ALLIANCE, Ohio — No. 3 ranked Mount Union scored on its first eight possessions of the game en route to a 63-7 win over Marietta College Saturday (Sept. 27) evening. The Purple Raiders were celebrating the 100th birthday of Mount Union Stadium and won in impressive fashion in front of over 6,000 spectators.
Quarterback Kevin Burke threw for five first half touchdowns as Mount Union improved to 3-0 on the season and 2-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Marietta drops to 1-2 on the season and 0-2 in the OAC.
Marietta got on the board in the third quarter. Freshman
Nick O'Neal (Mont Belvieu, Texas/Barbers Hill) scored on a four-yard run to cap an eight-play, 49-yard drive. O'Neal finished with 35 yards on 17 carries.
The Pioneers used three quarterbacks in the game. Junior
Lucas Havens (Granville Summit, Pa./Troy Area) made his second straight start and completed 6-of-15 passes for 39 yards. He was picked off once. Sophomore
Akil Young (Pittsburgh, Pa./University Prep) was 6-of-8 for 54 yards, while freshman
Will Ludwig (Florence, Ky./Cooper) completed 3-of-4 for 12 yards.
Burke hit 14-of-19 pass attempts for 247 yards and five touchdowns. Roman Namdar was his favorite target catching five aerials for 105 yards and three scores.
With the early lead Mount kept the ball on the ground for much of the game. The Purple Raider rushed for 337 yards. BJ Mitchell had 10 carries for 89 yards, while Jamal Johnson had 81 yards on eight carries. Both scored one touchdown.
Marietta hosts Wilmington College in its home-opener Saturday (Oct. 4) at 6:00 p.m. It will be Wood County Alumni Day and Youth Football Day at Don Drumm Stadium.
Fans can follow the Pioneers all season long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
