|
| Cornerback Brady Grayvold had
an interception return for a touchdown and led UW-Whitewater in
tackles. Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com |
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| Justin Howard catches a
12-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring for UW-Whitewater. He
finished with eight catches for 78 yards. Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com |
By Adam Turer
D3sports.com
SALEM -- Leave no doubts. That was UW-Whitewater’s goal in its ninth trip to Salem. Lost in the hype surrounding the departing coach on their sideline and the two-time Gagliardi Trophy winner on the other side was this simple fact: These Warhawks are a damn good team.
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UW-Whitewater struggled to hold on for wins in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, but saved its best performance for last, again defeating Mount Union in the Stagg Bowl. The Warhawks won their second straight Stagg Bowl and fifth in the past six years, 43-34.
The wins over Wartburg and Linfield tested UW-Whitewater, and proved beneficial tonight. They were more prepared to handle Mount Union’s best shot after enduring great efforts from the Knights and Wildcats the past two weeks.
“This is unreal. I mean senior year, what we did throughout the playoffs, fighting to have to come back to play all these tight games, it’s amazing, it really is,” said quarterback Matt Behrendt, who passed for 365 yards. “It shows the maturity and character of this team.”
The Warhawks took the opening drive 78 yards in 11 plays, keeping the ball for over six minutes, capped by a touchdown pass from Behrendt to Justin Howard. It was the first of four touchdown passes thrown by Behrendt, the Stagg Bowl XLII Most Outstanding Player.
“These young men really stepped up,” said coach Lance Leipold.
Despite possessing the ball for just 1:33 in the first quarter, Mount Union cut the deficit to 13-7 when Kevin Burke connected with Luc Meacham for a 26-yard strike. The pass was initially ruled incomplete, but was overturned on review when officials decided that Marcus McLin broke up the pass after Meacham crossed the goal line with possession of the ball.
For the second year in a row, Warhawks defensive back Brady Grayvold returned an interception for a touchdown in the Stagg Bowl. Burke and Mount Union bounced back with a touchdown pass to Taurice Scott and it looked like the teams would enter halftime with UW-Whitewater leading 20-14. The Warhawks defense was anything but content with that idea.
Two aggressive plays by McLin changed the course of the game and led to a commanding UW-Whitewater halftime lead. First, he forced and recovered a Scott fumble. On the next snap, Behrendt connected with Jake Kumerow for a scoring strike. On the ensuing play from scrimmage, McLin intercepted a Burke pass, leading to a Lake Bachar field goal and a 30-14 halftime lead for the Warhawks.
“I told the offense I gotta make a play. I made a play and I told them again I’m gonna get the ball back before the second half,” said McLin. “I had to get the ball back for them.”
Unlike last year, when UW-Whitewater scored 31 unanswered points to blow the game open, Mount Union responded. The Purple Raiders offense came alive, scoring on its first three possessions of the second half. Meanwhile, the Mount Union defense buckled down, forcing a punt and fumble on UW-Whitewater’s first two drives. Ed Ruhnke’s field goal gave Mount Union its first lead of the game, 31-30.
The Warhawks immediately responded with a brilliant play call by offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and execution by running back Dennis Moore. The 5-9 junior running back took a screen pass from Behrendt on the left, cut all the way across the right sideline, picked up a downfield block on his way to a 75-yard touchdown, seizing momentum back just when it was slipping away. That play call was one of several surprising and effective calls made by Kotelnicki.
“Every single week he breaks down the film so well,” said Behrendt. “The preparation, it’s amazing.”
Both defenses then stepped up. The two quarterbacks, who entered the game with a combined 87-11 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season, exchanged picks late in the third quarter. The Warhawks entered the final stanza leading 37-31.
The Purple propensityMount Union won three of the first four Stagg Bowl meetings with UW-Whitewater in Salem, but the Warhawks have won the next five. |
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| 2005 | Mount Union | 35-28 | UW-Whitewater | 4,619 |
| 2006 | Mount Union | 35-16 | UW-Whitewater | 6,051 |
| 2007 | UW-Whitewater | 31-21 | Mount Union | 5,099 |
| 2008 | Mount Union | 31-26 | UW-Whitewater | 5,344 |
| 2009 | UW-Whitewater | 38-28 | Mount Union | 3,468 |
| 2010 | UW-Whitewater | 31-21 | Mount Union | 4,598 |
| 2011 | UW-Whitewater | 13-10 |
Mount Union |
3,784 |
| 2013 | UW-Whitewater | 52-14 | Mount Union | 5,371 |
| 2014 | UW-Whitewater | 43-34 | Mount Union | 5,465 |
Bachar, the team’s backup kicker who had not made a field goal since the season opener on Sept. 5, nailed his second of the game to extend the Warhawks lead to 40-31. He avenged an early missed extra point and chip shot field goal, and regained his confidence as the game went on.
“This is the first time I’ve really had to step up,” said the sophomore. “Every teammate was coming up to me and they had confidence in me.”
A Burke touchdown pass to Roman Namdar was wiped out by a costly holding penalty, and the Purple Raiders were forced to settle for another Ruhnke field goal. Clinging to a 40-34 lead with 9:27 to play, the Warhawks took advantage of an injury-depleted Mount Union defensive line. UW-Whitewater put together a demoralizing drive, possessing the ball for 6:22 behind a mix of rushes from Moore and Jordan Ratliffe and crucial third down conversions by Behrendt. Bachar capped the drive with his third field goal of the game, a 34-yarder to give UW-Whitewater a two-score lead, 42-34. Bachar then leveled Taurice Scott on the ensuing kickoff to prevent a potential return touchdown. The young kicker was happy to send his senior teammates off with their third Stagg Bowl win and second in a row.
“They really earned it,” said Bachar. “They have helped me through all of this. It feels great.”
Mount Union took over with three minutes to play, but another holding penalty on the first snap negated a long pass play from Burke to Meacham. Zach Nellis iced the game with his second interception of the game. The usually in-control Purple Raiders committed five turnovers and seven penalties for 83 yards. Mount Union entered the game with 15 turnovers through its first 14 games. UW-Whitewater proved in all three phases of the game that the Warhawks are, once again, the best team in the nation.
“It’s so special,” said McLin. “Mount Union played very good, but they ain’t played nobody like us, man.”