Mount Union is the unanimous number one team in the nation in the final D3football.com Top 25, while Otterbein finished 19th in the final poll.  You can see the entire final D3football.com Top 25 poll here.

 

Kmic finished his career as college football’s all-time leading rushing with 8,074 yards.  This season he ran for a record 2,790 yards with 43 rushing and 44 total touchdowns as he led the Purple Raiders to their tenth national championship.

Mount Union senior running back Nate Kmic was named the D3football.com Offensive Player of the Year and a total of seven Purple Raiders were named to the D3football.com All-American Team, including four first-team recipients.

 

Receiving first-team honors along with Kmic were senior quarterback Greg Micheli, senior offensive tackle Luke Summers and senior defensive end James Herbert.

 

Senior cornerback Daryl Ely and junior wide receiver Cecil Shorts were each tabbed to the third-team, while junior defensive tackle Matt Williamson received Honorable Mention honors.

 

In addition, I've posted our game story of Mount Union's 31-26 win over Wis-Whitewater in the 36th Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.  You can read it here.

 

Mount Union jumped out to a 14-0 early lead on two long Greg Micheli to Cecil Shorts touchdowns and went on to defeat Wis-Whitewater 31-26 to win the NCAA Division III national championship this afternoon at Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia.

 

Micheli was named the game's Most Outstanding Player after throwing for 262 yards and rushing for 56.

 

Nate Kmic ran for 88 yards and one score and became the first player in college football history to run for 8,000 yards, finishing his career with 8,074 rushing yards.

 

Drew McCLain returned an interception 78 yards for a touchdown to give the Purple Raiders a 31-13 lead with 11:59 to play.  Chad Reynolds recovered a Warhawk onside kick attempt with 1:11 remaining to seal the win.

 

The national title is Mount Union's 10th in 12 Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl appearances.

 

I've added some audio highlights from the Purple Raiders semifinal playoff win over Wheaton (IL) at Mount Union Stadium. You can hear them here.

 

Mount Union senior quarterback Greg Micheli has been named the 2008 Gagliardi Trophy recipient as outstanding Division III football player.  He will receive the award this week in Salem, Virginia kicking off festivities for the 2008 Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.

 

The Gagliardi Trophy recognizes excellence in academics, athletics and community service.  Micheli is the nation’s top rated passer with a 208.8 passer rating.  He has completed 75.7% of his passes for 3,481 yards and 34 touchdowns with just two interceptions.  For his career, he is 566 of 761 (74.4%) for 8,217 with 79 touchdowns to just nine interceptions.  His career passer rating of 197.0 makes him the highest rated passer in college football history just ahead of former Purple Raider Bill Borchert (1994-97) who had a 194.2 rating.

 

The academic All-American, with a 3.84 GPA in physics and math, was recently named recipient of an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship from the National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame.  Micheli is a member of the Mount Union College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and volunteers in an elementary school program.
 

Miicheli is the fifth football player from Mount Union to receive this honor.  Jim Ballard won the inaugural award in 1993, while Bill Borchert won the trophy in 1997, Chuck Moore was the recipient in 2001 and Dan Pugh claimed the prize in 2002.  No other institution has had more than two winners.  You can see the entire list of Gagliardi Trophy winners here.

 

The Sports Information Director's office at Mount Union College has posted some game notes for Saturday's NCAA Division III National Championship game between the Purple Raiders and the Wis-Whitewater Warhawks in Salem, Virginia.  You can read them here.

 

 

There are a limited number of tickets available on campus at Mount Union College for the 36th Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.  They will be available in person at the Information Desk of the Hoover-Price Campus Center Monday and Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Tickets can also be purchased by phone by calling the Salem Civic Center at (540) 375-3004.  Adult tickets are $12.50 if purchased in advance and $15.00 on game day.  The Purple Raiders will be the home team in this year's championship game and Mount Union fans will be located on the west side of Salem Stadium.

 

In addition, I've posted our game story of Mount Union's 45-24 win over Wheaton (IL) in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.  You can read it here.

 

Nate Kmic ran for 310 yards and scored three touchdowns in leading Mount Union to a 45-24 victory over Wheaton (IL) in the national semifinals this afternoon in Alliance, OH.

 

In doing so, Kmic became the career rushing leader in NCAA football history with 7,986 yards.

 

Greg Micheli completed 19 of 26 passes for 225 yards and two scores, and added 76 rushing yards and one touchdown.

 

Cecil Shorts and A.J. Claycomb caught the touchdowns while Vince Petruziello led all receivers with 133 yards on nine receptions.

