#13 Tartans End Season With Heartbreak Loss at #5 Mount Union, 24-19, in NCAA Third Round

(ALLIANCE, Ohio) – The Carnegie Mellon University football team, ranked 13th nationally, traveled to Alliance, Ohio on Saturday for a third-round showdown in the 2024 NCAA Division III Football Tournament against fifth-ranked University of Mount Union. A gritty back-and-forth game marked by tough ground game found the Purple Raiders outlasting the Tartans 24-19 to bring Carnegie Mellon's 2024 campaign to a close. The Tartans finished the season with a share of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) title and a trip to the Round of 16 in the Division III playoffs.

Game Information
Carnegie Mellon 19, Mount Union 24
Records: Carnegie Mellon (10-2), Mount Union (12-0
Location: Alliance, Ohio (Kehres Stadium)

How it Happened

• Mount Union got on the board first with a 1-yard draw from senior quarterback TJ Deshields, capping a seven-play, 36-yard drive of 4:06 to go up 7-0 with 8:24 left in the first quarter.
• Carnegie Mellon responded with an 11-play, 67-yard drive of 5:08, topped with a 12-yard strike over the middle from graduate student quarterback Ben Mills to sophomore wide receiver Brendan McCullough, leveling the score at 7-7 with 3:12 left in the first.
• The Tartans found the endzone again behind the legs of junior quarterback Joey McGinnis IV, who scampered in from 17 yards to finish a 13-play, 88-yard drive of 6:42 to set the score at 13-7 with 7:34 left in the first half.
• The Purple Raiders answered with a 13-yard outside run for the score from senior running back Tyler Echeverry, wrapping a six-play, 51-yard drive of 2:43 to take a 14-13 lead to close the half.
• Mount Union opened the second half of play with a 41-yard field goal off the leg of sophomore kicker Ivan Maric, closing a nine-play, 42-yard drive of 3:40 to increase the lead to 17-13 at the 11:20 mark in the third quarter.
• The Purple Raiders returned to the endzone on a six-play, 75-yard drive of 2:49, resulting in a two-yard rushing score from Echeverry to up the lead to 24-13 with 7:32 left in the third quarter.
• Carnegie Mellon cut into the lead with a 9-yard pitch and catch from Mills to sophomore wide receiver Reece Kolke, wrapping a massive 16-play, 75-yard drive of 8:17 to close the gap to 24-19. This would close scoring for the game.

Stats

• The Purple Raiders outgained the Tartans to the tune of 361-325 on an even 67 plays each.
• Mills led the Tartan passing game with 187 yards on 17-of-29 completions and two touchdowns.
• Tartan graduate student running back Tre Vasiliadis led the Tartan ground game with 99 yards on 22 carries, crossing the 1000-yard mark for the season.
• McCullough led the Tartan receiving corps with nine catches for 98 yards and a touchdown.
• Sophomore defensive back Ethan Ming led the Tartan defense with a career-high 11 tackles and a pass breakup. Senior defensive back Nolan Pitsenberger added 10 tackles for the Tartans.

Game Notes

• This is the Tartans ninth appearance in the NCAA postseason (1978, 1979, 1983, 1985, 1990, 2006, 2021, 2022).
• The Tartans now have a 5-8 record in the NCAA playoffs.
• Mount Union leads the all-time series 3-0. This was the first meeting since 1912.
• McCullough set the single season record for receptions with 71 receptions this season. The single-season record was 66 set by John Prather in 2016.
• McCullough now ranks 5th in career receptions with 95.
• Vasiliadis rushed for 1,050 yards this season. It marks the 10th time in program history a player has reached the 1,000-yard plateau. Vasiliadis rushed for 1,120 yards in 2021.
• The 10 wins this season marks the third straight season the Tartans recorded double-digit wins.