Game Day: Last chance to knock them off

Matt BlanchardIf you want to keep UW-Whitewater and Mount Union from meeting in Stagg Bowl XXXIX, your options are down to one pair of games on Saturday: Wesley has the last shot at Mount Union and St. Thomas has the last chance to take down UW-Whitewater. In the preseason D3football.com Top 25, UW-Whitewater was No. 1, Mount Union No. 2, Wesley No. 3 and St. Thomas was No. 5, so these matchups are four months in the making.

Join us on the live chat. Watch the games on television if you’re in one of the local markets, or on ESPN3.com via links on the D3football.com scoreboard. Use the #d3fb hashtag. Send up smoke signals, I don’t care. It’s game day!

51 thoughts on “Game Day: Last chance to knock them off

  1. Wesley’s offense looks awfully tough…I’m very impressed with Shane McSweeny…very impressed. This looks like it will go down to the wire..GO RAIDERS!!

  2. UMHB can tell you what 3 turnovers will do to you against a good team, send you packing!! It’s all over but the crying 28-14, will be hard to overcome, this is not Linfield, comeback not happening. I still have my fingers crossed, want Wesley to win it all.

  3. DArn – I was already with my you have to give it to Wesley as they had the hardest road to Salem with wins over Linfield, MHB and Mt. Union – but looks like the Raiders are escaping with a victory.

    When Wesley watches the game video they are going to be kicking themselves on this one as the headline will be: Wesley beats Wesly.

  4. Sad, I can’t watch either game on TV or the internet because it’s not offered by my internet or cable company. Listening on Wesley’s 1150 am station.

  5. ALOT of time left in this one….this Raider defense hasn’t given up many long passes all season…two already today…WOW, what a game!! GO RAIDERS….

  6. Congratulations to Larry Kehres and his Mount Union Purple Raiders for reaching yet again another STAGG BOWL. Also, congrats to Wesley for playing an outstanding game (other than those killing turnovers).

    GO RAIDERS!!!!!!!!!!!

  7. I have no dog in this game – anyone watching it knows this was Wesley’s game – they lost it.

    Now I’m rooting for St. Thomas –

  8. Wesley beat Wesley today! Great season, can’t wait to see UMHB play you in early regular season next year. I might even make the trip.

  9. middlerelief,

    I watched the entire game and I have to disagree with you. Mount Union was the better team and did not even have their starting QB available for the game.

    I think you and GoCru are showing your jealous of the Purple Radiers success.

    Congrats to both Mount Union and Wesley!

    Mount Union is back in the Stagg Bowl!

    Bring it home Mount Union!

  10. Mt. Union hasn’t played a road playoff game in over fifteen years, 45 straight home games. I’m not impressed. About half of their titles weren’t earned, their records are hollow because of the advantage given them by the NCAA.

  11. UWW very impressive. ST has excellent athletes. UWW same, just very patient, efficient. No flash. Just outstanding, organized football. Haven’t seen a team this strong in D III football, ever. ST needs a miracle, down 20-0. What a opening drive in 3rd quarter. Burned 7:40 off the clock.

  12. That was men against boys, Caruso is in so far over his head it’s laughable. Whitewater by two touchdowns next week.

  13. geiger,

    Mount Union has earned the home field advantage with their either #1 or #2 ranking. The Purple Raiders earned everyone of their 10 NCAA Football titles.

  14. Then explain why the undefeated defending National Champion Whitewater had to beat TWO tough opponents on the road last year! Mt. Union hasn’t won a road playoff game in a decade and a half! Their record is a fraud.

  15. I dont know about anyone else, but im tired of seeing these two teams every year in the Championship it’s getting old real quick. I watched both games today online and looks like Whitewater will beat Mt Union once again. What a shocker.

  16. Geiger, the village called, they want you back.

    The NCAA Selection Committee determined home field for the playoffs based on many factors that Pat, Keith, et al. have lectured us on for years.

    If you removed your head from you rear end, you would realize there have been opportunities where UMU would have played on the road, but the teams seeded higher lost before the matchup occurred.

    Further, if you want to beat the best team, beat them. Plain and simple. Wesley had plenty of chances and you can play the could have, should have, would have card all you want. Based on your inept cognitive ability, had Wesley won today’s game in Dover, they would have been a fraud because they played at home. Is UWW’s win today a fraud? Uh … no. The two best teams are playing in the Stagg Bowl. Until you beat them at home, away, or on a neutral field, quit your whining and go back to living in your parents’ basement. Peace out.

  17. apr41478, it should be pretty obvious by now that the NCAA Selection Committee is biased in favor of Mt. Union. You have to ask yourself why? Aren’t you tired of seeing semi final games played at Alliance every year in front of bored fans in a half full stadium? Rotate the site of the semi finals every year and see if they can win a playoff game on the road for once. They haven’t proven they can for fifteen years.

