After Mount Union was forced to punt twice and stopped on downs
to start the game, Rocco completed a 52-yard touchdown pass to
tight end Kyle Miller (Elida/Elida) with 16 seconds left in the
first quarter to get the offense going.
Rocco would throw four more touchdown passes on the day as he
finished 16-of-23 for 372 yards and led an offense that outgained
Marietta 597-114.
Wide receiver Cecil Shorts III (Cleveland/Collinwood), who was
held out of the end zone last week for the first time all season,
came back in a big way today as he had a game-high seven catches
for 167 yards and touchdown grabs of 34 and 59 yards.
Shorts was also the team's leading rusher on the day with
54 yards, 43 of those coming on a nifty end around for a
touchdown. Terrance Morring (Sandford, FL/Winter Springs) ran
one in from four yards out as Mount Union had 225 yards on the
ground.
Shorts and Miller were not the only Raiders with big plays on
the day as fellow receiver A.J. Claycomb (Medina/Medina) caught a
pair of touchdown passes from 17 and 58 yards, while Jasper Collins
(Geneva, NY/Geneva) had the longest punt return in school history
as he ran one back 89 yards for a score.
The defense held the OAC's top running back,
Marietta's Lamar Hunter, to 71 yards on 28 carries as the
Pioneers had just 54 net yards on rushing and 60 through the
air.
Judd Lutz (Tiffin/Tiffin Columbian), Joe Millings
(Copley/Copley) and Charles Dieuseul (Winter Springs, FL/Lake
Region) each had six tackles to lead the Raiders. Lutz had an
interception while Millings and Dieuseul each had 1.5 sacks.
Mount Union (10-0, 9-0 OAC) wins its 43 consecutive regular
season game and closes out its fourth straight undefeated regular
season. The Purple Raiders hold the nation's longest
winning streak at 25 straight games and wait for Sunday's
announcement (3 pm ESPNEWS) to find out who they play next week as
they begin defense of their 10th NCAA Division III
National title in the NCAA Playoffs.
Marietta finishes its season with a mark of 3-7 overall and 2-7
in the OAC.
