The Wilmington College football team faces its biggest challenge of the season as they face No. 3 Mount Union 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The Purple Raiders bring an 89-game regular winning streak and a 78-game home winning streak into the game.
"They're a very good program, and they have been good for a long time," said Wilmington head coach Stacey Hairston. "Over the last 20 years they have won more championships that anybody else. They are the top of Division III football. They're a program in which you strive to get to. It's always good to go against them to measure where you are. I don't think they have a weakness. They are well-coached, disciplined, and they earn the right to call themselves the best because they have consistently done it, year after year after year."
Senior quarterback Kevin Burke is the highest rated passer in college football, all divisions, as Mount Union leads Division III in yards per game (643 yards) and scoring (62.0 ppg).
They are on a roll as for the first time in school history they have opened the season with 50 or more points in six straight games.
"He is a dynamic player, and he is where their offense starts," Hairston said of Burke. "He is a senior. He has been in every big game before so pressure doesn't bother him. He's a dual threat quarterback, and I think he is a little better than he was last year. So I would say their offense starts with him, but they surround him with some really good players as well."
Sophomore running back B.J. Mitchell is second in the OAC with 7.9 yards per game, and is sixth with 99.2 yards per game. Two former quarterbacks are making their presence felt as receivers. Junior Roman Nadar leads the OAC with 119.3 yards per game, while Taurice Scott – who is listed as the Mount Union back-up quarterback p is fifth with 70.2 yards per game.
Defensively, the Purple Raiders feature fast defenders led by junior linebacker Hank Spencer and junior safety Alex Kocheff. Spencer leads the team with 26 tackles, while Kocheff has 25 tackles. Junior defensive lineman Tom Lally leads the team with 3.5 sackes, while junior Tre Jones is only player with multiple interceptions.
"They have some guys that run very fast, and if you try to run outside, it's going to be very difficult," said Hairston. "They have guys with some speed, and that has kind of been their identity defensively, speed – especially on the edges."
Freshman quarterback Brandon Mitchell (Pittsburgh, OH/Fox Chapel) will be making his second start. After starting 0-for-7, she finished 9-of-13 for 89 yards and a touchdown last week. His progression could help bolster Wilmington's rushing attack. Sophomore Chase Manica (Shelbyville, KY/Shelby County) is second in the league with 107.5 yards per game and five touchdowns.
Defensively, junior Nick Williams (Cleveland, OH/Fairview) leads the OAC in tackling with 11.2 stops per game.