The Purple Raiders scored a 52-10 victory over St. John Fisher.
BY ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
ALLIANCE – To celebrate his team's only touchdown of the game Saturday against Mount Union, St. John Fisher receiver Corey Jackson made himself an honorary member of the Purple Raider band.
After making a leaping catch for the score, he ran to the back of the end zone, grabbed a pair of drum sticks and pounded on one of the nearby drums.
As it turned out, that was the only thing the Cardinals beat all day.
Mount Union's defense stopped four Fisher drives inside the Purple Raiders' 25 and limited the visitors to a 1-for-14 performance on third down, as the defending national champions coasted to a lopsided 52-10 victory in a Division III national semifinal contest at Mount Union Stadium.
That's why they are No. 1 in the country," said Fisher coach Paul Vosburgh. "They are a great team and they didn't make any mistakes. Our kids played hard, but we didn't capitalize on the opportunities when we had them."
Four times in the first half, Fisher drove inside the Mount Union 25, but came up empty-handed each time. Two of those drives ended with failed field goal attempts - one missing wide left and the other one blocked.
After blocking a 41-yard field goal that would have gotten Fisher within 7-3, Mount Union took control of the game by scoring on its next two possessions to take a 21-0 halftime lead.
Fisher quarterback Rob Kramer had success throwing the football against the nation's top defense, piling up 189 yards and his 50th career touchdown pass.
Those numbers weren't enough to offset Mount Union's stellar defense when it mattered most. In addition to holding the Cardinals' struggles on third down, the unit limited Fisher to just 52 yards rushing – forcing a one-dimension offensive plan.
"We could throw the ball down the field, but when you get in the red zone you have to be able to run," said Vosburgh. "We just couldn't score when we got down there."
The Purple Raiders added 17 more points in the third quarter to pad their advantage to 38-0 before a 21-yard field goal by Chris Pierri got Fisher on the board.
Mount Union's offense overmatched the Cardinals, rolling up 599 total yards, including 410 on the ground. Nate Kmic became the first running back in 2007 to rush for over 100 yards against Fisher (11-2), piling up 199 yards. In two career games against the Cardinals, Kmic has rushed for 570 yards.
Quarterback Greg Micheli tossed three touchdown passes to Pierre Garcon as the Purple Raiders (13-0) outgained the Cardinals 599-358.
"Fisher played well offensively, looking at the statistics," said Mount Union coach Larry Kehres. "They just didn't finish. Our defense was just good enough after they drove the ball down the field on us.
"Offensively, we played a more open style than we did against them last year. We had more balance running and passing the ball. Greg [Micheli] managed the game well and ran for some key yards early. That's difficult for a defense to handle."
As for Jackson's antics after scoring with Mount Union already ahead 52-3 at that point, the Mount Union players attending the press conference didn't mind.
"We got a kick out of it," said Micheli. "We had a good laugh about it on the sidelines."
When informed that Jackson is just a junior and will be returning to Alliance next year when Mount Union hosts Fisher in the 2008 season opener, Micheli added: "Maybe that was a mistake then."
Sunday, December 2, 2007
The Purple Raiders scored a 52-10 victory over St. John Fisher.
BY ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
ALLIANCE – To celebrate his team's only touchdown of the game Saturday against Mount Union, St. John Fisher receiver Corey Jackson made himself an honorary member of the Purple Raider band.
After making a leaping catch for the score, he ran to the back of the end zone, grabbed a pair of drum sticks and pounded on one of the nearby drums.
As it turned out, that was the only thing the Cardinals beat all day.
Mount Union's defense stopped four Fisher drives inside the Purple Raiders' 25 and limited the visitors to a 1-for-14 performance on third down, as the defending national champions coasted to a lopsided 52-10 victory in a Division III national semifinal contest at Mount Union Stadium.
That's why they are No. 1 in the country," said Fisher coach Paul Vosburgh. "They are a great team and they didn't make any mistakes. Our kids played hard, but we didn't capitalize on the opportunities when we had them."
Four times in the first half, Fisher drove inside the Mount Union 25, but came up empty-handed each time. Two of those drives ended with failed field goal attempts - one missing wide left and the other one blocked.
After blocking a 41-yard field goal that would have gotten Fisher within 7-3, Mount Union took control of the game by scoring on its next two possessions to take a 21-0 halftime lead.
Fisher quarterback Rob Kramer had success throwing the football against the nation's top defense, piling up 189 yards and his 50th career touchdown pass.
Those numbers weren't enough to offset Mount Union's stellar defense when it mattered most. In addition to holding the Cardinals' struggles on third down, the unit limited Fisher to just 52 yards rushing – forcing a one-dimension offensive plan.
"We could throw the ball down the field, but when you get in the red zone you have to be able to run," said Vosburgh. "We just couldn't score when we got down there."
The Purple Raiders added 17 more points in the third quarter to pad their advantage to 38-0 before a 21-yard field goal by Chris Pierri got Fisher on the board.
Mount Union's offense overmatched the Cardinals, rolling up 599 total yards, including 410 on the ground. Nate Kmic became the first running back in 2007 to rush for over 100 yards against Fisher (11-2), piling up 199 yards. In two career games against the Cardinals, Kmic has rushed for 570 yards.
Quarterback Greg Micheli tossed three touchdown passes to Pierre Garcon as the Purple Raiders (13-0) outgained the Cardinals 599-358.
"Fisher played well offensively, looking at the statistics," said Mount Union coach Larry Kehres. "They just didn't finish. Our defense was just good enough after they drove the ball down the field on us.
"Offensively, we played a more open style than we did against them last year. We had more balance running and passing the ball. Greg [Micheli] managed the game well and ran for some key yards early. That's difficult for a defense to handle."
As for Jackson's antics after scoring with Mount Union already ahead 52-3 at that point, the Mount Union players attending the press conference didn't mind.
"We got a kick out of it," said Micheli. "We had a good laugh about it on the sidelines."
When informed that Jackson is just a junior and will be returning to Alliance next year when Mount Union hosts Fisher in the 2008 season opener, Micheli added: "Maybe that was a mistake then."
Sunday, December 2, 2007
The Purple Raiders scored a 52-10 victory over St. John Fisher.
BY ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
ALLIANCE...
