Yellow Jackets drop season opener at home to No. 2 Mount Union

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College Yellow Jackets started the 2023 football season with a 45-6 home loss to defending national runner-up No. 2 Mount Union Purple Raiders on Saturday at Justin F. Coressel Stadium.

The Purple Raiders (1-0) outgained the Yellow Jackets (0-1) 572 to 188, including 327 yards on the ground while possessing the football for over 36 minutes. Mount Union's 45 points were their fewest in a head-to-head against Defiance since totaling 44 points in the 1994 contest as the defense shaved off 20 points from last season's 65-0 loss in Alliance.

Mount Union opened the scoring with a 14-0 lead after tallying a pair of first-quarter touchdown drives sandwiched around an interception thrown by Yellow Jackets quarterback Jordan Ambrose (Tomball, Texas/Kelin). Braxton Plunk connected with Edwin Reed from nine yards out on Mount Union's opening drive. After the interception by Josh Jones deep in Mount Union territory, Deandre Parker capped off a 93-yard drive with a seven-yard rush for the Raiders' second score.

After trading turnovers on downs to start the second period, Mount Union hit the scoreboard at the 3:02 mark when Plunk tossed his second touchdown of the day to cap the first-half scoring, this time to Ray Williams on a 22-yard slant to the front of the end zone.

Defiance received the second-half kickoff and went three-and-out, punting back to the Purple Raiders. Five plays later, Darnell Williams became the fourth different player to find the end zone for Mount Union with a 28-yard scamper around the left edge.

The Yellow Jackets wiped out the shutout on the following possession when Cordae McAllister (Detroit, Mich./Ferndale) hauled in a long pass from Ambrose in double coverage for a 54-yard touchdown with 10:37 remaining in the third quarter. DC's point-after kick sailed wide left, but a Mount Union penalty gave Defiance a second chance after the score. The Yellow Jackets lined up to go for two, but Tyshaun Freeman's (Macon, Ga./Westside) rush up the middle was stuffed for no gain.

Mount Union answered the Defiance score with a pair of explosive plays. Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown, but it was nullified by a holding penalty shortly after starting his return. On the next snap, Parker took an inside handoff 71 yards to put those erased points back on the board and accounted for his second rushing score of the afternoon. Parker also finished with 167 yards on 14 carries.

The Purple Raiders tacked on a field goal as time expired in the third and scored their fourth rushing touchdown of the contest with 1:26 left in the game.

DC's Ambrose threw for 145 yards, one score and was picked off twice in the defeat. Khari Hurt (Detroit, Mich./Hazel Park) led the charge on the ground with 39 yards and four attempts, highlighted by Defiance's longest run of the game for 35 yards during the fourth quarter.

Mount Union quarterback Braxton Plunk, the leading passer in DIII last season with 4,551 yards, was an efficient 25-for-31 for 231 yards and a pair of scores. His leading target was Wayne Ruby Jr. with six grabs for 71 yards.

Brian Murat (Kissimmee, Fla./Haines City) was DC's top tackler with 14 stops to go with 13 tackles by V'Sean Palmer (Dayton, Ohio/Thurgood Marshall). Defiance punter Mathew Bolanos (Long Beach, Calif./Temescal Canyon) had a brilliant afternoon booting the football with five punts that averaged 49.8 yards, including three inside the 20 and a long of 68 yards.

The defeat for the Yellow Jackets is the 14th straight season-opening loss while also falling to 0-7 all-time against the Purple Raiders.

The Yellow Jackets hit the road next to Adrian next Saturday with kickoff against the Bulldogs scheduled for 1 p.m.

-JACKETS-