WESTERVILLE — The Otterbein football team hung tough against No. 4 Mount Union on Saturday afternoon, falling 21-0 to mark the lowest point differential between the teams since 2010 and lowest scoring output for the Purple Raiders in the series since 1991.

The Basics

• Records: Otterbein (0-4 overall, 0-3 OAC), Mount Union (4-0 overall, 3-0 OAC)
• Venue: Memorial Stadium - Westerville, Ohio

Otterbein Stat Leaders

• Sophomore quarterback Cayden Lassiter completed 23 of 36 passes for 214 yards. He added 61 rushing yards for 275 total yards of offense.
• Otterbein's top receivers were freshman Cass Cole (7 receptions, 78 yards) and sophomore Vincent Berardi (6 receptions, 57 yards).
• Junior Thomas Cherry led the Cardinal defense with 11 total tackles (9 solo).
• Senior Justin Bartlett totaled five total tackles, a team-best 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack.
• Senior Vincent Fisher and sophomore Niels Abessolo tallied one interception each for the Cardinals.

Game Summary

• After a scoreless first quarter in which Otterbein got two fourth-down stops of the Purple Raider offense, Mount Union put together a nine-play drive capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead with 4:53 left until halftime.
• The Cardinals drove to the Mount Union 23-yard line over the final 57 seconds of the opening half capped by a 17-yard pass from Lassiter to Cole as time expired.
• Abessolo intercepted Mount Union quarterback Noah Beaudrie with 11:16 left in the third quarter. After the ensuing Otterbein drive stalled, Mount Union went 85 yards in eight plays capped by a 27-yard touchdown run for a 14-0 lead with 48 seconds left in the third quarter.
• When the Raiders regained possession in the fourth quarter, they put together a seven-play drive that ended with another 27-yard touchdown run for a 21-0 lead with 9:35 remaining.
• Fisher made an impressive one-handed interception of a Mount Union pass later in the period, but the ensuing Otterbein offensive possession stalled.
• The Cardinals took over with 53 seconds left following a Raider missed 31-yard field goal but was unable to sustain a drive as time ran out.
• Mount Union out-gained Otterbein 389-286 in offensive yards.

Notables

• Saturday's game marked Otterbein's first return to action since Sept. 21 following a bye week.
• Saturday's game marked the closest point differential between the teams since 2010, when Mount Union won 28-10. It also marked Mount Union's lowest scoring output against Otterbein since a 21-18 Purple Raider victory in 1991. Otterbein's last win over Mount Union came in 1977.
• The Purple Raiders entered Saturday's game averaging 48 points per game on the season.
• Mount Union is ranked No. 4 nationally in this week's D3football.com Top 25 Poll.
• Bartlett's career totals include 202 tackles, 38.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. He ranks fifth all-time at Otterbein in tackles for loss and is four sacks shy of moving into fifth all-time in that category.
• Fisher's interception was his first of the season and the fourth of his career. Abessolo's interception was the first of his career.