2018 national champion Mary Hardin-Baylor will meet 2019 national champion North Central for the 2021 national championship following the Crusaders’ 24-7 semifinal victory over UW-Whitewater. Stagg Bowl XLVIII kicks off at 7 p.m. EST from Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
UMHB’s win is their second overall in the series with UW-Whitewater as well as their second in the last three meetings. The Crusaders advance to the Stagg Bowl for the fourth time in the last five postseasons.
Kyle King and Brandon Jordan continued their quarterfinal success through the air against the Warhawk secondary. King finished the game 22-33 for 309 yards passing and two touchdowns. Whitewater’s secondary had difficulty covering the 6-6 Jordan all game. Jordan exploited his size advantage for game highs of 11 catches and 164 receiving yards and was on the receiving end of both King touchdown passes.
Defenses controlled the early stages of the game as both teams punted on each of their first two possessions. UMHB then opened the scoring with a 14-play, 82-yard drive powered by King’s arm and finished by Jordan’s 9-yard TD reception.
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| Brandon Jordan was big on a big day for UMHB. Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com |
Just three plays into the next drive, UMHB pressure forced Meylor to underthrow Tyler Holte leading to a Mikkah Hackett interception and the game’s first turnover. The Cru needed just seven plays to convert that takeaway into points, with King again connecting with Jordan for another 9-yard score.
UWW did find its offense just before halftime as Meylor led the Warhawks on a 12-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 9-yard touchdown pass to Holte. Including the Warhawks’ lone touchdown, Holte led the team with 91 receiving yards in the game. Whitewater’s first score came with 64 seconds left in the half, sending the home team into the intermission trailing 17-7, but with momentum.
That momentum swung back to the Crusaders in the third quarter. Whitewater’s opening drive of the half stalled at midfield. After a pass-heavy first half, UMHB used a balanced, 11 play drive capped by a Kenneth Cormier plunge from 1 yard out on fourth down. The Warhawks initially appeared to have forced a fumble at the 1-yard line on the previous play; however the play was ruled dead after review, clearing the way for Cormier’s touchdown that made the score 24-7.
The Crusader defense short-circuited a powerful Whitewater offense. Alex Peete was limited to a season low 43 yards on 20 carries. Crusader linebacker Akeem Jackson led the run stopping effort with 11 tackles. Jackson also recovered a key fourth quarter fumble that ended Whitewater’s bid for a comeback.
Aphonso Thomas led the Cru rushing attack, deployed primarly in the second half to keep the game clock moving. Thomas finished the day with 79 yards on 26 attempts. K.J. Miler added seven catches and 49 yards to UMHB’s passing ledger.
UMHB and North Central will face off for the first time on Friday evening. The Crusaders have won 19 consecutive games dating back to their 2019 quarterfinal loss to UW-Whitewater while North Central carries a 24-game win streak into the championship game.