Mount football team gives up late TD in 14-7 road loss at Bluffton University

Bluffton University scored the go-ahead touchdown with 4:50 to play, and forced a turnover on the Lions second-to-last drive of the game, as they held on to post a 14-7 home win over the Mount on Saturday afternoon. The Lions, 1-2 overall, 0-2 in the HCAC, are back in action on Sept. 29 when they host a conference game against Anderson University. The game will be the Mount football team's annual Pink Ribbon Girls game.

Both teams moved the ball throughout the early going of the game, with Bluffton finally putting points on the scoreboard when they went into the endzone on a five-yard TD rush. The PAT kick gave the Beavers a 7-0 lead at 7:55 in the first quarter. The TD capped a 14-play, 70-yard drive for the Beavers, and they would be the only points either team would record in the first 30 minutes of action. The Beavers held a 12-5 advantage in first downs in the first half and had 161 yards of total offense to the Lions' 120 yards of offense. James Clay (Louisville, KY/duPont Manual) was the Lions' bright spot in the first half, as he rushed for 102 yards while quarterback Jason Stinebaugh (Springboro, OH/Springboro) was three-for-four for 22 yards passing. Bluffton also controlled the clock, holding an advantage of 17:29 to 12:31 in possession time.

The Lions' Joe Frakes (Columbus, OH/Hamilton Township) recovered a Bluffton fumble on the Beavers' first possession of the second half, at the Bluffton 49-yard line and Mount drove down to tie the score at seven-all when Clay capped a nine-play, 3:35 drive with a four-yard TD run. Daniel Dripps (Wapakoneta, OH/Wapakoneta) added the PAT kick. Both teams would move the ball freely in the second half, but were hurt by turnovers as the Lions suffered a lost fumble, and two interceptions in the fourth quarter alone. The Mount missed a go-ahead field goal from 42 yards early in the fourth quarter, and saw their second-to-last drive end with an interception at the Bluffton seven-yard line with just over two minutes remaining in the game.

Clay finished with 225 yards rushing in the game, as the Mount amassed 253 yards on the ground to the Beavers' 189 yards rushing. Stinebaugh completed eight-of-16 passes for 53 yards as Jake Koopman (Cincinnati, OH/St. Xavier) and Christian Compton (Orlando, FL/Lake Nona) each had two receptions. Bluffton held a 17-16 edge in first downs and a 30:21-29:39 advantage in time of possession, despite the Mount controlling the ball for 17:08 in the second half. The Lions were five-of-14 on third down to Bluffton's two-of-13. Bluffton completed 10-of-14 passes for 104 yards, was sacked twice and lost two fumbles. Konnor Blevins (Cincinnati, OH/Lakota West) had a game-high 17 tackles for the Lions while Garrett Breiner (Louisville, KY/Male) added 11 tackles.