Stagg Bowl rematch next for Mount Union

Raiders cruised into semifinals

The Plain Dealer

ALLIANCE

Mount Union has the rematch it has either been hoping for, or dreading, since last year’s Stagg Bowl loss to Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The Purple Raiders defeated Wesley College, 56-35, in an NCAA Division III quarterfinal Saturday at Mount Union Stadium.

No. 1-ranked Mount Union (13-0) advanced to a semifinal on Saturday against playoff nemesis No. 3 Wisconsin-Whitewater (12-1). Whitewater beat No. 5 Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 31-29, in their quarterfinal.

Whitewater beat Mount Union, 43-34, and in the Stagg Bowl last year, and 52-14 in 2013. The two teams have played in nine of the last 10 national championship games, with Whitewater winning six times.

Saturday’s meeting will be their first in an earlier playoff round. The game site and time will be announced today.

“I look at it as another game, an obstacle to our goal,” Mount Union guard Michael Frank said.

After losing to Mount Union in last year’s semifinal, Wesley coach Mike Drass virtually guaranteed a Mount Union win in the Stagg Bowl, which became a rallying cry for Whitewater.

“I got to be honest with you. I want to see Mount Union win it,” Drass said Saturday. “I think they’re an outstanding team. Maybe I’d say something different if I was sitting in Wisconsin right now, but I think that [Mount Union] is the best team in the country.”

The Purple Raiders are in the semifinals for the 21st consecutive season and have won the last 10.

Quarterback Taurice Scott led Mount Union with six touchdowns Saturday — five passing and one rushing. Scott, who was a wideout last year, had a career day with 330 yards passing (25-of-31) with one interception.

Tailback Logan Nemeth rushed for a career-high 218 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.

The Purple Raiders’ victory was a game of runs, and No. 11 Wesley (11-2) had Mount Union on the run in the second half.

Mount Union scored four TDs in the final 6:30 of the second quarter and cruised into halftime with a 49-14 lead. However, during that run, Mount Union lost All-American cornerback Tre Jones to an injury, and the Purple Raiders missed him.

Wesley senior Joe Callahan, who leads all college quarterbacks in passing yards per game (390), keyed a second-half surge with touchdowns passes on three consecutive possessions for a 49-35 deficit.

He increased the pressure, driving the Wolverines to the Mount Union 13-yard line.

Mount Union produced its biggest stop of the playoffs thus far, killing the drive on downs with 5:26 remaining. Safety Will Hiteshue had a tackle and a pass breakup. Mike Furda pressured Callahan into a fourth-down incompletion.

Nemeth secured the victory moments later with a 73-yard touchdown run, busting loose on an inside handoff.

“I was just trying to hit the whole hard and get outside,” Nemeth said. “Roman [Namdar] blocked a dude 20 yards down field, which really helped. We needed momentum. We needed some play to get a spark in us.’’

Mount Union grabbed a 21-0 lead early, scoring three TDs in a span of 3:05 with the help of a Wesley fumble recovered by Hank Spencer.