Alright, so here we are, at the culmination of more than 1,100 games and after 236 teams have been eliminated from contention for the 2007 Division III football national championship, with Mount Union and UW-Whitewater. The fans are already tailgating in the parking lot, getting ready for our 4 p.m. kickoff. We’ll keep you updated here throughout the day on all the goings-on and help you follow along.
Don’t forget to turn down the audio on ESPN (Pam Ward on play by play) and turn up our audio broadcast. Those of you with a DVR may find the delay is manageable by pausing the television. We’ll pronounce names correctly, etc. 🙂
Join Gordon Mann, Frank Rossi and Ryan Tipps on our game day show starting at 2 p.m. Keith McMillan and I will take over leading up to the 4 p.m. kickoff, with Frank on the sidelines.
Some more audio to tide you over until we hit the air at 2 — I was interviewed on Western Wisconsin Sports Saturday this morning about the Stagg Bowl and recorded most of it for the audience here.
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Wow…We might have seen the real championship game last week in Whitewater. MUC looks pathetic. WarHawks are playing tough…I’d be running Beaver every down in the second half.
I don’t think MUC looks pathetic at all. The Warhawk defense has been playing great.
BaylorFan…don’t even go down that road yet.
OMG. I wish I was at this game! What a heads up play by the O-Lineman.
Pretty sure they just called Mount Union the Red Raider…????
Why did it just feel like that was going to happen…Mount will probably win this thing like 40-17 now.
keith,
the penalty was a facemask on uww, not a hold.
Are the refs calling holding penalties today? Mount has been holding on the edge all day.
the replay showed a really blatant hold by MUC AND an incidental facemask by UWW. they called the facemask on the uww player being tackled
WOW. huge momentum change for MUC. they covert the beaver fumble into a TD that makes this a 3pt game.
UWW defense is really tough. getting the go ahead points for MUC won’t be easy
MUC showing the heart of a Champion. UWW has shown to be their equal. Should be a fantastic 4th quarter!
Wow 17-14 at the end of the 3rd
Two HUGE HUGE Plays in the 3rd Quarter. If Whitewater doesn’t recover Beaver’s FIRST TD, there is no way we win this game.
The second fumble leads directly (though barely) to MUC’s second TD. A game of inches today for SURE.
Only time will tell if Whitewater has withstood MUC’s charge, or if we don’t have quite enough. MUC has only driven the field ONCE (immediately after Whitewater went up 17-0).
If MUC scores to take the lead 21-17, i think they win. If Whitewater goes up 24-14, i think they win.
What a finish for NCAA Division III!!!!!!!!
I thought the NFL was the only league with the wide receiver “diva’s” (Plaxico, Steve Smith, T.O., Chad Johnson, Keyshawn, etc.)!! Ray Bentley is making Garcon sound a bit like these NFL diva’s with his actions during last year’s game and a few of his antics tonight. If he takes that punk act to an NFL training camp next year, some strong safety will take his head off and hand it to him on a platter. Pierre…….you’re playing D3 football for God’s sake. You have no reason to be “big timing” anybody when you’re far, far away from the Big Time!!
Looking forward to a great 4th quarter.
I hate when the announcers give the refs a pass…the feet weren’t caught up…that was a PI! OHHH…justice, WW fumble recovery!
For those of you that watch the Warhawks play this season; our defense is continuing to play like they have all year. They never give up, even when the momentum goes against them. They play with a lot of heart.
Six minutes to the Walnut and Glass and Bronze!!
If you haven’t heard, former Warhawk Derek Stanley was activiated by the Rams and will play tomorrow vs the Packers. Congrats to Derek…turning out to be a really good day for the Warhawks.
What a HUGE run by the beaver!!!
This isn’t FAIR!!! Mt. Union wants to go HOME!!! Why wasn’t this game played in ALLIANCE, like every other playoff game they play!!!! WAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!
After that run I’ll say congrats to UWW. What an effort and they’re a deserving champion.
I want to go on record as a Mount Union fan and congradtulate WW. That was one hell of a game. I finally got to see the Beaver that you guys have been talking about for three years. He is the MAN. Congrats to all.
This wasn’t even CLOSE! Mt. Union would be about the fifth best team in the WIAC. HAHAHAHA!!!!!
HDTV never looked so good until the day the raiders died
That td should not stand. Jones was pushed in on the play.
neutralobserver,
You sir are an idiot.
Wow, the announcers are piling on Mount about losing with grace…
What a bunch of punks and cheap shot artists. Give ’em another flag
Woo Hoo! Great Game! THIRD TIME WAS THE CHARM!!
Classic…the UWW guys are giving it to Garcon…he just can’t keep his mouth shut…
The coach was upset about the push by the lineman on the last TD. He should not have come onto the field but he was correct.
wow mount union though is acting like poor losers. my god you’ve been there before act like it
Ya think they’ll have to play on the road next year? Assuming they even make the playoffs! HAHAHA!!!!
