Mount Union, Bethel will clash in semifinal

Staff report

ALLIANCE

The Mount Union football team plays host to Bethel (Minn.) in a NCAA Division III national semifinal today at noon.

Mount Union (13-0) is ranked No. 2 by D3football.com. Bethel (12-1) earned an at-large bid to the tournament after finishing second in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The Royals’ only regular-season loss was to St. Thomas (Minn.), but they avenged that loss last week, 12-7, in the national quarterfinals.

Bethel has won three straight road playoff games, all against ranked opponents, by using a dominating rushing attack.

Senior Logan Flannery rushed for 200 yards last week vs. St. Thomas and became the school and conference’s all-time leading rusher with 5,253 yards.

This season Flannery has 1,857 yards on the ground.

Kevin Lindh has added 637 yards rushing and quarterback Josh Aakre has 612 yards rushing and 1,430 yards passing.

Bethel’s defense is ranked fourth in Div. III with 227.4 yards per game. The Royals are also No. 4 in scoring defense (11.2 points per game).

Linebacker Billy Morgan leads Bethel with 81.5 tackles.

Last week, Mount Union defeated Alfred (N.Y.) 37-7.

Running back Jeremy Murray led the way with 33 carries for 122 yards and a touchdown. It was Murray’s seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season. He is ranked 11th in Div. III with 127.1 yards rushing per game.

Quarterback Neal Seaman overcame a slow start to complete 20 of 37 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown to Cecil Short.

Shorts caught nine passes for 115 yards.

The Purple Raiders gained 430 yards and held Alfred to 149 total yards.

Mount Union is ranked No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense (6.9 points per game) and second in total defense (194.4 yards per game).

Defensive lineman Lambert Budzinski leads the Purple Raiders with 94 tackles and 17 sacks. Sam Kershaw has 83 tackles, while Charles Dieuseul has 65 tackles and nine sacks.

The winner of today’s game advances to the Stagg Bowl on Dec. 18 in Salem, Va.