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    2003 Playoffs

     Despite losing a number of talented players to graduation from the 2002 season, Mount Union did not miss a beat in posting a dominant performance week in and week out during the 2003 regular season.  It started with a big 40-17 win over Wis-Whitewater in the season opener.  The Warhawks would go to the final week of the season before losing out on its bid to win the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. 

     The Purple Raiders followed that up with the first of three straight shutouts in a 24-0 victory over Ohio Athletic Conference foe Baldwin-Wallace.  The Yellow Jackets went on to finish 9-1 and qualify for the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time since 1991.

     Following the conference opening win, Mount Union posted shutouts against Muskingum (58-0) and Otterbein (66-0) and went 13 straight quarters without allowing a point.  The Raiders capped the first half of the schedule by pasting Heidleberg 68-13.

     Week six saw a trip to the new Don Shula Stadium and a tilt with John Carroll.  The Blue Streaks had played Mount Union as well as anyone in recent past and once again they proved to be a challenge before the Purple and White pulled for a 34-16 victory.

     Capital was next on the schedule and the battle between two unbeatens for sole possession of first place in the OAC at Mount Union Stadium was all Mount Union as the Raiders led by three touchdowns at halftime and finished with a 35-7 victory.

     Mount Union capped the regular season by outscoring three opponents 168-7 in posting wins over Marietta (55-0), Ohio Northern (55-7) and Wilmington (58-0).

     The Purple and White won its 12th consecutive OAC championship, and the college's 15th football conference title overall.  In doing so, Mount Union finished first in the nation in total offense (562.0 ypg) and scoring offense (49.3 ppg).  Defensively the Raiders were as dominant as any prior Don Montgomery led squad, finishing eighth in the nation in total defense (225.2 ypg) and second in scoring defense (6.0 ppg).

     Mount Union beat five of its ten regular season opponents by more than 50 points and won each game by an average score of 49.3 to 6.0.  The Purple Raiders entered the post season riding a 52-game winning streak...

-Second Round-

     Mount Union received the number one seed and a first round bye in the playoffs.  Wis-La Crosse (10-1) was the opponent for a second round match-up at Mount Union Stadium after the Eagles defeated Concordia (WI) 52-13 in the first round.

     This would be the fourth meeting between these two teams, dating back to 1992.  La Crosse won two of the first three games in the series, defeating Mount Union 29-24 in La Crosse in 1992, and winning the only prior meeting at Mount Union Stadium, 20-17 in 1995.  The Purple Raiders won the last match-up, 39-21 in 1996, played at Camp Randall Stadium at the University of Wisconsin.  All three prior meetings took place in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division III playoffs with the winner going on to capture the national championship the following week.

     Mount Union and La Crosse were tied 7-7 after one quarter and stayed that way through most of the second stanza before two late scores gave the Purple Raiders a 20-7 halftime advantage. 

     Quarterback Zac Bruney got the Purple Raiders on the board with a four-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter, but the "big play" was the story of the first half as Mount Union blocked one La Crosse field goal attempt and two punt attempts.  The second blocked punt came in the final minute of the half and led to a Bruney to Jeff Strauch seven-yard touchdown pass to close out the first half scoring.

     But the biggest play of the half was by the defense as defensive tackle Josh Ludwig hit La Crosse quarterback Steve Tennies as he was trying to pass and Raider linebacker Anthony Frate intercepted the pigskin and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown to give Mount Union a lead they would never relinquish.

     La Crosse running back Andrew Mocadlo scored his second touchdown early in the third quarter to pull the Eagles to within six points but that was as close as they would get. 

     Again it would be the defense that made the big play.  Facing a third and four from their own 14-yard line, Tennies was hit by Frate, causing a fumble that was recovered by defensive tackle Jesse Wells on the two. Strauch punched it in on the first play and Mount Union never looked back.

     The Raiders took control of the game in the fourth quarter, scoring on two short runs following nice drives.  Strauch scored his third touchdown with a little more than eight minutes left, capping a 12-play, 66-yard drive to make it 32-14, and then running back Brian Miller finished the scoring four minutes from time, finishing off a 10-play, 77-yard drive, to give Mount Union a 39-14 victory.