How similar is this to 2003?
— Gagliardi winner breaks the back-breaking run.
–LBs make some incredible smacks.
–MUC was so dominating coming that its fans were calling it one of their “best ever.” No disrespect for the Raiders — I’ve got plenty — but it just shows how a great team can rise up and surprise a lot of the experts.
Congrats to the UWW for bringing another title back to the West.
Congrats UWW!
Three Wisconsin teams in the playoffs and the champion! What a year!
Yea…that’s what I figured…he had a point, but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen that get called.
Mount coach talks about how his team has no arrogant players, they don’t want or need them…well, I don’t think so.
Hurry hurry hurry hurry ESPN, get this game off the TV!!!
I am truly shocked about the amount of taunting and unsportsmanlike behavior displayed by both teams. I expect more class from these two schools.
Wow, what a win. 3rd Time is the Charm for the Warhawks. Just like Volleyball, Just Like Baseball… 3rd Try, New Coach = National Title
I feel great for Justin Beaver who sealed the win with some big runs after a few disasterous fumbles in the 3rd Quarter.
Whitewater proved they have the BEST defense in the nation today for sure.
Hats off to Mount Union, GREAT program, but this was our year.
I agree downtown48. I’m not sure why it’s a rule if it doesn’t get called. Similar to the Reggie Bush assist to Matt Leinart a few years ago against ND.
As an SJU fan, congrats to UWW. Nice to see someone knock off MU – with skill and hard work…
Well… Mount Union got a gift on their 3rd TD drive. That clearly was offensive pass interference, and should have been brought back.
Big Plays, Big Calls went both ways…
End of the day, Whitewater was the better team, PERIOD
We played a tougher schedule, and MUC simply was OUTCOACHED today
Whitewater is the undisputed BEST team in NCAA Div III this year.
And congrats to Justin Beaver and his offensive line today. I think the final total is 247 yards.
Under terrible conditions this year WWW got the critical turnovers and got the one big break on the fumble recovery in the endzone. The last two years MUC got that play.
This year it was UWW that made the big play.
The hard truth. Mount Union is not number one. Period. End of story. UW Whitewater are the National Champions. They deserve to be the National Champions. They are the best team in D3 in 2007. Undisputed. It was decided on the field as it should have been statistics are fun to look at, but they don’t block, tackle or RECOVER FUMBLES. Football players do. And UW Whitewater’s players are champions. Mount Union should fans should be proud of their team. they are the second best in the nation. They showed heart. They simply aren’t as good as UWW. Not this year. Celebrate hard Hawk fans. We did it!
I’ve got one thing to say to that big oaf of a coach who showed no class whatsover………Monster.com!!! Familiarize yourself with that site when Kehres takes you out to the woodshed as you disrespected the game and the Mount program. Coaches are supposed to be examples for their players. Was that Garcon’s position coach? That would make sense then!!
Great game by the best two teams in D3 football !!!!!!
BR…I agree…those two Raiders that fell on that ball in the endzone will have trouble with that for a few days, though the Raiders responded as everyone probably figured and took that game down to the wire…
BuckeyeRaider, you are a very classy fan. I was pretty furious at the end of the game the past two years, and didn’t take losing very well, but then again, we (UWW) had never won before and didn’t act like it.
You guys have won 9 titles, and will surely win many more. I look forward to UWW-MUC Part IV next year in Salem
I really admire your coach. Doesn’t get overanimated with the officials, just keeps his cool, and acts like he has NINE NCAA titles. Good luck next season
Congrats warhawks for finally getting it done. It was sad to see the MUC coach lose his cool like that. It’s always easy to win with class, but it’s a little harder to lose with class.
Garcon wasn’t a factor today, looked pretty predestrian and average…and Kmic was held pretty much in check, that QB is tough, though. The bounces went Whitewater’s way today, unlike the previous 2 years. The Warhawks made a great team look bad today. Congrats to the Warhawk coaching staff and players. Good predictions by Voice and the Bridgewater Football guy. We knew Whitewater’s D was good, but nobody gave the Whitewater offense a chance against a Mount D that stopped everybody. Beaver proved good guys can finish first!!
9isfine says:
“I would take Kmic any day of the week. Kmic played the 1st half of….well…..pretty much every game. He would dust any record of Beaver’s had he played more. I dont want to argue who has the better running back. Although I think mount does. I will say defensively you will never see the likes of this MUC team again. It is truly unbelievable how the can dominate any offensive unit in the country in DIII”
EXCEPT ONE!!! Oh, and by the way. You can HAVE Kmic any day of the week. Today is the only day that matters. I’m glad you didn’t have Beaver. 247 yards rushing against a defense that, “can dominate any offensive unit in the country in DIII”. Hmmmm.
well well the warhawks had their day finally… they got LUCKY against THE VERY BEST TEAM THE MOUNT UNION RAIDERS in Division 3 football, and the Raiders will be tere again next year. The better team did not win today.