Cincinnati, Ohio—Homecoming proved to be a fruitful day for the Mount St. Joseph University Football program. With several notable Mount Football Alumni in attendance the Lions cruised to a 28-0 victory over Manchester University. This win advances the Lions record to (4-2) overall and (3-0) in the Heartland Conference play.
From the opening drive the Lions were in control of the game, scoring on the third play, when Tyler Prather found Austin Brock for a 65 yard touchdown. This gave the Lions a very early lead, however this score was followed by several stops by both defense's. Finally after a long lull in action, Brady Buller came up with a strip sack followed by a Julius Fisher recovery to give the offense great field position, starting at their own 11 yard line. On third down of this drive Prather found Jake Ayler who successfully ran through several Manchester defenders on his way into the end-zone to extend the lead to 14-0. On the ensuing Manchester drive the Mount defense forced another three and out, that led to Zykeem Hunley returning a Manchester punt 48 yards to the Lions 12 yard line. This saw a second consecutive score by the Lions, capped off by a Mariano McKenzie rushing touchdown for five yards, making the lead 21-0. This was the end of the scoring in the first half for both teams.
Starting the second half the Lions defense forced another three and out, thanks in part to a Fisher sack on the Manchester third down. However the Mount offense was unable to assemble any scores the second half. The lone Lions score of the second half came from special teams, when Devon Donaworth recovered a fumbled snap by Manchester's Punter for a touchdown, extending the Lions lead to 28-0. Late in the fourth Manchester's offense was able to start with great field position in their own red-zone, with an opportunity to score for the first time of the game. On third and goal from their own one yard line, Anthony Wright came up with a sack to kill all momentum that the Manchester offense had built, seeing them turn the ball over on downs, after an incomplete pass.
All being told the Lions defense was great all game, scoring their first shutout of the season, while forcing three turnovers. Jonathan Finn led the defense in tackles for the second consecutive week, registering 13. Defensive lineman Decklan Brophy had a phenomenal game, finishing with 10 total tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1.5 sacks. Anthony Wright continued to build upon his impressive run as he came away with several big stops for the defense, including 9 tackles and a sack to help the Lions secure the shutout. Additionally the combination of Noah Able and Austin Price accounted for one interception each.
For the offense, there were several impressive individual days. Prather, in his second start passed for 199 yards and 2 touchdowns. These two passing touchdowns were too Brock and Ayler. Brock finished with a team high 5 catches for 88 yards, while Ayler was on the receiving end of 3 catches for 46 yards.
The Lions now look forward to extending their win streak to four in a row, when they travel to Defiance college Saturday, October 23. This game is scheduled to start at 1:30PM. For continued coverage of this game and all other MSJ athletics continue to follow msjlions.com
