Box Score

ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Otterbein football team absorbed a 51-14 road loss at No. 2-ranked Mount Union Saturday afternoon, allowing the Purple Raiders to grab some early momentum and then never catch back up.

The Cardinals, falling to 5-3 on the season and 4-3 within the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), will be back in action next weekend by hosting John Carroll at 1:30 p.m. It will be Senior Day at Memorial Stadium.

Mount Union remains perfect on the year, moving to 8-0 this fall and 7-0 against the OAC as it searches for a 25th league title in the last 26 years.

Otterbein fell behind 23-0 after the first quarter, tossing an interception on its opening possession that led to a quick 12-yard TD pass for the hosts. A snap then went over the head of punter Joe Sanfillipo for a safety, and Mount Union followed with a pair of three-play scoring drives to open the gap.

The Cardinals got on the board just prior to halftime, connecting on an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Logan Stepp to wide receiver Hunter Joseph, who corralled the ball with one hand as defensive pass interference also occurred. The drive was enhanced by a 47-yard reception from tight end Josh Plieninger.

Mount Union put the game away with two more touchdowns in the third quarter, leading to a 44-7 margin entering the final period.

The Cards had a tough moment early in the fourth, watching Stepp get carted off the field with a leg injury following a hit as he headed to the ground while being tackled. His status moving forward is still unknown.

Otterbein capped the scoring with 4:36 remaining when backup QB Steven Irwin found senior Clay Ramirez on a broken play, resulting in a score from 27 yards out. The 14 points matches a season-high allowed by the Mount Union defense, a unit that ranks second nationally.

Mount Union finished with a 390-205 edge in total offense, marking a season-low output for the Raiders and the first time all season they did not amass 400. Linebacker Steven Carpenter led the way with eight tackles while Austin Jones and Fred Hardgrove both added six.

Stepp threw for 96 yards, one touchdown and a pair of interceptions while under pressure all day long, and also rushed for another 64 yards before his exit. Running back Christian Johnson toted 12 times for just 17 yards, but the offense did have a 34:29 time of possession and converted 8 of 18 third-down chances.

Mount Union QB D'Angelo Fulford, the national leader in passing efficiency, completed 11 of 15 attempts for 164 yards and five touchdowns.