Trending
MOUNT UNION -- Glendale proved a lot has changed since its 41-point loss to Mount Union last season.
The Vikings fought and clawed their way back from several key mistakes to take a three-point lead on the Trojans late in the third quarter on Friday, but the explosiveness of Mount Union running back Nasir Collins proved to be too much.
It took Collins one play to give the Trojans the lead back when he broke an ankle tackle and went 64 yards for a score in Mount Union's eventual 38-31 win.
The touchdown run was the highlight of a 17-carry, 172-yard and two-touchdown performance from Collins.
"He's a special football player, and you hope for those special plays," Mount Union coach Jamie Brumbaugh said. "It's a great benefit to have him. Between Josh (Ryan) running inside and Nas outside, it's a great combination that can get us some big plays."
Play of the game: Collins' run shifted the momentum, but a pair of costly snaps truly did in the Vikings. The first came on a 31-yard loss when Glendale was trying to punt that set up George Bilger's 12-yard touchdown catch, and the second was with Glendale down three but driving on Mount Union's 24 early in the fourth quarter. The bad snap led to a 19-yard loss and an eventual punt before the Trojans went up two scores.
"Not taking anything away from Mount Union, because they are a great team, but I know when we look at the film we'll see we made a lot of mistakes," Glendale coach Dave "Spank" Trexler said. "You can't really do it in any game, but in a game like this against a team like that, it's going to be magnified. We have to stop being our own worst enemy in certain situations."
Player of the game: Collins, who also had a catch for 34 yards and helped run out the clock on Mount Union's final possession by picking up two game-clinching first downs.
Unsung hero: Glendale's Landen McGarvey, who compiled no offensive statistics but was the lead blocker on almost every play the Vikings ran.
"We have a lot in for him, but it didn't seem like his number came up as being the guy as far as a play," Trexler said. "But he does all the other stuff like blocking on the edge that makes us better. He can bounce to the backfield or go up to the line. It puts a lot on him, but it benefits us because we get two players out of one. He's a hybrid player, but don't be surprised if you see his stats go up, because he is a weapon. We just haven't utilized him the way we can."
Most vital statistic: Glendale's two bad snaps accounted for a total loss of 50 yards. Along with a fumble the Vikings did lose, those plays led to three Mount Union touchdowns.
"It's a lesson, and we have to learn from it," McGarvey said. "We have a long season ahead of us still. We have to keep chugging along and figure things out."
Brumbaugh: "We challenged them this week to be physical in practice. You could see the size differential we were up against, but we played bigger than we are."
Trexler: "We know we have playmakers, but it's kind of a pick-your-spot mindset. We're not built, as far as depth, to get into track meets. We like to play defense and keep it more controlled, but it's positive to see when our offense is able to do different things, and it's growing each week."
McGarvey: "The goal is a playoff run. That's what we're looking toward, for sure. We have to just keep growing week by week. Our defense has been on the edge lately, so we have to fix that up."
Notable: Sutton had three touchdown runs and also threw a 30-yard touchdown pass on a reverse to Rhylan Hoopsick-Bell. ... India James was selected as Mount Union's homecoming queen. ... Ryan had two touchdown runs, including a 24-yarder with 8:51 left that made it 38-28. ... Glendale's Ryder Krise was 4-for-4 on extra points and made a 25-yard field goal.
Records: Glendale (4-2); Mount Union (5-1).
Next week: Glendale is at Claysburg-Kimmel, and Mount Union travels to Juniata Valley next Friday.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Glendale 7 7 14 3 -- 31
Mount Union 12 13 6 7 -- 38
First Quarter
G--Sutton 5 run (Krise kick), 6:31.
MU--Hobbs 1 run (run failed), 4:06.
MU--Bilger 12 pass from Hobbs (run failed), 1:50.
Second Quarter
MU--Ryan 1 run (Swanger kick), 11:15.
G--Sutton 5 run (Krise kick), 5:19.
MU--Collins 7 run (kick failed), :46.
Third Quarter
G--Hoopsick-Bell 30 pass from Sutton (Krise kick), 8:02.
G--Sutton 3 run (Krise kick), 3:19.
MU--Collins 64 run (pass failed), 2:58.
Fourth Quarter
MU--Ryan 24 run (Swanger kick), 8:51.
G--Krise 25 FG, 4:25.
TEAM STATISTICS G MU
First downs 12 12
Total yards 225 303
Rushes-yards 39-65 33-257
Yards passing 160 46
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 8-12-0 2-4-0
Punts-avg. 3-25 1-20
Fumbles-lost 5-1 2-2
Penalties-yards 4-22 4-30
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Glendale, Sutton 17-54, Dreibelbis 9-33, Skebeck 10-20, Meyers 1-8, TEAM 2-(-50). Mount Union, Collins 17-172, Ryan 9-66, Hobbs 4-13, Weirich 1-8, TEAM 2-(-2).
PASSING--Glendale, Skebeck 7-11-0-160, Sutton 1-1-0-30. Mount Union, Hobbs 2-4-0-46.
RECEIVING--Glendale, Dreibelbis 3-55, Hoopsick-Bell 2-47, Sutton 2-36, Kitko 1-22. Mount Union, Collins 1-34, Bilger 1-12.