Football looks to remain undefeated vs. Mount Union

The Muskingum football team hosts third-ranked Mount Union on Saturday, September 24, for a 1:30 p.m. contest at the Bullock Health and Wellness Complex. The Muskies will look to start the season 3-0 for the first time since the 2011 campaign.

Tickets

• Fans can secure their tickets ahead of the game or on-site by purchasing them online at the Fighting Muskies' official ticketing page found at fightingmuskies.com/athletics/tickets or via the HomeTown Ticketing mobile app available through the App Store or Google Play. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for students, and children 5-and-under are free. Muskingum faculty, staff, their families, Muskingum students, and parents of Muskingum student-athletes will receive free admission to the game.

Media Coverage

Video: A live HD video stream of the game, with play-by-play, will be available on fightingmuskies.com, the OAC TV app, and simulcast on the fightingmuskies Facebook page. The Wally's Pizza pregame show starts at 1:15 p.m.

Live Stats: Fans can follow live stats of the game on fightingmuskies.com. 

Radio: WMCO 90.7 FM, the flagship station for Muskingum athletics, will broadcast the contest. The game can also be accessed online at http://us7.maindigitalstream.com/2034/.

GameDay Information

• No charge for parking.
• Concessions will open at 12:30 p.m.
• Home team tailgating is permitted in the Stadium Heights parking lot. Visiting team tailgating is permitted in the parking lot just beyond the left-field fence at Muskingum's baseball facility Mose Morehead Field. Link to Muskingum tailgating policy and map to tailgating parking lots.

The Series

• The contest marks the 77th meeting between Muskingum and Mount Union. The first game between both schools was played in 1906, and the Purple Raiders lead the all-time series, 45-29-2. 

The Matchup

The Muskies enter the contest 2-0 after beating Capital last Saturday 37-7. The game marked Muskingum's 100th Homecoming and the grand opening of the Bullock Health and Wellness Complex. Against the Comets, Muskingum tallied 477 yards of total offense, including 273 passing yards and 204 rushing yards. Muskingum's defense limited Capital to 240 yards of offense and only 13 first downs.

The Muskies are led by senior quarterback Jordan Garrett with 454 passing yards and five touchdowns in Muskingum's first two contests. Garrett, a two-time captain for Muskingum, has completed 40-of-59 (67.8%) passes this season, and he's also chipped in 49 rushing yards.

Leading Muskingum's receiving corps is senior wideout Zuri Edmondson. A captain on Muskingum's 2022 squad as well, Edmondson has totaled 16 catches for 187 yards and one touchdown thus far. Edmondson's longest reception was 26 yards, and he is averaging 93.5 receiving yards per game. Junior wide receiver Travis Roberson has also enjoyed early success in the 2022 season. Roberson has snagged 10 catches for 117 yards and three touchdowns for Muskingum this season.

On the ground, Muskingum is led by freshman running back Noah Wellmeier who has tallied 151 yards on 39 carries. Wellmeier has one rushing touchdown and averages 3.9 yards per carry in Muskingum's first two contests. Senior Donny Wilkinson has also made an impact in Muskingum's rushing attack early this year. Wilkinson has 85 yards on 26 carries and two rushing touchdowns for the Muskies.

Defensively, the Muskies are led by sophomore linebacker Austin Willforth and senior linebacker Tristan Howell. Willforth, a first-time captain selection for Muskingum this season, has a team-high 15 tackles this year. 10 of those tackles came against OAC-foe Capital in week two. Willforth has also notched two tackles for a loss. Howell, a first-time captain as well, has 12 tackles on the year thus far. Also playing strong on the defensive side of the ball is sophomore defensive back Cole Burch who has one interception and seven total tackles on the season, while junior Devin Roebuck also has one interception and five total tackles this season.

On special teams, junior kicker Hunter Albers is 8-for-9 on extra points, and he is also 1-for-1 on field goals this year. Freshman kicker Aaron Myers is 1-for-1 on field goals after nailing a 36-yarder against Capital last Saturday. Junior kicker Collin Scozzafava is averaging 40 yards per punt with his long being 60 yards. Scozzafava has one punt inside the 20-yard line and has one touchback during kickoff duties.

Mount Union enters Saturday's game 2-0 overall after defeating Marietta 55-7 last week. The Purple Raiders are averaging 60 points per contest while allowing 3.5 points per game. Mount Union averages 619.5 yards per game, while their opponents are tallying 163 yards a contest.  

Mount Union is led by senior quarterback Braxton Plunk with 677 passing yards on 40-53 (75.47%) passing. Plunk has totaled eight passing touchdowns and 21 rushing yards as well.

On the ground, senior running back DeAndre Parker has rushed for 128 yards on 22 attempts and three touchdowns to lead Mount's running attack. Senior wideout Wayne Ruby has caught 13 passes for 255 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Purple Raider's receiving corps.

Defensively, Mount Union is led by junior linebacker Mason McMillon with 15 tackles, including four tackles for a loss.