SWC75
Bored Historian
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CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Through seven games, defending champion Mount Union was 7-0 and had out-scored its opposition 377-51, an average of 54-7 per game. They seemed unstoppable. Down the stretch, things became more difficult. They out-scored Heidelberg 44-34, handled Baldwin-Wallace 31-7, won another shoot-out against John Carroll 42-34. In the playoffs, they beat Washington & Jefferson 34-20 and Wittenberg 56-21 and things seemed to be under control. They seemed to be in total control of things when they got off to a 31-0 first quarter lead against Wesley. But then the wheels fell off their defense and they barely held on for a 62-59 win, giving up over 600 yards passing. Then they beat North Central by the skin of their teeth, 41-40. In the finals they met their old nemesis, Wisconsin-Whitewater, who had the best defense in the country.
They were strong enough to shut down the Purple Raiders and potent enough to march right through their tattered defense. The game was still competitive at halftime, (21-14), but the Warhawks rolled it up with a 31-0 second half for a resounding 52-14 win. The story was up front, (as I recall also being the story when Whitewater beat Mount Union three times in a row from 2009-2011). Whitewater was able to run virtually every play with their backs and receivers getting gains before they were hit while Purple Raiders quarterback was on the run the whole game. The exclamation point was a 37 yard pick six by Brady Grayvold. Whitewater quarterback Matt Behrendt threw for 249 yards and 4 scores and ran for 56 more. Kevin Burke passed for 316 yards but no scores and 2 interceptions. Whitewater outgained Mount Union 450-348 but out-rushed them 201-32 and was +3 in turnovers, (1-4).
It was Mount Union’s worst defeat since losing 0-48 to Wittenberg back in 1974. Vince Kehres, the son of Larry Kehres, the legendary Purple Raider coach who won 11 national champion ships from 1993-2012, was able to take the team to the final in his first year but they ran out of gas. Mount Union was the dominant school in this division from 1993-2008 when they won 10 of those championships. For much of that time they beat different schools in the finals. The did beat Rowan three times in the 90’s but also topped Lycoming, St. John’s of Minnesota, Bridgewater and Trinity of Texas. When they first played Whitewater in 2005, it seemed like the latest challenger who would then fade and be replaced by someone else. But Whitewater, who seemed determined to BE Mount Union, (they have very similar uniforms), kept coming back. The Purple Raiders beat them again, in 2006, lost to them in 2007 and came back to beat them in 2008. But then Whitewater won three times in a row form 2009-2011. Last year they were rebuilding and lost four games and missed the playoffs so the Purple Raiders were able to come back and win the title against St. Thomas of Minnesota. But this year’s result, combined with the Warhawk’s three straight titles in 2009-11 and the fact that they have 42 freshmen on their roster, (DIII has no scholarships so they have no limits on how many new players you can have, who are “recruited” by your reputation), tells me that this isn’t a continuation of the Mount Union-Whitewater Era. It’s a continuation of the Whitewater Era, which has eclipsed the Mount Union Era.
Through seven games, defending champion Mount Union was 7-0 and had out-scored its opposition 377-51, an average of 54-7 per game. They seemed unstoppable. Down the stretch, things became more difficult. They out-scored Heidelberg 44-34, handled Baldwin-Wallace 31-7, won another shoot-out against John Carroll 42-34. In the playoffs, they beat Washington & Jefferson 34-20 and Wittenberg 56-21 and things seemed to be under control. They seemed to be in total control of things when they got off to a 31-0 first quarter lead against Wesley. But then the wheels fell off their defense and they barely held on for a 62-59 win, giving up over 600 yards passing. Then they beat North Central by the skin of their teeth, 41-40. In the finals they met their old nemesis, Wisconsin-Whitewater, who had the best defense in the country.
They were strong enough to shut down the Purple Raiders and potent enough to march right through their tattered defense. The game was still competitive at halftime, (21-14), but the Warhawks rolled it up with a 31-0 second half for a resounding 52-14 win. The story was up front, (as I recall also being the story when Whitewater beat Mount Union three times in a row from 2009-2011). Whitewater was able to run virtually every play with their backs and receivers getting gains before they were hit while Purple Raiders quarterback was on the run the whole game. The exclamation point was a 37 yard pick six by Brady Grayvold. Whitewater quarterback Matt Behrendt threw for 249 yards and 4 scores and ran for 56 more. Kevin Burke passed for 316 yards but no scores and 2 interceptions. Whitewater outgained Mount Union 450-348 but out-rushed them 201-32 and was +3 in turnovers, (1-4).
It was Mount Union’s worst defeat since losing 0-48 to Wittenberg back in 1974. Vince Kehres, the son of Larry Kehres, the legendary Purple Raider coach who won 11 national champion ships from 1993-2012, was able to take the team to the final in his first year but they ran out of gas. Mount Union was the dominant school in this division from 1993-2008 when they won 10 of those championships. For much of that time they beat different schools in the finals. The did beat Rowan three times in the 90’s but also topped Lycoming, St. John’s of Minnesota, Bridgewater and Trinity of Texas. When they first played Whitewater in 2005, it seemed like the latest challenger who would then fade and be replaced by someone else. But Whitewater, who seemed determined to BE Mount Union, (they have very similar uniforms), kept coming back. The Purple Raiders beat them again, in 2006, lost to them in 2007 and came back to beat them in 2008. But then Whitewater won three times in a row form 2009-2011. Last year they were rebuilding and lost four games and missed the playoffs so the Purple Raiders were able to come back and win the title against St. Thomas of Minnesota. But this year’s result, combined with the Warhawk’s three straight titles in 2009-11 and the fact that they have 42 freshmen on their roster, (DIII has no scholarships so they have no limits on how many new players you can have, who are “recruited” by your reputation), tells me that this isn’t a continuation of the Mount Union-Whitewater Era. It’s a continuation of the Whitewater Era, which has eclipsed the Mount Union Era.
