Mount Union (2-0, 1-0 OAC) opened Ohio Athletic Conference regular season play with a 58-14 win over Otterbein (0-2, 0-1 OAC) in front of 4,372 fans at Mount Union Stadium, Saturday evening, September 15. The Raiders scored touchdowns in six of their first seven possessions en route to their 25th consecutive win.
Raider quarterback Greg Micheli posted career single-game highs in completions, yards passing and tied his previous personal best in touchdown passes he set in the 2006 Stagg Bowl going 22-of-26 for 365 yards and three touchdowns strikes.
“The offensive line did a tremendous job again this week,” said Micheli afterwards. “With that kind of protection and the skilled players we have, you can’t help but be comfortable.”
“Greg (Micheli) is a very intelligent young man and you can see that in the way he carries himself on the field,” added Head Coach Larry Kehres. “He played extremely well tonight and again showed very good leadership skills.”
Running back Nate Kmic had 13 carries for 126 yards and three scores. He moved into second place on the Raider all-time rushing list surpassing Chuck Moore (1998-2001) and 151 yards behind Dan Pugh (1999-2002), who recorded 4,012 yard during his career. Kmic now has totaled 3,861 yards rushing in his two plus years at Mount Union. Running back Justin Wray had six receptions for 64 yards and a pair of touchdown grabs in the contest.
The Raiders amassed 727 yards of offense compared to 149 yards for the Cardinals. Mount Union was +2 in turnovers in the contest.
Defensively for the Raiders, tackle Pat McCullough had a team-best six hits and 1.5 sacks. Cornerback Andrew Kirkman chipped in with his first career interception and linebacker Chas Yoder had a fumble recovery. The Raider defense held the Cardinals to -3 yards rushing on 27 attempts.
Otterbein was paced offensively by quarterback Paul Stelzer, who finished 9-of-19 for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Receiver Scott DeLong had six receptions for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, defensive back Justin Ross had a game-best 12 hits while defensive back John Wahler had eight hits.
Mount Union hosts Muskingum next on Saturday, September 22. Kick-off is at 7 p.m.