 

Mount Union will face Wis-Whitewater next Saturday in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.  The Warhawks defeated Mary Hardin-Baylor 39-13 today.  The Purple Raiders will be looking for their 10th national championship while Whitewater is after its second. 

 

This will be a rematch of the last three title games, two of which were won by Mount Union with the Warhawks claiming the championship last year.  The game will be broadcast live from Salem Stadium in Salem, VA on ESPN2 with kickoff at 11:00 a.m.

 

Mount Union senior quarterback Greg Micheli is one of four regional finalists for the 16th annual Gagliardi Trophy.

 

The award, presented to the outstanding football player in NCAA Division III, honors excellence in athletics, academics and community service.  The award program is sponsored by Jostens, Inc. and conducted by the J-Club of St. John's (MN).

 

The four regional finalists along with Micheli, from the North Region, are: Augsburg's Jordan Berg , QB, Augsburg (West Region); Jason Boltus, QB, Hartwick (East Region); and Juan Joseph, QB, Millsaps (South Region).

 

The national winner will be announced on Tuesday, December 16th and the recipient will be presented with the trophy on Thursday, December 18th in Salem, VA.

 

Four Purple Raider football players have previously won the trophy: Dan Pugh (2002), Chuck Moore (2001), Bill Borchert (1997) and Jim Ballard (1993).

 

Mount Union Head Coach Larry Kehres has been named a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year.
 

The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year is presented by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame and celebrates responsible coaching and commitment to excellence on and off the field.

The winner will be recognized in an exhibit at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, IN and Liberty Mutual will award $50,000 to support the winning coach's civic and charitable organization, as well as $20,000 to the alumni association of the winning coach's school.

Fans will be able to vote on the finalists for each division by going here and that will make up 20-percent of the final results, while a committee of hall of fame coaches and players make up 55-percent and national college football media the other 25-percent.

Winners in each division will be announced at halftime of the Music City Bowl on December 31st on ESPN.

 

Mount Union Head Coach Larry Kehres has been  named a 2008 American Football Coaches Association Division III Regional Coach of the Year.
 

This marks the 13th time Kehres has received an AFCA District/Regional Coach of the Year honor, a record for any coach at any level.

 

A 1971 graduate of Mount Union College, Kehres is 273-21-3 (.924) in his 23rd season at his Alma mater.  He has built one of the most successful programs in all of college football, winning 19 conference titles, including 17 in a row, and nine NCAA Division III National Championships.

 

The winners are selected by active members of the AFCA who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions.  Five winners in each division of football (FBS, FCS, NCAA Division II and III along with the NAIA) will be honored and a National Coach of the Year in each division will be named at the AFCA Convention this coming January in Nashville, TN.

 

The Mount Union College SID's office has posted some game notes for Saturday's NCAA Division III Semifinal playoff game between the Purple Raiders and Wheaton Thunder at Mount Union Stadium.  You can read them here.

 

In addition, I've added some audio highlights from the Purple Raiders quarterfinal playoff win over Cortland State at Mount Union Stadium. You can hear them here.

 

I've posted our game story of Mount Union's 41-14 win over Cortland State in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.  You can read it here.

 

Nate Kmic ran for 227 yards and scored four times in leading the Purple Raiders to a 41-14 win over Cortland State in the national quarterfinals this afternoon at Mount Union Stadium.

 

Kmic scored on runs of one, two, two and three yards, while Greg Micheli hit Chad Reynolds for a 22-yard touchdown and Ryan Wilk kicked two field goals (21, 19).

 

The Raiders led 20-14 at halftime and then outscored the Red Dragons 21-0 in the second half, outgaining Cortland State 537 yards to 200 in the contest.

 

The Purple & White will advance to the national semifinals for the 14th straight season, and will host Wheaton (IL), 45-28 winners today over Franklin.  Kickoff from Mount Union Stadium next Saturday will be at 12:00 p.m.

 

Mount Union had the most football student-athletes, among the OAC institutions, earn Academic All-Conference status this fall and the five selections is the second highest single-season total in school history as a year ago there were seven selections.

I've added some audio highlights from the Purple Raiders second round playoff win over Hobart at Mount Union Stadium. You can hear them here.

 

The Sports Information Director's office at Mount Union College has posted some game notes for Saturday's NCAA Division III Regional Final playoff game between the Purple Raiders and Cortland State Red Dragons at Mount Union Stadium.  You can read them here.