Mount Union football is efficient all around in 59-0 victory at Muskingum
NEW CONCORD — There is passing efficiency and then there is Mount Union passing efficiency.
Not by one quarterback but by two.
Not by one or two or three receivers but by 11.
There is excellent pass blocking and then there is Mount Union pass blocking.
More:Humble Mount Union quarterback Braxton Plunk leads by example on and off field
Guards, tackles, centers, tight ends and backs. Everyone got in on the act.
The result? Mount Union 59, Muskingum 0.
Muskingum’s new $38 million Bullock Health and Wellness facility is only two games old but it may never see a performance to match that of Mount Union’s Braxton Plunk and Noah Beaudrie on Saturday.
Mount Union QBs Braxton Plunk, Noah Beaudrie combine to throw just two incompletions
It was that efficient and that impressive.
Plunk, the two-time back of the year in the Ohio Athletic Conference, completed 23-of-24 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns. That was in one half.
Beaudrie, arguably the OAC back of the year in waiting, replaced Plunk after the Raiders had built a 45-0 halftime lead.
The 6-foot, 190-pound sophomore from Monroe, Mich., completed 7-of-8 throws for 75 yards.
We’ll do the math for you. Together, the B&B boys completed 30-of-32 passes for 380 yards and two scores. Plunk was sacked once. Beaudrie threw one interception.
“And the two missed throws were not on Braxton or Noah,” Mount coach Geoff Dartt said, citing ill-advised play calls on his part. “They were on me.”
Plunk, who now has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns against one interception in just three games, debated Dartt’s culpability for the two incompletions.
“I don’t know about that,” he said, challenging Dartt’s call. “We got a little sloppy there.”
“There” was in the second quarter after Plunk had completed his first 19 passes before missing connections with All-American Wayne Ruby.
Both Dartt and Plunk credited solid practices over the last two weeks.
“We had two good weeks of practice and I think it showed,” Plunk said. “Overall, we all did pretty good. The offensive line had a great day. I was comfortable the whole game. And, it’s nice to have receivers who are able to run to open spaces and get the ball.”
Mount Union senior receiver Wayne Ruby Jr. surpasses 3,000 career receiving yards
Not only has Beaudrie completed 11-of-13 passes for 161 yards on the season, he also leads the team in rushing with 158 yards despite carrying the ball just 17 times.
“Braxton was awesome and Noah has done nothing but get better,” Dartt said. “And our receivers made a couple of outstanding catches.”
After three games the two quarterbacks have combined to complete 74 of 90 passes (82%) for 1,143 yards and 11 touchdowns against two interceptions. That is an NCAA quarterback passer efficiency rating of 224.79. Anything over 150.00 is considered excellent.
More:Football | Mount Union's Wayne Ruby Jr. has Stagg Bowl, professional dreams
Plunk, a 6-0, 180-pound senior from Plant City, Fla., and Beaudrie spread the wealth to 11 receivers, led by the dynamic Ruby, who has done nothing to tarnish his All-American status and his OAC Receiver of the Year Award from 2021.
The 6-1, 190-pound senior from Pembroke Pines, Fla., caught eight passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns, including a terrific reception in which he outleaped and outfought a defender and turned it into a 76-yard score.
“Wayne is a freak,” said Plunk. “He is totally amazing.”
Ruby’s 176 receiving yards pushed him over the 3,000-yard mark for his career. He has caught 203 passes for 3,146 yards.
Sophomores Austin Willforth and Cole Burch were among the statistical leaders for the Muskies. Willforth, a linebacker from Warren, had five solo tackles and six assists and Burch, a safety from Canton South, had three solo tackles and one assist.
While Mount’s offense scored on six of seven first-half possessions, the defense was overwhelming. It started on the first play of the game when linebacker Mason McMillen sacked quarterback Jordan Garrett for a 5-yard loss.McMillen, the OAC Linebacker of the Year, led with five tackles.
More:Mount Union senior linebacker Mason McMillen has championships on his mind
Fellow linebackers Caleb Detellem and Rossy Moore and nose tackle Duke Hill, end Eli Beers and freshman tackle Elijah Franklin were credited with being in on the four sacks that followed.
The Muskies, who had a three-game winning streak that goes back to last season come to a sobering end, managed just five first downs and were held to 56 total yards, including minus-20 yards on the ground.
“The defense set us up [on offense] very well, getting the ball back to us quickly,” said Dartt.
Senior placekicker Thomas Piccirillo kicked a career-best 30-yard field goal and was 8-for-8 on PAT’s. Senior Josh Jones, who doubles at cornerback and punt returner, returned three punts for 44 yards, giving the offense good field position.
“It was a good day,” said Dartt. “We have been practicing really well lately and the guys have taken it upon themselves to get better. We were strong in all three phases.”
In the OAC there is strong. Then, there is Mount Union strong.
Around the OAC
John Carroll knocked off previously undefeated Heidelberg, 24-7, and pulled into a tie with the Raiders for the conference lead at 2-0 …. Wilmington, picked to finish eighth in the coaches' preseason poll, stunned Capital, 36-31, when quarterback Adam Dixon threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Itika Wynn with 26 seconds remaining. The Quakers, off to the program’s best start since its initial OAC season of 2000, improved to 2-1 in the OAC and 3-1 overall. … Baldwin Wallace, which had lost two of its previous three games, came from behind to defeat Ohio Northern, 35-31, when junior quarterback Joey Marousek threw touchdown passes of 84 yards to Tim Conwell and 75 yards to former GlenOak standout Darius Stokes in the final 7:41. … Mount Union travels to Ohio Northern for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.