The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
JCU, Mount set to face off early
Josh Petruccelli of Perry said it best following Mount Union’s 56-21 win Sept. 15 at Baldwin Wallace: “This game is always special,” said the Mount Union sophomore running back. “It’s JCU.”
There is plenty of truth to that statement as the teams are set to play Sept. 22 at Mount Union Stadium. The last five seasons when the Purple Raiders and Blue Streaks have met on the football field — save for one lopsided game — the games have been back-andforth and wildly entertaining.
The Ohio Athletic Conference title has been on the line four times, and five of the six times they’ve met (including once in the NCAA Division III playoffs), the game has been decided by a touchdown or less.
The results: 2013 » Regular season: Mount Union, 42-34 2014 » Regular season: Mount Union, 31-24; NCAA playoffs: Mount Union, 3628 2015 » Regular season: Mount Union, 36-3 2016 » Regular season: John Carroll, 31-28 2017 » Regular season: Mount Union, 31-27
The biggest difference from the last five seasons — when the JCU-Mount game was held as each team’s regular-season finale — is this contest is much earlier; but the stakes are still high. The winner gets a leg up in the race for the Ohio Athletic Conference crown, but neither side is making Sept. 22 bigger than usual.
“It’s Week 3. It’s the next game, and it happens to be against John Carroll,” said Mount coach Vince Kehres after his team beat Baldwin Wallace on Sept. 15. “Coach (Rick) Finotti and his staff are doing a great job. They have a great football program. I hope we’re up to the challenge.”
One player who has been up to the challenge vs. the mighty Purple Raiders has been JCU quarterback Anthony Moeglin, who prepped near the Mount Union campus at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.
In two career games vs. Mount, Moeglin has thrown for 431 yards with five touchdown passes and one interception. No TD pass was bigger than in 2016,
when he threw the eventual game-winner to Willie Woods with under a minute to play as the Blue Streaks stunned No. 1-ranked Mount, 31-28.
Moeglin was cool under pressure as a freshman in that moment. Now a junior, Moeglin realizes he and his teammates keeping their emotions in check will be key in the hopes of earning an upset victory in Alliance for the second straight time.
“We can’t make the moment bigger than it is, and we just have to execute,” said Moeglin. “When we do our job, we think we’re a good team.”
JCU started the season unranked, but after two dominant wins to open the
season — scoring 45 points in each game — has risen to No. 15 in the latest d3football.com Top 25 poll. Meanwhile, the defending Division III national champions are everybody’s No. 1 pick this season and are averaging 55 points in two games.
Petruccelli is the team’s leading rusher with 127 yards and a touchdown. QB D’Angelo Fulford has thrown for 556 yards and seven TDs so far in 2018.
“Our No. 1 goal is to stop the run,” said JCU defensive end Ray Brown. “But they have a phenomenal quarterback in D’Angelo Fulford, and our goal is to contain him and make sure he doesn’t get outside the pocket and make plays
with his feet.”
Sept. 22 will be Finotti’s second attempt at Mount Union. Last season, despite being 6-3 and out of the conference race heading into the Mount game, the coach had his team ready. With about minute remaining in the game, JCU had the ball, trailing by four points, but came up short. The key, as always when playing the Purple Raiders, is avoiding big mistakes, but there’s more, according to the JCU coach.
“We just have to hold our composure,” said Finotti. “Mount’s a great program. We have to make sure we give John Carroll the fighting chance and make sure we take care of ourselves.”
“We can’t make the moment bigger than it is, and we just have to execute. When we do our job, we think we’re a good team.” John Carroll quarterback Anthony Moeglin