PHOTO GALLERY

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein football team fell victim to defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Mount Union Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium, dropping a final score of 56-14.

The Cardinals (1-4, 0-4 OAC) will now have a bye week before ultimately returning to action under the lights on October 13 against Heidelberg at 7 p.m. It will be Hall of Fame weekend.

Mount Union (4-0, 3-0 OAC) took control from the start, opening a 21-0 lead after the first quarter and then standing on top, 35-0, just minutes as halftime approached.

Otterbein got on the board with just 1:23 to go before intermission, getting a 32-yard touchdown strike over the middle from Steven Irwin to slot receiver Dylan Tuggle. The play capped a 70-yard drive in under two minutes.

The Purple Raiders added another touchdown to beat the halftime horn and scored again just four plays into the second half. Otterbein continued to fight and added another score in the second half, getting a five-yard touchdown connection from Bryce Hall to Dominc Taylor on a lofted pass in the back of the end zone.

Tuggle had four catches for 60 yards on the day while Mitch Moyer ran 12 times for 38 yards. Otterbein had 36:21 in time of possession and tallied 146 yards through the air. Jacob Tiell and Niall Lewison led the defense with six tackles each, with Tiell also recording a half-sack.