Box Score

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Cardinal football team took an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) loss Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium, falling victim to top-ranked and defending national champion Mount Union by a score of 66-7.

Otterbein, now 4-4 overall and 4-3 against the OAC, will be back in action next weekend with a 1:30 p.m. contest at 21st-ranked John Carroll. Mount Union, meanwhile, runs its regular-season winning streak to 111 games and now stands a perfect 8-0 on the season, 7-0 within the league.

The Purple Raiders took an early 7-0 lead after a long punt return set up a short field, but the Otterbein offense drove right back down the field until it was faced with a 4th-and-4 at the 10-yard line. The Cardinals opted to attempt a field goal, which was blocked and return 92 yards for a touchdown as Mount took a 14-0 lead.

The Cards regrouped and embarked on another solid offensive series, this time finishing off an eight-play, 84-yard drive with a 14-yard TD strike from quarterback Logan Stepp to wide receiver Hunter Joseph.

The game would be all Mount Union from that point, with the visitors opening a 42-7 lead by halftime and never looking back.

Mount Union finished with a 549-280 edge in total offense and had a 29-15 edge in first downs. Freshman quarterback Dom Davis accounted for four touchdowns, completing 16 of 19 passes for 208 yards and three scores, and then rushing six times for 34 yards and another TD.

Stepp finished 10 of 16 passing for 122 yards and a touchdown, but was only able to run for 21 yards on 14 attempts. Slot receiver Julian Lowe caught six balls for 68 yards while Joseph finished with five grabs for 63. Back-up quarterback Steven Irwin ran five times for 45 yards in the second half while running back Justin Stoner carried eight times for a healthy 55 yards.

Senior Jalen Liggins led the Otterbein defense with eight tackles while defensive backfield mate Dassan Jefferson had seven. Linebackers Austin Jones and Jake Harper each had six.

The loss now puts Otterbein in a four-way tie for third place within the league standings as Heidelberg, Capital and Ohio Northern also sit 4-3.