ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University football team ended a four-game winning streak when it lost 30-7 to No.1-ranked the University of Mount Union in an Ohio Athletic Conference game at Mount Union Stadium.
The Purple Raiders led 13-0 after one quarter, 16-7 at halftime and after three periods. Mount Union outgained BW, 433-230, including a 238-129 advantage on the ground.
With its win, Mount Union is 9-0 overall, 8-0 in the OAC, and ends its regular season next Saturday at No.14-ranked John Carroll University in University Heights at 1:30 p.m. BW is 6-3 overall and 5-3 in the OAC and hosts 8th-ranked Heidelberg University at The George Finnie Stadium in Berea on Seniors' & Parents' Day at 1:30 p.m..
Offensively for BW, junior quarterback Kyle Ohradzansky (Avon/Canton McKinley) completed 6-of-9 passes for 84 yards. He also ran for 50 yards in 17 attempts with a touchdown. In addition, senior two-time All-OAC flanker Josiah Holt (Elyria/Grafton Midview) ran for 49 yards in 15 attempts and caught two passes for 17 yards. The top receiver was junior tight end Darryl Jones (Euclid/Villa Angela St. Joseph) with three catches for 60 yards. The defense was led by senior safety Joe Kasper (Mentor) with a game-high 10 tackles.
Offensively for the Purple Raiders, junior QB Kevin Burke completed 15-of-23 passes for 197 yards with two TD's and one interception. He also ran for 34 yards in seven attempts. The running game was led by freshman RB Bradley Mitchell with a game-high 114 yards in 18 attempts. In addition, sophomore RB Mason Minnich had 68 yards in 11 trips with a TD. The top receiver was senior wide receiver Jack Nicholls who caught seven passes for 109 yards, including a TD. The defense was led by sophomore defensive back Alex Kocheff with nine tackles.
The Purple Raiders opened scoring and gained a 6-0 lead at the 9:57 mark in the first quarter when Burke ran 17 yards to the endzone, but the point-after-touchdown (PAT) kick was no good. Burke's run capped a 12-play and 75-yard drive in 5:03.
The Mt. Union lead grew to 13-0 at 7:43 when Burke threw an 11-yard TD pass to junior wide receiver Luke Meacham to complete a 3-play and 25-yard drive in 45 seconds. The score was setup by a Purple Raider interception on BW's third offensive play from scrimmage.
The Purple Raiders extended their lead to 16-0 with a 23-yard field goal by junior kicker Edward Ruhnke to complete a 16-play and 73-yard drive in 7:09.
The Yellow Jackets closed the deficit to 16-7 with 7.3 seconds left before halftime when Ohradzansky scampered two yards to the endzone on a fourth-and-goal situation. The run capped a 16-play and 78-yard drive in 7:54.
Mt. Union built its lead to 23-7 at 14:04 of the final quarter when Burke threw a 57-yard strike to Nicholls, who caught the ball in full stride and outraced two Yellow Jackets to the endzone. The scoring play capped a 3-play and 59-yard drive in 57 seconds. It followed a defensive stop by the Purple Raiders that included QB sacks on third and fourth downs.
Mt. Union scored its final touchdown on a 9-yard run by sophomore RB Mason Minnich and Ruhnke booted the PAT for a 30-7 lead with 5:42. The score capped a 9-play and 70-yard drive in 3:21.
BW has already clinched its 44th winning season in the past 48 years.
FOR MORE SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille]jefmille@bw.edu]jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest B-W athletics information at www.BWyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics
Photo Courtesy of Ken Gillissie
