Mount Union rolls into final

By Eric Hamilton

The Purple Raiders socked Wheaton, 45-24, to gain their 12th national title game.

ALLIANCE — Mount Union quarterback Greg Micheli can pass — he leads the nation in passing efficiency.

He can run — he has rushed for 459 yards (5 yards per carry) this season.

But with his team on the brink of advancing to a fourth straight Stagg Bowl, the senior signal-caller showed that he knows how to block, too.

Micheli laid a key block on a Wheaton defender to spring teammate Nate Kmic free for a 49-yard touchdown that gave the Purple Raiders 24-0 lead and all but sealed the deal on Mount Union’s 45-24 victory Saturday in the NCAA Division III national semifinals.

Mount Union advances to its 12th national championship game. The Purple Raiders will play Wisconsin-Whitewater in search of their 10th title. It will be the fourth straight season those two teams have played for the championship.

The Purple Raiders won in 2005 and 2006 and the Warhawks triumphed in 2007.

“I just saw the crease like Nate did and there was only one defender to beat and I had the best shot at blocking him,” said Micheli, who accounted for 301 total yards (225 passing and 76 rushing). “I was just trying to get in his way and stay out of Nate’s way.”

Mount Union scored on five of their six possessions in the first half, including four touchdowns and a field goal.

Micheli threw scoring tosses to Cecil Shorts (11 yards) and A.J. Claycomb (20 yards). He also scored on a 1-yard run.

After being limited to a field goal on its opening possession, Mount Union took advantage of a Wheaton fumble to get in the end zone.

The Purple Raiders drove 40 yards in five plays, scoring via an 11-yard pass from Micheli to Shorts. That put Mount Union ahead 10-0.

Mount Union’s other shining star was All-American running back Kmic, who had his fourth straight 200-yard playoff game with 310 yards. He became the NCAA’s career rushing leader, breaking the record of 7,962 by Chadron State’s Danny Woodhead (2004-07).

Kmic has rushed for 8,986 yards in his Mount Union career. He has also scored more touchdowns (128) and scored more points (768) than any player at any level of college football.

“It’s truly a great honor and something special,” Kmic said. “But right now, I’m the happiest about us getting back to the Stagg Bowl. This is where we wanted to be and I’m happy we get another shot.

“I feel like I personally let the seniors down last year, so they will be in my thoughts this week.”

Mount Union coach Larry Kehres was pleased with both the game’s outcome and Kmic’s milestone.

“I’m happy it [the record] happened here at our place,” Kehres said. “It was nice to be able to appreciate the moment. With great players, their accomplishments speak for themselves, so there’s really nothing I can say better than that.

“Both teams had some big plays today and we knew Wheaton had some good skill players, but so do we. Our defense played well against the run today and offensively, we have an increasing number of players playing a part.”

Mount Union will face Wisconsin-Whitewater for the sixth time overall, having beaten them twice in the regular season (2002 and 2003) and twice in the Stagg Bowl (2005 and 2006).

But in the 2007 Stagg Bowl, the Warhawks defeated the Purple Raiders.

Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.