mount Union also forced two turnovers via an interception by linebacker Jordan Stancovich and a fumble forced by Duke Hill that was recovered by Landon Jenkins.  

With the loss, the Comets remain victoryless for the season, falling to 0-6 for the season and 0-5 in conference. They will travel to University Heights next week to take on the 25th ranked John Carroll Blue Streaks. Meanwhile, with the win, the Purple Raiders, ranked second, rose to 6-0 on the season with a 5-0 record in OAC. They will return home to Kehres Stadium next week to take on the Wilmington Quakers in an OAC battle.