Box Score Cincinnati, Ohio— Senior Day at Schueler Field yielded a tough loss for the Mount Football program. The Lions said their ceremonial goodbyes to six seniors, including Paul Minor, Tre'on Taylor, Jake Kaiser, Isiah Trimble, Cooper Earls and Trevor Thome. These seniors have made a lasting impact on the program as they were key in changing the culture of the program. The game itself saw the Lions lose in tough fashion by a final score of 31-21 to visiting Rose-Hulman.
The game started off with a Rose-Hulman possession, in which Troy Speakman intercepted a pass to give the Lions the ball for the first time. The offense was unable to get the ball moving on the first drive, being forced to punt, which was blocked and returned for a touchdown by Rose-Hulman. In response the offense put together a 7 play 75 yard touchdown drive, capped off by a Thome rushing touchdown, scoring from the 10 yard line. This was the lone score for the Lions in the first half as they went into the half trailing 24-7.
In the second half the Lions mounted a small comeback. While the offense stalled on the first drive of the half, the defense made several stops. After the second consecutive stop the offense was able to start with great field position. This resulted in a one play scoring drive, that saw Quarterback Josh Taylor score on an 18 yard rush. After stalled drives from both offenses Rose put together an 11 play 76 yard scoring drive that lasted 7 minutes and 17 seconds. This gave the Lions little time to complete the comeback. In the final scoring drive in the fourth quarter the Lions once again found the end-zone. This drive opened up with a 35 yard completion to wide receiver Joey Newton followed by four rushes by Taylor the final rush being a 15 yard touchdown run. The Lions offense stayed on the field, going for two and converting off of another Taylor run. With just 5:56 remaining in the game Rose-Hulman put together a 9 play drive that milked 4:11 off of the clock. At this point the Lions offense took to the field with 1:45 left and were unable to get the ball moving, ending the game in a 31-21 loss.
The offense totaled 195 passing yards and 163 rushing yards for an average of 4.8 yards per carry. Taylor was the statistical leader for the Lions as he threw for 129 yards completing 60% of his passes while also running for 68 yards and 2 touchdowns. Receiver Austin Brock led the team with 7 receptions for 123 yards receiving. Additionally in the running game the Lions had two backs with significant carries. Thome had 6 touches on the game for 26 yards rushing and a touchdown. Mariano McKenzie had 8 carries for 73 total yards, thanks to an explosive 38 yard run.
Defensively the Lions had several players who stood out statistically. Jonathan Finn led the team in tackles with 14, while also splitting a sack with Noah Hammond. Additionally Julius Fisher accounted for 10 total tackles. The Lions defense forced a single turnover in the game, thanks to a Speakman interception, who also added 5 total tackles.
The Lions look to capture their first win of the season Saturday, March 20, when they travel to conference rival Franklin College. This game is set to kick off at 1:30 PM. For continued MSJ football coverage and all other Mount sports continue to follow msjlions.com
