ALLIANCE – Mount Union's football team improved to 2-0 and won the home opener, 31-7, over Baldwin Wallace in an Ohio Athletic Conference game Saturday at Mount Union Stadium.

After allowing a touchdown to BW late in the first quarter, the Purple Raider defense held the Yellow Jackets (2-1) to 171 yards on 46 plays the rest of the way.
Mason McMillen (Wadsworth) had seven tackles and Eli Beers (Canal Fulton / Northwest) had three tackles for loss and a sack to lead a unit that had 7.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and a forced fumble.

Quarterback Braxton Plunk (Plant City, Fla.) had his sixth straight start with over 300 yards passing as he completed 29-of-43 passes for 321 yards with a touchdown pass. He hit seven different receivers including Wayne Ruby, Jr. (Miami / Flanagan), who had 128 yards on 10 catches.

Running back Josh Petruccelli (Perry) caught Plunk's TD pass and ran for a score as he had 73 yards on 13 carries while Deandre Parker (Crystal River, Fla.) had a team-high 75 yards on 11 carries with two scores.

Jon Murray, Jr. had a game-high 99 yards on 17 carries for Baldwin Wallace.

Mount Union scored on its first possession as Petruccelli ran in from a yard out to cap a 12-play, 66-yard drive. It was 50th career rushing touchdown for Petruccelli, who is one of only five players at Mount Union to achieve such a feat.

BW answered with an 11-play, 80-yard drive including a fourth down conversion inside the 10-yard line to tie the game on a Kegan Armitage five-yard pass to Andrew Cregan to tie the game at 7-7 with just over a minute to go in the first quarter.

The Raiders retook the lead on its first drive of the second quarter on a fourth down conversion of its own as Parker ran in from a yard out and the extra point made it 14-7.

Both teams had two more possessions before halftime but neither scored and it was 14-7 Mount Union at the break.

The only score in the third quarter was Nick Deack (Alliance) 35-yard field goal to give the Raiders a 17-7 lead.

Mount Union found the end zone early in the fourth quarter as Parker ran in his second touchdown of the day to extend the lead to 24-7.

The Raider defense held firm as BW drove into the Mount Union red zone but turned the ball over on downs with just over six minutes to play.

Mount Union put the game away with a 95-yard, 11-play, drive capped by a Plunk 31-yard TD pass to Petruccelli.

The Raiders hit the road next week playing at John Carroll, Sat., Sept. 25 at 1:30 p.m. at Don Shula Stadium in University Heights.