The Purple Raiders are kings of Division III once again.
Mount Union rode a strong third quarter burst to beat St. Thomas (Minn.) 49-35 in the Stagg Bowl, claiming their 12th Division III national championship and first since 2012.
The game was tight and competitive in the first half, but the third quarter was where things really took off. St. Thomas went up 21-14 quickly after halftime, but then Mount Union rolled off 21 unanswered points in less than four minutes, turning what once was a 21-14 deficit into a 35-21 lead. St. Thomas then scored on one of the crazier plays you'll see this season, when quarterback Matt Gould picked up running back Nick Waldvogel's fumble, going 55 yards for a touchdown on a completely broken play.
That was about all the fight St. Thomas had left, however. The Purple Raiders would extend their lead out to with another two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to glide into the finish.
The running game lead the way for the Purple Raiders, as they racked up 326 yards on 52 carries. Logan Nemeth was the bell cow, rushing for 220 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Bradley Mitchell and Taurice Scott also had rushing touchdowns, and Scott added three passing touchdowns to Lane Clark (two) and Roman Namdar (one).
Jordan Roberts had a nice night on the ground for St. Thomas, rushing for 135 yards and two touchdowns, and Gould had three total touchdowns at quarterback.
The win gives Mount Union its first championship since 2012, when they also beat St. Thomas in the Stagg Bowl. This was Mount Union's 11th straight Stagg Bowl appearance, and their fifth championship during that stretch. This is Vince Kehres' first championship as a head coach since taking over for his father Larry Kehres in 2013.
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