Mount Union wins 10th Division III title

Dec 20, 2008 - 8:25 PM SALEM, Virginia (Ticker) -- Once again, the "Purple Reign" rules Division III.

Greg Micheli passed for 262 yards and two touchdowns Saturday as Mount Union defeated Wisconsin-Whitewater, 31-26, to win its 10th Division III national championship and sixth this decade.

The teams met in the title game for the fourth straight year, with Mount Union (15-0) improving to 3-1 in the head-to-head meetings. The Purple Raiders avenged a 31-21 loss in last year's title contest that snapped their 37-game winning streak.

Since 2000, Mount Union boasts an astonishing 111-4 record.

The Purple Raiders took control of Saturday's contest early as Micheli threw TD passes of 55 and 41 yards to Cecil Shorts in the first six minutes for a 14-0 lead. Shorts caught seven passes for 174 yards.

Mountain Union increased its lead to 31-13 on Drew McClain's 78-yard interception return for a touchdown with 11:59 remaining before holding off a late comeback attempt by Wisconsin-Whitewater (13-2).

Senior running back Nate Kmic rushed for 88 yards on 22 carries for the Purple Raiders to go over the 8,000-yard mark in his career.

In last week's 45-24 semifinal win over Wheaton College, Kmic ran for 310 yards on 29 carries to become college football's all-time leading rusher. He surpassed the previous mark of 7,986 yards set by Danny Woodhead of Chadron State from 2004-2007.

Jeff Donovan completed 28-of-38 passes for 257 yards for Wisconsin-Whitewater. Antwan Anderson passed the WarHawks on the ground with 121 yards and two TDs on 19 carries.