NCAA Playoffs - Quarterfinals
#4 Mount Union vs. #13 Muhlenberg
Saturday, December 4 at 12 p.m.
Mount Union Stadium - Alliance, Ohio

Video: 
http://oac.boxcast.com

Radio: 
WRMU 91.1 FM (Ben Johnson-Bowers, Riley Sullivan and Jacob Buttar)
WDPN 1310 AM (Sam Bourquin and Ryan Keller)

Mount Union Notes (PDF)
Muhlenberg Game Notes (PDF)

The Matchup: No. 4 ranked Mount Union hosts No. 13 ranked Muhlenberg (Pa.) in the quarterfinals (round of eight) of the 2021 NCAA Division III Football Playoffs Saturday, Dec. 4 at 12 pm at Mount Union Stadium.

The Purple Raiders are 12-0 overall, won their 32nd Ohio Athletic Conference title to claim one of 27 automatic bids to the tournament and are in the quarterfinals for the 28th time in school history.

Mount Union has a 106-18 record in NCAA Playoff games and the Raiders have advanced to the Stagg Bowl 21 times since 1993 with a record 13 National Championships.

The Raiders, who played in the tournament a record 32 times, defeated Washington & Lee (Va.) 52-0 in the first round and No. 16 ranked Johns Hopkins, 45-35, in the second round.

Muhlenberg, located in Allentown, Pa., is 11-1 overall, and won the automatic bid as champions of the Centennial Conference and is making its 10th NCAA Playoff appearance.

The Mules have a 9-9 record in the NCAA Playoffs and made it to the national semifinals in their last playoff appearance in 2019, falling to eventual champ North Central, 45-14. 

Muhlenberg has pitched a pair of shutouts so far this year, beating Framingham State (N.Y.) 45-0 in the first round then winning 14-0 at No. 7 Delaware Valley (Pa.) in the second round.

The Series: This will be the second-ever meeting between the schools and a rematch of a 2018 national quarterfinal at Mount Union. The Raiders won that game 38-10.

Up Next: The winner of this game will take on the winner of a matchup between No. 1 North Central and No. 20 R.P.I. (N.Y.) in national semifinals Saturday, December 11 at a time and location to be announced.

Bracketology: Since 2005, the NCAA Division III Football Championship has consisted 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 were given to 27 conference champions and the other five spots are national at-large bids.
 
Each team is allowed to only dress a total of 58 players for a playoff game.

Aye Captain: Mount Union has three team captains this season in senior linebacker Kordell Ford (Massillon / Massillon Washington), senior wide receiver Derrick Harvey, Jr. (Akron/ Buchtel) and junior quarterback Braxton Plunk.

On the Air: 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. You can also hear the WRMU 91.1 FM feed on any phone by calling 605-781-3283.

This week's game will be broadcast live online at oac.boxcast.com and on Smart TV apps Amazon Fire, Apple and Roku. 

Scouting the Mules: Muhlenberg was upset by Ursinus early in September but has since won nine straight including a 21-6 win over Johns Hopkins for the Centennial Conference automatic bid. 

The Mules feature a national player of the year nominee at quarterback leading a high-powered offense to go along with a stout defense ... sound familiar.

Senior Quarterback Michael Hnatkowsky is Centennial offensive player of the year for a second straight season, He ranks in the top five in Division III in passing yards (3,582), passing TDs (44), completion percentage (.714) and points responsible for (276). He has a 41-6 record as a starter. Michael Feaster has been his top target with 92 catches for 1,136 yards with 12 TD's. Rory DeLuca has a team-best 137 carries on the ground for 465 yards and three TD's.

Senior linebacker Spencer Kirin has 90 tackles to lead a defense that is the nation's No. 20 ranked unit and first-ever to post two shutouts to open the playoffs. Fellow senior linebacker Pat Palmer has 12.0 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks while senior Nick Sirico has four interceptions.

The Mules are also No. 1 in the nation in kick returns averaging 33 yards a return as a team and John Washington averages 37 yards on 13 returns. They have three return touchdowns -- 2 punt and 1 kickoff.  

Wayne's World: Mount Union senior wide receiver Wayne Ruby (Miami, Fla. / Flanagan) had nine catches for a season-best 176 yards and three touchdowns against Johns Hopkins. Ruby now has 91 catches this season which is sixth in the school record books and one behind his position coach Junior Collins, who had 92 in 2012. Adam Marino holds the school record with 110 catches in 2000.

Mr. 5000: Mount Union senior running back Josh Petruccelli (Perry) had 19 carries for 102 yards and two touchdowns against Johns Hopkins. The 102 yards pushed him over 5,000 for his career joining Nate Kmic and Chuck Moore as the only 5,000-plus yard rushers in Raider history.

Six-Pack: Mount Union senior defensive back Malik Britt (Bossier City, La. / Airline) had two interceptions against Hopkins last week that now gives him six on the season. Those six picks are currently 10th best in the nation and most for a Raider since Louis Berry had seven in 2017.

Passing Fancy: The game this week features two QB's among the top five in passing yards in the nation and two semifinalists for the Gagliardi Trophy to the nation's top all-around player. Braxton Plunk (Plant City, Fla.) is third with 3,819 yards and 40 TD's while Michael Hnatkowsky is fifth with 3,582 yards and 44 TD's.