2010 University of Mount Union Football
#2 Mount Union Purple Raiders (2-0, 1-0 OAC)
vs Wilmington Quakers (0-2, 0-1 OAC)
Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010 - 1:30 pm - Williams Stadium

RADIO:
WDPN 1310 AM (Alliance): LISTEN LIVE
WRMU 91.1 FM (Alliance): LISTEN LIVE

Complete Game Notes in PDF Format: CLICK HERE

Wilmington: Roster | Schedule | Statistics 

THE GAME
No. 2 ranked Mount Union finishes a 1,600-mile, three-game season-opening road trip Saturday at 1:30 pm at Wilmington in Ohio Athletic Conference matchup.

Mount Union won its 96th straight regular season road game last Saturday with a 51-7 rout at John Carroll.  The Purple Raider defense forced six turnovers and allowed the Blue Streaks just 173 yards of offense, meanwhile on offense Neal Seaman (Louisville/Louisville) went 20 of 25 for 260 yards and threw three touchdown passes, two to Cecil Shorts III (Cleveland/Collinwood).

Wilmington lost its home and OAC opener 10-7 to Capital last Saturday.  The game was tied until midway through the fourth quarter when Capital blocked a punt, then kicked an 18-yard field goal and hung on for the win.  Brandon Arehart threw for 148 yards and a score, Marc Otte rushed for 49 yards and Bryce Martin had 18 tackles to lead Wilmington.

COACH TO CURE MD GAME
Mount Union, Wilmington, Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) will be part of Coach to Cure MD, a one-day, nationwide event designed to raise awareness about Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy this Saturday .  We need your help to stop this devastating disorder that robs young men of their mobility, their independence, and sadly their life. AFCA President and Mount Union head football Larry Kehres and his entire coaching staff and the Wilmington staff will wear Coach to Cure armbands and encourage fans to donate for this cause.  

MOUNT UNION FOOTBALL ON THE RADIO, TV AND ONLINE
All Mount Union football games will be broadcast on the radio on WDPN 1310 AM and WRMU 91.1 FM and simulcast online at http://athletics.mountunion.edu. Ric Brienza and Mark Grossman broadcast the games on the radio on WDPN 1310 AM in Alliance.  You can listen to Mount Union's student radio feed on WRMU 91.1 FM on any phone by calling (330) 445-7900.  The four home games will be shown on television via tape delay on SportsTime Ohio and WIVM TV52 (Stark County).  Image Video produces the broadcasts with Joe Tait, who enters his 39th and final season as the radio voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers, does the play-by-play and Harry Paidas handles the color commentary. 

THE SERIES
This is the 13th meeting between the teams with Mount Union holding an 12-0 lead in the series.  The series started with a 43-0 Mount Union victory on Nov. 9, 1968 in Wilmington and the return game in 1969 was a 70-0 Raider win in Alliance.  After that the teams did not play until Wilmington became a member of the OAC in 2000. 

THE COACHES
Larry Kehres (Mount Union '71) is 291-22-3 (.921) in his 25th season as head coach as one of the most successful coaches in college football history.  His teams have won 20 OAC Championships, including the last 18 in a row, along with 10 of the last 17 NCAA Division III National Championships. This year he is president of the American Football Coaches Association.

Ken Minor (Wilmington '73) was named Wilmington head coach just over two months ago (July 19).  He has 38 years of coaching experience with 29 of those seasons as the head coach of Reading High School outside of Cincinnati where he amassed a 170-129-1 record.

UP NEXT ...
The Purple Raiders finally play a home game next week when they welcome nationally ranked Ohio Northern for a key OAC matchup.  Kickoff time is slated for 1:30 pm at Mount Union Stadium.

SCOUTING THE QUAKERS
Ken Minor whirlwind two months as Wilmington coach included a schedule that featured defending Heartland Conference champion Mt. St. Joseph in the opener and a Capital team picked to place fourth in the OAC.

The Quakers, with 15 starters back, had the Crusaders on the ropes and Capital blocked a punt late and converted it into an 18-yard field goal to beat Wilmington, 10-7.

Wilmington got a strong defensive effort against Capital led by 18 tackles from All-American senior linebacker Bryce Martin.  Martin led the OAC in stops a year ago and has had double digit tackles in each of his last 10 games.  Fellow seniors Donta' Stone and Kenny Marsh lead a veteran defensive unit.

For the third week in a row, the Raiders will face an underclassman at quarterback as freshman and Wilmington, Ohio, native Brandon Arehart leads a young offense that also features sophomore running back Tyrell Richardson and freshman wide receiver Logan McCormick.  Senior running back Marc Otte provides a veteran presence and averages 5.1 yards per carry.

