ALLIANCE, Ohio-- Big steps, like those made on the way to a championship and/or playoff appearance, usually don't come in the first conference game of the season. They usually come midway through the year or down the stretch, after scenarios unfold and pictures come into focus.

That wasn't the case for the fourth-ranked University of Mount Union football team on Saturday. The Purple Raiders personified getting off on the right foot.

Their 37-31 victory over visiting John Carroll in front of 4,565 fans wasn't simply a big step on the way to a possible 35^th Ohio Athletic Conference championship, a possible 36^th appearance in the Division III playoffs and a possible 14^th national championship.

Don't let anyone fool you. It was bigger than big. It was huge. Enormous. Monumental, even.

This was not the same John Carroll team that Mount ran roughshod over last November. Or the same JCU that the Purple Raiders had beaten in the previous seven meetings. This was a JCU team bolstered by several significant transfers, some emerging underclassmen and several new coaches in former Raider Dean Paul and Walsh University grad Alex Gray.

This is a JCU team that probably will not lose again in 2024 after suffering losses to two nationally-ranked teams in Mount Union and third-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater two weeks ago. The Blue Streaks are probably much better than their ranking as the 25^th best team in Division III.

Paul, a 1990 UMU grad, is an assistant head coach working with linebackers and was the head coach at Ohio Northern for 20 years, compiling a 121-77 record. Gray is the new defensive coordinator.
Now that JCU is in the Raiders' rear-view mirror is as big as it gets, part relief and part validation. A loss might not have been calamitous, but it certainly would have been a tough one from which to rebound.

It was a victory – the program's 65^th straight in regular-season play -- that said as much about the Raiders' character as their talent. It was not an easy win, but it can prove to be beneficial.
"Today I thought we fought through adversity in an amazing way," said junior quarterback Noah Beaudrie, who accounted for more than 300 yards and two touchdowns. "These are the games you come to Mount Union for. We needed to face adversity. Being a new team with new players we needed to see what we were made of. And that's what we did. We fought for four quarters. We played a full game."

While this was the last OAC meeting between the two – JCU is bolting the conference after this season – it doesn't necessarily mean the two will never play again. A playoff meeting is certainly possible. As it is, though, the Raiders won 39 of the 44 games with three losses and two ties since JCU rejoined the OAC in 1989.

"To face an opponent like John Carroll early in the season and come away with a win, obviously we're very excited about that," said head coach Geoff Dartt, who is now 32-0 versus OAC teams. "I guess this ended the right way then. I don't know how many games I've been involved in against them as a player and coach, but I have tremendous respect for what they do. They have been an awesome opponent."

Dartt also has tremendous respect for senior running back Tyler Echeverry, who had a career day with 176 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries. His 21-yard scoring run with 4:56 remaining gave the Raiders a 37-28 lead and the dagger the Raiders needed.

"First, he was voted a captain and that tells you what his teammates think of him, and I thought he absolutely deserved that award," said Dartt. "He has just worked his entire career here. I was happy to see he had some explosive runs, especially when we needed them. He is just a guy we can trust, plain and simple."
Echeverry, from Naples, Fla., praised his offensive line.

"It's evident the offensive line did an amazing job," said Echeverry, who had dynamic scoring runs of 65 yards and 51 yards prior to his game-clincher. "I just see the creases and I make them right. They're up there doing the dirty work, and I make them right. So, a lot of thanks to them."

Beaudrie, from Monroe, Mich., completed 15 of 19 passes for 214 yards and helped open the scoring with a 12-yard pass to junior Jerry Cooper, who caught five passes for 54 yards. Beaudrie, who returned to Alliance after sitting out 2023, also gained 93 yards on the ground, which included a stunning 53-yard scoring run that gave Mount a 31-28 lead on the fifth play of the final quarter.
Junior Nick Turner and senior Tyrell Sanders combined to catch six passes for 143 yards.

Turner came up with the biggest reception of the game with a little more than six minutes to go and Mount holding a 3-point lead.

The Raiders gained possession at their 16-yard line after the defense forced a three-and-out. On the first play Turner got behind the JCU defense and Beaudrie found him for a 60-yard gain. Echeverry scored two plays later to make it 37-28.

Mount's defense gave up 402 yards but held the Streaks to 10 points over the final two quarters. JCU quarterback Nick Semptimphelter, a graduate student from Bucknell, was outstanding. He completed 31 of 41 passes for 325 yards and four touchdowns.

Evan McVay, a senior from Aurora, caught nine passes for 36 yards and one touchdown. Senior Tyler Mintz, from Kenston, caught seven for 123 yards and sophomore Dorian Facen caught six.
Despite giving up 402 yards the Raiders' defense made the plays it had to. Senior cornerback Manny Curtis, from Twinsburg, led with nine tackles and junior safety Brandon Yanssens (Columbiana) was in on seven. Tackle Von Factor and linebacker Marcus Jackson were in on six tackles and each had a sack.

Was it a perfect game? Far from it. Dartt acknowledged there is room for improvement on both sides of the ball heading into this week's game at Baldwin Wallace. Still, the bottom line is that it was a big game and a big win. No, it was bigger than big.