By Matt Florjancic
D3sports.com

ALLIANCE, Ohio -- What is more stunning, Mount Union's 46.6 points per game average or the fact the Purple Raider defense has allowed 7.5 a game this season? Surely many have wondered that as the Purple Raiders complete another march to Salem, Va., when they load up the buses following practice Wednesday.

Offensively, Mount Union uses a multiple formation pro set. When the 11 men on defense take the field, they do not use a basic 4-3 front or even a less standard 3-5-3 set. The Purple Raiders utilize a 4-2-5 scheme.

Removing one of the linebackers and adding an additional cornerback gives Mount Union a nickel formation with four rushing linemen and five defensive backs.

"Basically, the 4-2-5 defense is based on the will (weak side) linebacker and the strong safety making plays," said Mount Union junior defensive end James Herbert. "It's a team defense and everybody does their job.

"My one responsibility is to take up linemen so our linebackers can make tackles," he added. "I stay at the line of scrimmage, read and react to the play. If the quarterback drops back to pass, my job is to pressure [him], force a bad decision or tackle him [for] the sack."

Herbert has executed his assignments well this season.

He is fourth on the team with 64 total stops, but leads Mount Union with 14 sacks for 87 lost yards. Of Herbert's 64 stops, 23 have been behind the line of scrimmage for 106 lost yards. He is tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles and is the only Purple Raider defender to register a safety.

The two-point defensive play came in a 51-13 victory against Muskingum in September.

For his efforts, Herbert received first-team All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors as well as the league's Paul Hoernemann Most Outstanding Defensive Lineman award. Herbert was also a D3football.com first-team All-North Region defensive end.

"I try to mix it up," Herbert said of his plan of attack at the line of scrimmage. "Sometimes, I like to bull rush them, come right at them. I like to use the speed rush, maybe counter inside, outside. The main thing is coming off the ball fast, using good hands and staying low. If you do that, you can pretty much have your way with them."

Mount Union had its way with the first four playoff opponents. They surrendered 45 points and 949 yards in four games. The best effort as a team came against Hobart when the Purple Raiders gave up 196 yards of total offense to the Statesmen.

Although he was not a starter for Mount Union in last season's Stagg Bowl, Herbert did see action in all 15 games. He registered six sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. This year, Herbert has improved every week.

Herbert is getting stronger at the right time and had his two best games of the playoffs in the last two rounds against Wheaton (five tackles, one for lost yardage) and Cortland State (four tackles, three for lost yardage, one sack, and one pass breakup).

"Teams have been scoring on us, moving the ball on us and we've been able to handle it well," said Herbert. "We've been able to keep our composure and see how we bounce back from [adversity]. Each team is a stepping stone. We don't take any team for granted. That helped in a big way because they're really good teams and they're in the playoffs for a reason.

"In any type of defense, it starts up front," Herbert said. "Regardless of the skill you have, you have to win at the line of scrimmage. It always starts up front with the o-line and d-line. Whoever controls the line of scrimmage, more often than not, will win the game."

Even if Herbert is not able to sack the quarterback, he has "100 percent" confidence in the secondary's ability to lock down receivers. Mount Union's defense has intercepted 11 passes on the season, three of which have gone back for Purple Raider touchdowns.

Junior cornerback Ryan Renbarger leads the team with three interceptions. He, Daryl Ely and Lambert Budzinski have returned interceptions for Mount Union touchdowns this season.

"Offense helps defense, defense helps offense," Herbert said of the 18 turnovers forced by Mount Union this season. "When we're out there, we want to do our job and put them in good field position so they can score. We help each other out as much as we can.

"No doubt in mind my, I know they'll do their thing," Herbert added about the secondary. "With our defense, someone always comes out to play. Someone always comes up with a stop when I necessarily don't have a chance. I'm not worried about anything."

This weekend, the Mount Union defense gets a chance to redeem itself after last season's 31-21 Stagg Bowl loss to UW-Whitewater. The Warhawks' point total was the most allowed by the Purple Raiders since a 34-31 regional final victory against Capital in 2005.

Though others mention the loss in last year's Stagg Bowl, it is not a point of emphasis for Mount Union's coaching staff and players.

"We have in the back of our minds what happened, but we're going to play our defense, stick to our scheme and do what we do," Herbert said. "Last year plays in some of the players' minds, but in preparation, it's not a factor. Of course we can fix some of the things we didn't do last year. We're looking at ourselves and doing our thing to win the game."

Mount Union hopes to do in 2008 what it couldn't do in 2007, shut down the UW-Whitewater offense.

In Stagg Bowl XXXV, the Warhawks had 410 yards of total offense and scored 31 points. And while most of the offense came in the form of seniors from last season, so did most of the Mount Union defense.

If the Purple Raiders want to get pressure against the UW-Whitewater offensive line, it needs to start up front, with defensive end James Herbert and the rest of the line. The story, in a Road to Salem feature by Matt Florjancic.

Playoff toolbox: Bracket | Pick 'em | Playoff photos | All-Region This week's ATN Podcast | Video: Watch Gagliardi ceremony

For UW-Whitewater, this season keys around the man calling the signals, Jeff Donovan. Scroll down for more or go directly to a Road to Salem feature by Bill Huber.

Our Stagg Bowl XXXVI sideline reporter, Frank Rossi, will bring you a first-hand look at the events around the Stagg Bowl from a first-timer's perspective. Check out his posts on the Daily Dose.

We'll also have more features throughout the week, including our predictions on Friday and a look at this new rivalry that is playing out at the highest level of Division III football.

Then, join us for the All-American announcement and pregame show on Saturday morning, as well as our online audio broadcast of the game. Listen to the national broadcast crew that knows the teams and keep the TV on mute.