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| Dennis Moore gets loose for a
33-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, the game-winner for
Whitewater. Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com |
D3report |
WHITEWATER, Wis. – No. 1 UW-Whitewater scored the go-ahead
touchdown with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and
posted a fourth-down sack deep in its own territory in the final
minutes Saturday to defeat 10th-ranked Linfield 20-14 in an NCAA
Division III semifinal game at Perkins Statdium.
With the victory, the Warhawks (14-0 overall) punched their ticket
to the 2014 Division III Stagg Bowl XLII, to the program's ninth
appearance in the last 10 seasons in the national championship
game.
UW-Whitewater will take on a familiar opponent in third-ranked
Mount Union on Friday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. EST at Salem Stadium in
Salem, Va.
The Warhawks led for first two and a half quarters before
Linfield (11-2) tied the game at 14-14 with a pair of third-quarter
touchdowns, setting the stage for a pressure-packed fourth
quarter.
UW-Whitewater forced a Wildcats punt and started at its own
20-yard line with 8:54 on the clock. On third-and-8, senior
quarterback Matt Behrendt found junior running
back Jordan Ratliffe in the flat, and Ratliffe ran through a
couple of defenders to pick up 11 yards and a first down.
The Warhawks faced another third down three players later, and
Behrendt connected with senior wide receiver Jake Kumerow for
9 yards to the UW-Whitewater 47-yard line.
Following a pair of runs by Ratliffe, junior running
back Dennis Moore broke two tackles, made a cut and outran a
pair of defenders to the end zone for a 33-yard touchdown to give
the Warhawks the lead.
Linfield drove the ball into Warhawks territory, but junior
defensive lineman John Flood sacked Sam Riddle on
fourth-and-3, and senior defensive lineman Mykaell Bratchett
recovered the fumble to give the ball back to UW-Whitewater with
1:51 left.
Ratliffe iced the contest with a 23-yard run on second down.
"We earned it, to get here," said Moore. "It wasn't an easy road. We worked hard and played in close games and came out victorious."
Moore finished with 19 carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns
(one receiving), while Ratliffe registered 15 carries for 100
yards. Moore eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the season, making it
the 11th consecutive season the Warhawks have a 1,000-yard
rusher.
Senior wide receiver Jake Kumerow recorded five catches for
58 yards and a score, while senior quarterback Matt Behrendt
finished 14-of-28 for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
Sophomore linebacker Paul Foster and junior defensive
back Ryan Winske(Omro/Omro) led the defense with eight
tackles apiece. Winske also added an interception, his third of the
season.
Bratchett finished with two sacks to lead the group up front, and
freshman linebacker Matt Seitz totaled six stops.
The first three drives of the contest resulted in punts before
Winske intercepted a deep pass from Riddle and returned it to the
Linfield 32-yard line.
After a pair of first down runs by Moore, Behrendt tossed to
Kumerow from eight yards away to give UW-Whitewater a 7-0 advantage
with 4:56 left in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, the Warhawks took advantage of a pair
of penalties, and on third-and-13, Moore took a short pass from
Behrendt and sprinted to the goal line for a 46-yard score with
10:39 on the clock.
The Wildcats missed a field goal on the ensuing drive and muffed a
punt later in the period, but UW-Whitewater was unable to convert
an opportunity deep in Linfield territory.
The Warhawks forced four turnovers and averaged 5.0 yards per rush
for the contest. UW-Whitewater finished with 395 total yards (211
rush, 184 pass) and held Linfield to 344 yards (154 rush, 190
pass).
UW-Whitewater and Mount Union (14-0) will compete against each
other in the title game for the ninth time in 10 years. The
Warhawks own a 5-3 edge in Stagg Bowl affairs, and have won four
straight and five of the last six against the Purple Raiders.
It will be the last game as head coach for Lance Leipold, who accepted the head coaching position at Division I University of Buffalo earlier in the postseason.
"It's not about me and my last game, it's about our players and a chance to play a 15th ball game," Leipold said after the game. "That's where the focus needs to be. They earned their chance to be there just like Mount Union did."