- Mount Union held off Carnegie Mellon 24-19 in the third round of the NCAA Division III football playoffs on Saturday.
- Rossy Moore’s sack of Carnegie Mellon quarterback Ben Mills with 1:25 left helped the Purple Raiders close out the Tartans.
- Mount Union will face Salisbury in the quarterfinals next Saturday.
ALLIANCE — Rossy Moore always has a nose for the football … and opposing quarterbacks.
Just look at what the All-American linebacker has done in Mount Union’s first two NCAA Division III football games.
Moore helped the Purple Raiders get off to a fast start against John Carroll last week when he returned a fumble for a touchdown.
On Saturday, he dealt Carnegie Mellon’s upset bid a crushing blow.
Moore’s sack of Tartans quarterback Ben Mills on fourth down with 1:25 left helped Mount Union wrap up a 24-19 win at Larry Kehres Stadium. The Purple Raiders (12-0) advance to the quarterfinals to face Salisbury next Saturday at a time to be determined.
Mount Union head coach Geoff Dartt believes next week’s game will be on the road. Salisbury has a better NCAA Power Index ranking than Mount Union.
The Tartans (11-2) were at the Mount Union 46-yard line when Moore produced the biggest defensive play of the game.
“The mindset for sure was to close out the game,” Moore said. “… Our defensive line coach was like ‘Let me and KB (end Kaleb Brown) rush off the edge and go make a play to take us home. We did that.
“We put time and effort in and worked super hard on our pass rush. When the moment comes, we’re ready for it for sure.”
The Tartans were pinned back at their own 14 with 2:44 left at the start of their final drive. They didn’t go away quietly.
Mills completed a 14-yard pass to Brendan McCullough. After the two-minute warning, he connected with Reece Kolke for a 23-yard gain into Purple Raiders territory.
Carnegie Mellon didn’t gain a yard after that. Mills threw three straight incompletions, including a pass that was broken up by Mount Union cornerback Zack Liebler. Moore finished the job.
“We were confident that we could get a stop with our pass rush,” Dartt said. “They did that, and obviously that ended the game.”
The Purple Raiders used a 17-0 run over the second and third quarters to grab the lead for good. Tyler Echeverry ran for two touchdowns during that stretch. Ivan Maric also kicked a 41-yard field goal.
Echeverry’s great season keeps an rolling. The All-American eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the seventh straight game and finished with 112 yards on 27 carries. He went into the day leading the nation in touchdown runs. The two TDs give him 24 for the season.
What has Echeverry attributed his success to?
“The offensive line,” he said. “I’ll say it every time and it will sound cliché, but some of the seams they can create against some good defensive lines and good linebackers is just insane. I work with them every day, so it’s kind of second nature when you see that to just hit it hard.”
Quarterback TJ DeShields threw for 218 yards and ran for a touchdown for the Purple Raiders, who are in the quarterfinals a year after getting eliminated by Alma in the second round.
“We’re excited about the win,” Dartt said. “Carnegie Mellon is a great team and very well coached. Obviously we want some plays back, but what a great football game. We’re happy to come out on top.”
Reach Mike at mike.popovich@cantonrep.com
On X: @mpopovichREP
