by Berea, OH- Last time Baldwin Wallace played host to Mount Union, Wayne Ruby Jr caught the winning touchdown after the ball deflected off a BW defender’s fingers. This time, the Purple Raiders took care of the Yellow Jackets comfortably 52-14 behind an offensive explosion in the first half.
Baldwin Wallace began the game with possession but quickly went three-and-out after a gain of three yards. After a loss of two on a pass to Tyler Echeverry, Jerry Cooper put the Purple Raiders in the green with an eight-yard gain. UMU used their first timeout after this reception to regather. A three-yard rush from Echeverry was followed up by an 18-yard run from Noah Beaudrie on fourth and one. Echeverry would open the scoring with a 10-yard rushing touchdown to put Mount Union up 7-0. The Yellow Jackets almost went three-and-out again, but a pass interference penalty against UMU gave them another life.
On the next set of downs, BW stalled again as Joseph Evans came on to punt the ball on fourth and two. Beaudrie and company wasted no time on their next drive as Strongsville alum Nick Turner took the ball 83 yards to the house, putting UMU up 14-0. Baldwin Wallace responded with a trip to the red zone on the ensuing drive. However, the story went in favor of Mount Union. On fourth down and six, Charlie Bubonics’ pass was incomplete with Austin Schuck the intended target. Beaudrie began UMU’s next drive with a simple two-yard run to close out the first quarter with the Purple Raiders up 14-0.
Two plays into the second quarter, Mount Union found themselves at the BW 19-yard-line after Cooper’s 52-yard reception and Darnell Williams’ 21-yard rush. After another Williams run, Beaudrie was set up for an eight-yard rushing touchdown to put the Purple and White up 21-0. Mount Union’s Zach Liebler forced the ball free from Xavier Balson, leading to Marcus Jackson returning the ball 40 yards to the house. This put Mount Union up 28-0. After a good drive, the Yellow Jackets got on the scoreboard with a passing touchdown from Bubonics to Charlie Kelleher. This 19-yard score cut UMU’s lead to 28-7. As Mount Union does many times after allowing a score, they responded with a touchdown of their own. This time, Shaun Thomas ran the ball in from two yards out to extend the Purple Raiders’ lead to 35-7.
Baldwin Wallace received the ball at their 36-yard-line with under five minutes left in the first half. The Yellow Jackets did a great job driving down the field, especially using medium-gain plays. Bubonics capped off the drive with a seven-yard passing touchdown to Mikel Love. This resulted in a score of 35-14 in favor of UMU. With 22 seconds left to play in the second quarter, Beaudrie connected with Cooper for an 11-yard touchdown. At the break, Mount Union led Baldwin Wallace 42-14.
The second half had minimal action for both teams. Ivan Maric made a field goal from 37 yards out to extend Mount Union’s lead to 45-14. He would go on to miss his second attempt of the quarter a few minutes later. The Yellow Jackets had a chance to score with the ball at UMU’s 10-yard line. However, Bubonics’ pass came up short as Kelleher was dragged down at the one-yard-line. In the fourth quarter, Mikey Maloney entered the game at quarterback for the Purple Raiders. Maloney, the legendary Riverside quarterback, drove UMU down the field as he had an explosive 34-yard run of his own. He would cap off the drive with his first-career UMU passing touchdown. Tyrell Sanders made the catch as he took in the pass for the 13-yard score. This sealed the 52-14 Mount Union victory.
The Purple Raiders will take on Otterbein in Westerville next Saturday while Baldwin Wallace has a week off before hosting Otterbein on October 12.
Baldwin Wallace Key Players
#1 Connor Awad: 4 Receptions, 26 Yards, 1 TD
#7 Charlie Bubonics: 25-36, 177 Yards, 2 TD’s
#9 Oliver Kelleher: 5 Receptions, 43 Yards, 1 TD
Mount Union Key Players
#1 Rossy Moore: 10 Tackles, 2 TFL’s, 1.5 Sacks
#8 Noah Beaudrie: 14-24, 282 Yards, 2 TD’s, 12 Carries, 95 Yards, 1 TD
#17 Jerry Cooper: 7 Receptions, 112 Yards, 1 TD
Player of the Game: Noah Beaudrie
