GAME NOTES

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein football team hits the road for its biggest test of the season Saturday afternoon, traveling to play No. 2-ranked Mount Union in Alliance. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m.

The Cardinals, standing 5-2 overall and 4-2 within Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play, will enter fresh off a 37-29 victory over Baldwin Wallace in which they racked up 368 rushing yards. Junior Christian Johnson scampered 23 times for a career-best 207 yards and a score.

"That was the best game I've seen the offensive line play this season," head coach Tim Doup said. "The holes were there and Christian didn't have to work overly hard to scoot through. Christian loves playing under the lights and, once a tailback gets into a groove, you just keep feeding him. I was happy to see him have a breakout game."

Otterbein led BW by 17 with 9:43 remaining before the Yellow Jackets mounted a comeback attempt. The defense ultimately held on, getting 13 tackles, a sack and forced fumble from fifth-year senior linebacker Austin Jones.

Quarterback Logan Stepp continues his dual-threat production for the OAC's second-ranked offense, remaining among the top-10 nationally in total offense per game (342.7) and points responsible for (162). He has thrown for 1,694 yards with 18 touchdowns and just three interceptions, while rushing for another 710 yards and nine scores.

Senior Julian Lowe has 50 catches for 705 yards and eight TD's on the year, all ranking top-three in a conference littered with talented wide receivers. He needs one more touchdown grab to tie the Otterbein all-time record of 29.

"We are going one game at a time and letting things unfold how they will in this crazy conference," Doup said with a laugh. "It can be fun at times but it's probably even more stressful, because you just don't know. You're seeing teams near the bottom challenging and beating teams at the top. It shows our balance."

Otterbein safety Fred Hardgrove leads the OAC at 76 tackles on the year, with Jones just behind holding 71. Hardgrove and defensive back Brandon Paschal each have five interceptions, tied for eighth in the nation, but will surely have their hands full with a high-powered Mount Union offense.

The Purple Raiders (7-0, 6-0 OAC) had won 24-straight OAC championships until that streak was broken last year by John Carroll. Nevertheless, Mount Union has advanced to the NCAA semifinals every year since 1995 and is back leading the league this fall.

Mount leads the nation at 60.9 points per game, and ranks second defensively by allowing just 7.4 per conest. Sophomore quarterback D'Angelo Fulford has 29 passing touchdowns, no interceptions, another four rushing scores and leads the nation in passing efficiency (273.2).

Wideouts Justin Hill and Jared Ruth both have 10 touchdowns, best in the OAC, while running back Jawanza Evans-Morris paces the ground game with 76 yards per outing and six touchdowns.

"You don't get crazy, try to do what you do best and limit big plays from occurring." Doup said when asked about playing Mount Union. "Special teams are crucial and we will try to make their offense earn everything. Picking up first downs will be key in attempt to control the ball and put points on the board. You can't miss on red-zone opportunities."

The top-seven Mount Union tacklers are all juniors or seniors, led by 42 stops (six for loss) from linebacker Charlie Dear.

Fans have options to follow Saturday's game through live video (pay-per-view), live audio (WOBN 97.5) and live stats coverage. Cost to watch the video stream will be $9.95, and all links can be accessed through the SCHEDULE PAGE.