     Strauch finished with 92 rushing yards on 19 carries to lead the Raiders ground game, while Bruney and Jesse Burghardt combined to complete 10 of 23 passes for 162 yards.  Randell Knapp led the receivers with three receptions for 80 yards in the contest.

     With the victory, Mount Union head coach Larry Kehres evened his record against La Crosse at 2-2.  Before the game this was the only team he had a losing record against.  Now there are none.

Mount Union 39       Wis-La Crosse 14

Scoring

-Quarterfinals-

     The Wheaton Thunder traveled to Alliance, Ohio for a quarterfinal match-up after defeating Hope (55-45) and Baldwin-Wallace (16-12) in the playoffs.  The Purple Raiders won both meetings played between these two schools, 40-14, in the 1995 quarterfinals, and 42-21, in last season's second round.  Both games were played at Mount Union Stadium.

     Mount Union equaled its record 54-game win streak with a 56-10 victory over Wheaton before 3,015 fans at Mount Union Stadium.  A foot of snow fell in Alliance in the 24 hours prior to kickoff and a crew of workers from the college did an unbelievable job of getting the field ready for the game.

     The Purple Raiders answered a Thunder field goal by scoring 42 straight points, including 29 in the second quarter, to blow open the contest.  Mount Union led 35-3 at halftime, increased the advantage to 42-3 after three periods, and scored a touchdown on eight consecutive possessions to win by 46 points.

     The onslaught began late in the first quarter when the Raiders put together a eight-play, 74-yard drive, culminating in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Zac Bruney to John Healy.  The extra point was blocked, and that turned out to be the last big play for the Thunder in the game.

     Mount Union added four touchdowns in the second quarter to stun the visitors.  Drew Hanley caught two on passes covering nine and 18 yards from Jesse Burghardt, while Bruney added two scoring tosses, one from six yards to Randell Knapp, and the other from three yards out to Brian Miller.

     Following a Wheaton fumble inside the Raider 10-yard line, Mount Union put together an 11-play, 91-yard drive that consumed more than five and a half minutes to make it 42-3 on Jeff Stauch's seven-yard run.  At this point it was game, set and match as the Purple Raiders were winning in every facet of the game.

     Following the Thunder's first touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter, finished off the visitors with two final scores, a 31-yard pass from Bruney to Knapp, and a one-yard run by Michael Deitrick.

     Bruney and Burghardt combined to complete 17 of 25 passes for 252 yards and six touchdowns, while Strauch led the ground attack with a career high 128 yards on 23 carries, while Knapp led all receivers with six catches totaling 120 yards.

     Defensively, Mount Union was paced by Shawn Spisak's eight tackles, while Jason McElhaney, Johnny Josef and Joe Culler each recorded a sack, and Ross Watson had a fumble recovery.

The new 54-game win streak equals the mark set by the Purple Raiders from 1996-1999.  Mount Union has now won 108 of the last 109 games they’ve played.

Mount Union 56       Wheaton 10

Scoring

-Semifinals-

     Mount Union hosted the Bridgewater (VA) Eagles in the semifinal round at Mount Union Stadium.  It was a rematch of the 2001 Stagg Bowl, won by the Purple Raiders 30-27.  The Eagles won their bracket with victories over Waynesburg (28-24), Christopher Newport (26-3) and Lycoming (13-9), and entered the contest 12-1 and champions of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

     Mount Union turned the ball over on its first two offensive possessions, including once inside the Bridgewater red zone, as the two teams battled to a scoreless opening nine minutes in the national semifinal played at Mount Union Stadium.  The Purple Raiders then stunned the visiting Eagles by exploding for five touchdowns over the final 21 minutes of the opening half to grab a 35-0 lead at intermission.

     Senior strong safety Andrew Doak’s interception and 16-yard return for a score began the onslaught.  Randell Knapp scored the next three Raider touchdowns, on catches of five, 40 and 16 yards.  The first touchdown came from Zac Bruney and the next two from Jesse Burghardt.  Nick Sirianni added the final score of the half on a 15-yard strike from Bruney with only half a minute remaining on the second quarter clock.

     Not even the 20-minute break could slow down the Raiders on this day as Mount Union added four more touchdowns in the third quarter.  Sirianni caught two scores from Burghardt on plays covering 35 and 34 yards.  Jeff Strauch added a six-yard touchdown run and the quarter was capped with the second defensive touchdown of the day when sophomore strong safety Ken Whitfield picked up a Bridgewater fumble and sprinted 42 yards to make it 63-0 with 18 minutes still to play.

