Stagg Bowl XXXIII
Mount Union 35, UW-Whitewater 28

Nate's gait makes No. 8 great

Nate Kmic scampers down the field on his record-tying touchdown run. Photo by Ryan Coleman, D3football.com

Mount Union got a 95-yard touchdown run from freshman tailback Nate Kmic and held on against a late Warhawk rally to defeat UW-Whitewater 35-28 and win Stagg Bowl XXXIII. Kmic, whose long run (audio clip) tied former Purple Raider Chuck Moore's Stagg Bowl record for longest touchdown run, finished with 185 yards on 28 carries.

Justin Beaver got the Division III running record in a losing cause, gaining 125 yards on 30 carries and the game's opening touchdown and surpassing the record for rushing yards in a season. But in the end, Mount Union's 28-7 third-quarter lead proved too much to overcome and the Purple Raiders prevailed as UW-Whitewater's final touchdown came with two seconds remaining in the game. Full story and photo gallery.

Senior Ross Watson and the Mount Union secondary helped keep Justin Jacobs to 22-for-47 passing. Derek Stanley caught seven passes, but for just 99 yards. "Many thought this senior class was on the decline," Watson told D3football.com after the game, "but we came back today and proved that things are still good at Mount Union College." Could we see another matchup next year?

Also, the Division III All-Stars beat Mexico 53-15, behind an interception return and a punt return for a touchdown by Ohio Northern defensive back Wes Hostetler. Earlier in the day, Hostetler was named an All-American as a defensive back and return specialist by D3football.com.

Playoff results
First round, Nov. 19
at Linfield 63, Occidental 21
at Concordia-Moorhead 27, Coe 14
at St. John's 62, Monmouth 3
at UW-Whitewater 34, Central 14
Mary Hardin-Baylor 35, at Trinity (Texas) 6
at Wesley 59, Ferrum 14
at Bridgewater 30, Washington and Jefferson 21
at Thiel 28, Johns Hopkins 3
at Wabash 38, Albion 20
Capital 21, at North Central 19
at Augustana 49, Lakeland 22
at Mount Union 49, Mount St. Joseph 6
at Delaware Valley 37, Curry 22
at Hobart 23, Cortland State 22
at Rowan 42, Wilkes 3
at Union 55, Ithaca 41

Second round, Nov. 26
at Linfield 28, Concordia-Moorhead 14
at UW-Whitewater 34, St. John's 7
Wesley 46, at Mary Hardin-Baylor 36
Bridgewater (Va.) 24, at Thiel 7
Capital 14, at Wabash 11
at Mount Union 44, Augustana 7
at Delaware Valley 21, Hobart 14
Rowan 28, at Union 24

Quarterfinals, Dec. 3
Rowan 27, at Delaware Valley 21
at Mount Union 34, Capital 31
at Wesley 46, Bridgewater (Va.) 7
UW-Whitewater 44, at Linfield 41

Semifinals, Dec. 10
at UW-Whitewater 58, Wesley 6
at Mount Union 19, Rowan 7

Stagg Bowl XXXIII, Dec. 17
Mount Union 35, UW-Whitewater 28, at Salem, Va.