Morale victories. Not often celebrated in the world of college sports, but with Otterbein football holding Mount Union to just 21 points Saturday Oct. 5, the Cardinal community has reason to believe again in the program.
The Purple Raiders arrived in Westerville as the No. 4 ranked team in the nation and was 3-0 with two conference wins against John Carroll and Baldwin Wallace.
Otterbein’s struggles this year and in previous years have been well documented. The Cardinals came into the OAC matchup with a 0-3 record, off the back of a heavy defeat to Marietta. The team had yet to eclipse 14 points in a single game, and that was not set to change in the contest against Mount Union.
While Otterbein would not be able to rectify its offensive struggles, being blanked by the Purple Raiders, they would only give up 21 points, the lowest points conceded to them since 1991. In fact, this was the closest contest between the two clubs since 2010, where Mount Union won 28-10.
The overall statistics paint a picture that shows that this game was perhaps tighter than the three-score deficit final score. The Cardinals ran more plays and possessed the football longer than Mount Union. Despite a large amount of penalties, the game remained a one possession contest deep into the third quarter and would stay close for all four quarters.
“The game against Mount Union really put to light how hard this works daily. Our coaches have been great pushing us to be our best and challenging us to be better everyday,” said senior wide receiver Declan Jewitt.
While the game as a whole was notable because of the competitiveness, without a doubt the most impressive moment came in the fourth quarter, when senior defensive back Vincent Fisher made a spectacular one handed interception, a play that would get him featured on ESPN’s “College Football Final.”
“Going into the fourth as a defense we were determined to not let them score again, and from the look of the formation they were in I knew they were going to try to take a shot on us…just put my hand out there and gripped it. It was the most exciting play I've ever made,” Fisher said.
The Cardinals continue their OAC slate in Berea to face Baldwin Wallace this Saturday. Otterbein returns home Oct. 26 to play Capital in the battle for the oar.