     George Wilders added a 20-yard field goal on second and goal with less than five minutes remaining in the game as the Purple & White really put the clamps on its offense in the final stanza in an attempt to not run up the score.

     Mount Union totaled 476 yards to 214 for Bridgewater in the game, including a huge advantage in rushing yards, 211 to 42.  Burghardt had an amazing afternoon, connecting on 11 of 12 passes for 210 yards, while Sirianni caught seven passes for 30 yards.  Strauch led the ground attack with 83 yards on 20 carries while senior middle linebacker Shaun Spisak led the team in tackles with eight.

Mount Union 66       Bridgewater 0

Scoring

-Stagg Bowl-

     The 31^st Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl was a rematch of the 28^th championship game as the two teams battled to a defensive struggle in 2000, with Mount Union coming out on top 10-7 on a last second field goal.  The Purple Raiders also defeated the Johnnies in the 1993 semifinals 56-8 and in the 2001 semifinals by the final of 35-14 to hold a 3-0 series advantage.

     Both teams entered the contest with 13-0 records and both were dominant in posting conference championships and rolling through the playoffs, but Mount Union was heavy favorites to post its 56^th consecutive victory.

     The first quarter ended a scoreless draw, although Mount Union was at the St. John’s goal line as the clock hit zero.  The Purple Raiders held an advantage of 109 total yards to just 19 for the Johnnies, and had the ball for nearly 12 of the 15 minutes played, but it was the first time all season they were held without any first quarter points.

     Ricky Ciccone gave the Purple & White the lead on a one-yard run on the first play of the second quarter.  The run capped a 13-play, 74-yard scoring drive, but the Raiders settled for a 6-0 lead as the extra point attempt was blocked.

     St. John's got on the scoreboard on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Keating to Jake Theis as time expired in the first half.  The PAT gave the Johnnies a 7-6 lead at the intermission.  The score was the first touchdown allowed by the Purple Raiders in the second quarter all year.  Mount Union led in total yards through the first half 143 to 128, with all but 55 of the Johnnies total coming on the final drive.

     For the first time all season, Mount Union trailed after halftime, and the 2003 Gagliardi Trophy winner, Blake Elliott, became a factor in the second half, showing why he was named Division III football's best player. 

     Brandon Keller nailed a 22-yard field goal with two minutes to play in the third, giving St. John’s a four point advantage.  As the final stanza began, the Johnnies had 218 total yards to the Purple Raiders 188 as St. John’s began to take control of the game.

     The Johnnies put the game out of reach with two huge plays early in the final quarter.  First Elliott, lining up in the backfield, took the handoff, bounced off one would-be Mount Union tackler, and raced up the middle 51 yards, diving into the endzone to give his team an eleven point lead.  Then Mike Zauhar intercepted a Jesse Burghardt pass intended for Randell Knapp on the goal line and returned it the other way 100 yards to give St. John's all the points they would need.

     With nine minutes to play Mount Union picked up the pace offensively, but its last two possession ended in interceptions as the Purple Raiders finished minus four in turnover margin on the day.

     St. John's Blake Elliott was named the game's Most Valuable Player as the Johnnies finished with 338 total yards to Mount Union's 286.

     The 18-point loss was the worst suffered by a Mount Union football team since 1989 when John Carroll defeated the Purple Raiders 31-7. The six points scored were the fewest since a 6-3 win over Wooster in 1982.

     The loss ended Mount Union’s 55-game winning streak, the longest consecutive win streak in the history of college football, and marked the first time in eight trips to the championship game the Raiders did not hoist the trophy.

     This year's senior class at Mount Union finished their careers with a 55-1 record, three national championships and four Ohio Athletic Conference titles.  The 55-game victory streak came on the heals of a 54-game win streak set from 1996 to 1999, as the Mount Union football program has won 109 of the last 111 games it's played dating back to the start of the 1996 season.

 St. John's 24       Mount Union 6

Scoring

 
*Read more about the 2003 Stagg Bowl and see complete statistics from the game here.
*See more on the 2003 season with complete game stories, standings and statistics here.