Kmic Runs Into Record Books as #1 Football Beats B-W
(BEREA, OH)—Mount Union College senior Nate Kmic (Delta/Delta) had four rushing touchdowns as part of a 27 carry, 218-yard performance to become the NCAA Division III career leader in points (570) and total touchdowns (95) and tie the record for rushing touchdowns (91) to lead the No. 1 ranked Purple Raiders to a 48-3 Ohio Athletic Conference win Saturday at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea.
Kmic moved up to No. 5 on the NCAA Division III career rushing list as he has 6,003 yards on 911 carries. R.J. Bowers of Grove City (PA) College (1997-2000) holds the all-time mark with 7,353 yards and it was his points (562), total touchdowns (92) and rushing touchdowns (91) that Kmic has tied or surpassed.
After missing on his first two pass attempts, senior quarterback Greg Micheli (Upper Sandusky/Upper Sandusky) completed 13 of his next 14 pass attempts for 275 yards and three touchdown passes all to junior wide receiver Cecil Shorts III (Cleveland/Collinwood) who had a career-best 158 yards receiving on six catches.
Mount Union racked up a season-high 648 yards of offense, including 357 yards rushing, while the defense held Baldwin-Wallace, which was averaging 491 yards per game heading into the contest, to 172 total yards, with seven quarterback sacks and three forced fumbles.
Senior defensive end Joe Millings (Copley/Copley) had a team-high seven tackles, two sacks and forced a fumble.
Kmic’s first touchdown was from two yards out and was the only score of the first quarter.
Cory Ramos scored B-W’s lone points on the day with a 39-yard field goal with 14:49 to play in the second quarter. Kmic got on the board again with a nine-yard run three minutes later to put Mount Union up 14-3. Mount Union stretched the lead to 21-3 on the longest pass play so far this season as Micheli and Shorts hooked up on a 68-yard catch and run for a score.
On the ensuing drive, junior defensive end James Herbert (Sagamore Hills/Nordonia) had a key defensive play as Baldwin-Wallace had the ball on the Mount Union three-yard line, when he forced a fumble that was recovered by Chaz Jordan (Medina/Buckeye) in the end zone for a touchback. Seven plays later, Micheli found Shorts again this time from 27 yards out to make it 27-3 at the break.
Mount Union marched down the field again on the opening possession of the second half that was capped with a 15 yards Shorts touchdown reception to make the score 34-3. After a three-and-out by B-W, the Raiders scored on just one play as Kmic ran 56 yards for his third score of the day. Kmic then capped the scoring with a six-yard TD run with 4:22 left in the third quarter for the 48-3 final.
Mount Union returns home next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. to face No. 4 in the nation Capital University in Mount Union Stadium.