College football: 5 things to know about the 2022 Mount Union Purple Raiders
No one needs to go out of their way to hype the Mount Union football team.
The Purple Raiders will be one of the best NCAA Division III teams again in 2022. They have been one of the nation's best teams for 30 years.
What gives this year's team a shot to have another deep run? Here are five things to keep an eye on:
Experienced Braxton Plunk back at quarterback
Braxton Plunk enters his third season as Mount Union's starting quarterback. He went 4-0 during the COVID-shortened 2021 spring season and led the Purple Raiders to a 13-1 record last fall.
Plunk is a two-time OAC Bob Packard Offensive Back of the Year winner. He has thrown for 7,042 yards and 75 touchdowns while being intercepted just 11 times in 28 career appearances.
A 2021 Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist, Plunk is expected to contend for more national honors this season.
Wayne Ruby team's best playmaker
Plunk knows great things can happen if he gets the ball in Wayne Ruby's hands. The senior receiver is the team's best playmaker.
Ruby is the reigning OAC Ed Sherman Receiver of the Year. He caught 105 passes for 1,473 yards and 13 TDs last season. His 1,473 receiving yards ranked second in the nation.
Ruby had eight 100-yard receiving games in 2021.
DeAndre Parker ready to take next step
What's in store for running back DeAndre Parker after his breakthrough 2021 season?
Parker rushed for a career-high 867 yards and 15 TDs a year ago. What makes Parker a bigger threat is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He had 55 catches for 576 yards and a TD last season.
Parker had career highs of 122 rushing yards and 142 receiving yards in Mount Union's 28-14 win at John Carroll.
Mason McMillen, Duke Hill lead defense
Mason McMillen and Duke Hill form a powerful tandem for the Purple Raiders defense.
McMillen is one of the nation’s top linebackers. The 2021 OAC Gene Slaughter Linebacker of the Year led the team in tackles with 105 (44 solo) last season.
Hill led Mount Union in sacks with 5.5 and tackles for loss with 18 from his defensive tackle position.
Extra motivation for hungry team
There’s no doubt head coach Geoff Dartt's team will be playing with a chip on its shoulder.
It has been five years since the Purple Raiders won their last national championship and four years since they last played in the title game. National droughts like that haven’t occurred during their nearly three-decade run of excellence.
Mount Union will be heavy favorites to win another OAC championship. Coming off a second national semifinal loss to North Central in three seasons, they will have hungry players eager to make the Purple Raiders national champions again when they hit the postseason.
Reach Mike at mike.popovich@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @mpopovichREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Five things about the 2022 Mount Union Purple Raiders football team
