Wilmington Recap

Mount Union Clinches Automatic Playoff Bid

Mount Union College earned an automatic bid to the Division III Football Playoffs with a 62-0 victory over visiting Wilmington College in the regular season finale on Saturday, November 16, in front of 4,772 fans in Mount Union Stadium.

The win also caps the Raiders' eighth consecutive undefeated regular season ('95-'02).

It was a record-setting day for the Purple & White.

Running back Dan Pugh totaled 205 yards rushing on 13 carries - breaking the Raider single-season mark for yards rushing (1,466 yards) previously held by Russ Kring (1,460 yards in 1986). Pugh also scored four times - breaking the OAC and Mount Union mark for touchdowns in one season (26), previously held by Chuck Moore (24 set in 2001). Overall, he totaled 301 all-purpose yards of offense in one half of play.

On the year, Pugh has gone over the 100 yard rushing mark eight times and has rushed for over 200 yards on three occasions.

Defensively, end Matt Campbell set a new Raider single-season record for tackles for losses (19) - breaking the previous mark of 18 set by Todd Braden and Campbell in 2001.

Raider quarterback Rob Adamson finished the day 6-of-7 for 150 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Derrick Leach had two receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns. The Raiders had 547 yards of offense and averaged 9.1 yards per play in the contest.

Defensively, the Raiders allowed just 114 yards of offense and 2.3 yards per play. Linebacker Stan Watson had eight hits while tackle Antoine Dillard had eight hits and two tackles for losses. Cornerback Chris Kern had his fourth interception on the year.

Wilmington running back Will Isaac had 38 carries for 105 yards. Defensively, Quaker lineman Mark Lane had a game-best 10 hits on the day.

The Raiders, the six-time National Champions (93, '96, '97, '98, '00, '01), finish the regular season riding college football's longest current winning streak (38). Mount Union has won 76 consecutive OAC and 84 straight regular season games. Overall, the Raiders are 109-1 in regular season play since 1992 and have won 92 of their last 93 games.

The Division III Playoff pairings will be announced late Sunday afternoon, Nov. 17. Check the web site (www.muc.edu) for Mount Union's playoff schedule. A full playoff bracket will be linked whenever made available by the NCAA.