Football bounces back after loss to Mount Union

On September 15, the #1 nationally-ranked University of Mount Union Purple Raiders came to Berea and proved why they are recognized as the top team in the country, beating the Baldwin Wallace University football team 56-21.

When Deion Greer ran the ball in for BW’s first points of the game with 10:09 remaining in the first quarter, they became the first team to score on Mount Union since the third quarter of the 2017 Stagg Bowl (National Championship Game) on December 15.

An interception off a Hudson pass that was returned for a touchdown and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that took away a receiving touchdown dug BW deep in a 48-14 hole at the intermission that they were unable to come back from.

In the contest, Jake Hudson threw for 216 yards and a touchdown. Junior Deion Greer, senior Ty Gallo and junior Lyle Grant all found the end zone in the 56-21 loss. After the game, Hudson was named the BW Frank Ropollo Offensive Player of the Game and junior Raheem Wilson was named BW Dick Miller Defensive Player of the Game for his efforts.

In their first road contest of the year, on September 22, BW took on the Student Princes of Heidelberg University and bounced back from a tough game in Week 3, improving their record to 3-1 after the 34-10 victory.

After Heidelberg was able to score on the first offensive snap of the game, BW answered with 13 straight points of their own, giving them a 13-7 lead at the conclusion of the first quarter. Two touchdown passes by Hudson to senior Chad Steinwachs and junior Niejel Henderson respectively gave the Jackets early momentum that they rode for the rest of the game.

After their big first quarter, BW was able to score two rushing touchdowns by Deion Greer and Hudson to take a 20-point lead into the half. The second half only saw 10 points scored between the two teams, a 23-yard field goal by Heidelberg in the third stanza and a five-yard rush from Hudson with 7:52 remaining in the game.

The Yellow Jacket defense swarmed the Student Princes, holding them to just 299 total yards of offense. Sophomore Taino Arocho led the defense with six solo tackles and junior Matt Dunning added five. Senior Wezlee Spence recorded two sacks and senior Parker Hoffler tallied two tackles for loss.

Hudson completed 18 of his 27 pass attempts, recording 256 yards and two touchdowns. The senior captain also added two touchdowns rushing the ball.  Hudson was named OAC Offensive Player of the week for the second time in his career after registering 316 yards of total offense and four total touchdowns.

Senior Jordan Leverette led the receivers with six catches for 109 yards.

Head coach Jim Hilvert was proud of the way his team came back from their first loss of the season, “the Jackets did not flinch in the face of adversity,” said Hilvert. “They kept playing very hard in a hostile environment and responded every time they needed to throughout the game. It was a great way to bounce back after a tough loss the week before.”

The Jackets will be back on the road for a Week 5 OAC matchup against the Capital Crusaders on Saturday, September 29.

When asked about the second consecutive road contest for the Yellow Jackets, Hilvert said, “we face another tough opponent in Capital this week. They have a lot of fire power on offense and we are playing on the road again. We have to have another great week of preparation. We must take one game at a time and keep getting better every week.”

The Jackets will then take a bye week before they gear up for their next home game against Muskingum University on October 13, which will see the 1978 National Championship team reunite and honor this year’s hall of fame inductees.