  18. mucpurpleraider,

    I give have the upmost respect for MUC. I have never complained about them playing at home. They have earned the right to do so. I just thought Wesley would win today. The last team to beat MUC at home was UMHB.

    After the UWW performance today, looks like they will beat MUC in the Stagg.

    My prediction UWW 35 MUC 17

  19. Very surprised that UWW shut the Tommie’s out. Very impressed by the UWW D, that will be the difference next week.

  20. Geiger, you are clearly swimming in too deep of water here. Go back to your seat on the short bus.

    Your stupidity knows no bounds. Mount Union was ranked #2 all year, so the NCAA did not demonstrate bias towards them, they went unbeaten and EARNED the right to host. Keep in mind this season their OOC game was against Oshkosh out of the WIAC, who gave UWW a good game this year. You have ZERO evidence of bias. Just your usual dumba** opinions. Save the debating for us experts.

    Whitewater was #1 all year and has now one 44 consecutive games. Sound familiar to UMU? Gosh, I hope the NCAA is not biased towards UWW.

  21. GoCru,

    I understand your rooting for Wesley, since they had beaten MHB last week. Now you should be rooting for UMU since they beat the team that beat your team!

  22. The Purple Raiders and Warhawks had one common opponent this season: Wisconsin Oshkosh.

    The Warhawks beat Oshkoch- 20-17

    The Purple Raiders beat Oshkoch- 41-17.

  23. apr41478, last year Whitewater was the undefeated defending National Champions and they had to win TWO tough games on the road in the playoffs. The NCAA decided the Warhawks didn’t earn the right to host their playoff games. Yet they decide Mt. Union always has that right, whether they are the defending champs or not. That is an obvious case of bias.

    The NCAA has given the home field advantage in the playoffs to Mt. Union for fifteen years in a row…45 consecutive home games! For many years the home field advantage was Mt. Union’s to lose. If they went undefeated in their weak conference there is nothing any team could do to get a home game against them. I for one am glad Whitewater has exposed the fraud by soundly beating them three of the last four years, (soon to be four of the last five)

  24. And by the way, weak conference? Clearly you do not follow Division III because Pat, Keith, and Ryan would have reported on conference strength annually and guess which two conferences always come up on top, the WIAC and the OAC. I bet when you walk out of your basement each day you hear “Lyin’ A** B*#ch”. Hahaha.

  25. How far away is he? 300 yards? If he has a monster game I suppose he could. Regardless, he is an absolute stud and will be playing in the NFL next season.

  26. apr41478, you can play had this happened or had that happened all day long…the grotesque fact remains Mt. Union has played 45 consecutive playoff games at home, and they have hosted a semi final game fifteen years in a row! That is just obscene!

    Had the NCAA rotated the site of the semi finals Mt. Union would have been on the road for at least seven of those games and we would have had stirring contests in front of excited fans, instead of just another game at Alliance in a stadium half full of bored, disinterested and apathetic “fans”. Until they win a semi final AT Wesley, AT Mary Hardin Baylor, AT Linfield, or AT anywhere but Alliance….their championships are tainted.

    The NCAA’s clumsy attempts to manipulate the outcome has given us seven consecutive years of the same two teams in the title game! They have GOT TO rotate the site of the semi finals to spice up this moribund division and let teams prove they can EARN their way to the title!

  27. I believe coppage is 370 yds away. And who the f??? Is this guy ripping mount . Just shut up mount earned everything it ever got . Oac is not weak. Baldwin Wallace should have gotten in as well as heidleburg this year . Bw probably would have beat half the teams in the playoffs. this is just another guy running his mouth cause he has no idea. Uww never killed mount in a game.

  28. Geiger,

    Can I buy you a drink at the Stagg Bowl before the game?

    Let me know what you will be wearing so we can identify you!…:)!!

  29. Geiger, you have yet to form a cohesive argument, so quit trying. Home field depends on seeding and outcomes. In 2005, Delaware Valley lost to Rowan, preventing them from hosting Mount Union, a LOWER seed. Thus, the 45 straight home game garbage you can trying to throw out would have been snapped in 2005 and again in 2010. If you are unhappy with the way these teams play and the NCAA, go talk to them in person. I am sure your complete lack of intelligence and any defendable argument will be most persuasive in front of the NCAA executives.

    UMU and UWW have been #1 and #2 all year, so it should not be hard to fathom (except for you, obviously) that these two teams are hosting until the finals. You want these teams out of the finals, BEAT them. Stop be such a whiny p#^*y.

    Another L for geiger, on a neutral site no less. You have proven to everyone here just what kind of a loser you are, geiger … experienced. Here’s your sign.

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