THE RAIDERS in 2010
Mount Union returns nine starters and 31 letterwinners in 2010.

BY THE NUMBERS
141-5  
Mount Union's win-loss record since 2000

55, 54 
The Raiders hold the NCAA's two longest consecutive college football win streaks -- 55 from 2000-2003 and 54 from 1996-99

45       
game regular season win streak for Mount Union dating back to a 21-14 loss to Ohio Northern in Alliance on Oct. 22, 2005.

96       
consecutive regular season road victories for Mount Union dating back  to a 21-18 loss at Baldwin-Wallace on Sept. 28, 1991.

101-0  
Since 1996, the Raiders record when winning the turnover battle.

146-1  
The 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 Alliance. In that game, the Raiders had a +1 turnover margin.

+6       
Mount Union's turnover margin after the first two games in 2010.

1675.8
miles combined round trip for Mount Union in its first three road games to start the 2010 season.

HOME SWEET HOME FOR SHORTS
Senior wide receiver Cecil Shorts III (Cleveland/Collinwood) grew up just minutes from John Carroll and had a good homecoming as he had five catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns.  His two touchdown catches give him 49 for his career which passes current Indianapolis Colt Pierre Garcon for most in school history.  His second TD catch Saturday was from 38 yards which was his 28th career TD catch for more than 20 yards.  He also has 199 career receptions which is only three catches from matching Garcon's record 202 receptions as a Purple Raider from 2005-07.

(NOTE: Prior to 2002, playoff games did not count in NCAA statistics, if those stats counted Adam Marino (1997-2000) would have 272 rec. for 4,704 yds with 52 TD's).

MAKE IT EIGHT FOR SEAMAN
Sophomore quarterback Neal Seaman (Louisville/Louisville) tossed three touchdown passes on 20 of 25 passing for 260 yards against John Carroll.  In two games this season, he has thrown eight touchdown passes, completed 74.2-percent of his passes (46 of 62) for 588 yards.  He came off the bench in 14 games last season but made his first two collegiate starts against Oshkosh and John Carroll. 

GREAT SCOTT
Senior running back Scott Panchik (Natrona Hts., Pa./Highlands) had a game-high 14 carries for 62 yards with a touchdown against John Carroll.  It was the first action for Panchik since suffering a season-ending injury against Montclair State (N.J.) in the second round of last year's NCAA Playoffs.  Panchik rushed for 727 yards and 13 TD's last season and for his career has 1,532 yards on 282 carries in 38 games.

GREAT SCOTT ... TWO
Sophomore defensive back Isaiah Scott (Hamilton/Fairfield) had a pair of interceptions against John Carroll.  Scott, who played at Fairfield High School outside of Cincinnati, played last year at NCAA Division II Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., where he had 45 tackles and three interceptions.  

THIS "BUD" IS FOR YOU
Senior defensive end Lambert Budzinski (Canton/Massillon Jackson) had a team-high six tackles, 2.5 sacks and forced a fumble against John Carroll last week.  Budzinski has played in 42 career games, has 142 tackles, 28.5 for loss and 11.5 sacks.

DID YOU KNOW?
Larry Kehres is in his 25th season as head coach but 36th season working at Mount Union as he spent 10 seasons (1975-84) as an assistant coach to Ken Wable then in 1985 worked only as director of athletics before becoming head football coach and director of athletics in 1986.  You might not know, he was also the first swimming coach at Mount Union.

PURPLE RAIDERS IN THE PROs
Former Mount Union wide receiver Pierre Garcon is in his third season with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts and had one catch for 11 yards against the NY Giants last week.  He had a breakout season in 2009 as he started 16 games including Super Bowl XLIV where he caught one of his six touchdowns on the season.  Against the NY Jets in the AFC Championship game, he had 11 catches for 151 yards and his post-game celebration that included waiving a Haiti flag (birthplace of his parents) made national news headlines as he was brining awareness to the nation that was ravaged by an earthquake just days before the game.  This past offseason he returned to Mount Union and completed his bachelor's degree in communications.  He had 3,363 yards and 47 touchdowns receiving in three seasons at Mount Union.  He played his freshman season at Norwich (Vt.) and in 2008 the Colts drafted him in the sixth round (208 overall).

Also last week, former Purple Raider Nick Sirianni '03 returned to Ohio last week as he is in his second season as an assistant coach (offensive quality control) with the Kansas Chiefs, that scored a 16-14 against the Cleveland Browns.

Mount Union alum Dom Capers '72 is the defense coordinator for a Green Bay Packers unit that is ranked No. 4 in the NFL in total defense for the 2-0 Packers.