Mount Union College (14-1 in 2005), fresh off a record eighth Division III National Championship season (’93, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’00, ’01, ’02, ’05), is expected to return seven offensive and five defensive starters, and 44 letterwinners overall in the fall of 2006.
In 2005, Mount Union became the only college football program ever to produce a 3,000 yard passer, two 1,000 yard receivers and two 1,000 yard running backs. Four of those five players are expected back in 2006.
Senior/quarterback Mike Jorris (253-of-378/.669/3,736 yds/35 TDs/11 INT) will lead a Raider offense which ranked second in the nation in yards (520.0 ypg) and sixth in scoring (41.3 ppg) in 2005.
Junior/wide receiver Pierre Garcon (68 rec/1,196 yds/17.6 ypc/16 TDs), a big play threat in 2005 who earned Second-Team All-OAC honors despite missing nearly four full regular season games due to an injury, will likely be Mount Union's top receiving threat in 2006. Last fall, Garcon had nine receptions of 40 yards or more while leading MountUnion in touchdown grabs.
Other returning experienced wide outs include junior Brandon Boehm (36 rec/478 yds/13.3 ypc/2 TDs) and seniors Anthony Antonucci (20 rec/267 yds/13.4 ypc/2 TDs), Max Smith (19 rec/220 yds/11.6 ypc/3 TDs), and J.J. Ditz (14 rec/123 yds/8.8 ypc).
The Purple Raider running game features a pair of 1,000 yard backs - sophomore/tailback Nate Kmic (202 att/1,219 yds/6.0 ypc/18 TDs in 2005) and senior/tailback Aaron Robinson (178 att/1,070 yds/5.9 ypc/10 TDs in 2005), a First-Team All-OAC selection in 2005. Robinson was the team’s lead back in the regular season while Kmic did the bulk of his damage in Mount Union’s playoff run.
The Purple Raider offensive line will be anchored by All-American senior/right tackle Jason Lewis (6-5/317). Lewis, who earned First-Team All-OAC honors in 2005, was also named the OAC's Mike Gregory Award winner as the conference's top offensive lineman. Other returning starters include junior/center Eric Safran (6-3/273) and junior/guard Derek Blanchard (6-1/310).
“Unlike last year where we had to fill a number of skilled positions on offense with young players, we have several players back at those spots who have experience and performed well in big games in 2005,” noted Mount Union Head Coach Larry Kehres (231-20-3/.915), who enters his 21st year at the helm of the Raider program. “We expect them to be even more consistent this coming season. There’s always room for improvement.”
Defensively, Mount Union's line will feature senior/ends Justen Stickley (55 hits/17 tfl/6 sacks), who was a Second-Team All-OAC selection in 2005, and Sam Vucelich (32 hits/4 tfl/2 sacks), who saw significant playing time on the Raider line this past fall. Junior Patrick McCullough (38 hits/8.5 tfl/2.0 sacks), who saw extensive playing time as the team's #3 tackle last season, should also be a key member of Mount Union's defensive unit in 2006.
Mount Union’s secondary will be led by junior/safety Matt Kostelnik (75 hits/3 INT), the team's leading returning tackler, and senior/corner Ryan Fehl (28 hits/2 INT), both Honorable-Mention All-OAC selections in 2005. Junior/safety Nick Barren (34 hits) and junior/corner Cameron Rose (23 hits/4 INT), who assumed starting roles during the 2005 playoffs, also return for the Purple & White.
The linebacking corps will be paced by returning junior starter Matt Rees (63 hits/6.5 tfl) and junior Tony DeRiggi (21 hits), who was the Raiders’ #3 linebacker in 2005.
In 2005, the Raider defense ranked second nationally in scoring defense (10.3 ppg), third in total defense (223.7 ypg), 10th in defensive passing efficiency (88.3 PE) and 13th in rush defense (83.7 yp).
“Our defense carried us much of last season, but unfortunately we lost several outstanding players to graduation from that group,” said Kehres. “We’ll need our returning players on that side of the ball to pick up the slack until the newcomers gain enough experience to perform at a high level on a week-in week-out basis.”
Mount Union special team leaders - junior/kicker Mike Zimmerman (79-of-83 PATs/12-of-19 FGs) and sophomore punter/quarterback Greg Micheli (16 punts/31.2 ypp), are also expected back.
“We focus on bringing in quality, young men to our program, who possess a strong work ethic throughout the year, and understand that team goals come first,” said Kehres. “The success we have had is a credit to all those young men who have sacrificed to be part of the program.”
The Raiders have won 14 consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference Titles (1992-05) and 17 overall. Over the past 10 seasons (1996-2005), Mount Union has lost a total of four games (135-4/.971) and has won seven National Championships.
Mount Union’s all-time playoff record stands at a Division III best 47-9 (.839). Since 1990, the Raiders have the most wins and best winning percentage in all of college football (201-10-1/.950). The Purple Raiders enter the 2006 campaign having won 56 consecutive road games.