BELTON, TEXAS — The wind blew from the south between 20 and 30 mph here Saturday.
But it was the football team from the north, not the south, that adjusted better to Mother Nature as UW-Whitewater used a 20-point flurry during the first 15 minutes, 4 seconds of the second half to put away Mary Hardin-Baylor, 39-13, in an NCAA Division III national semifinal game at Tiger Field.
Whitewater (13-1) advances to its fourth consecutive Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl with the victory, and the Warhawks will aim for their second straight national championship when they face Mount Union (14-0) at 10 a.m. (CST) next Saturday at Salem, Va.
Mary Hardin-Baylor (12-2) lost to Whitewater for the fourth time in the last three seasons.
“This was an outstanding game, and we beat a class program in Mary Hardin-Baylor,” UW-Whitewater coach Lance Leipold said. “I couldn’t be prouder of my team for the way they came down to this environment, with the wind blowing the way it was and come out of here with a win.”
MHB coach Pete Fredenburg praised his opponent.
“Congratulations to Whitewater for getting back in the Stagg Bowl, and I hope they get another win,” he said. “They did a better job of adjusting to the wind than we did, and that proved to be the difference.”
The game’s turning point came on the second-half kickoff. With the Crusaders kicking into a brisk wind, Alan Munoz’s boot got caught by the stiff breeze and blew backward. The ball landed at the MHB 38-yard line before bouncing back to the 24, where it was downed.
After a lengthy discussion between the coaches and officials, Whitewater took possession at the spot where the ball was downed.
Although MHB recovered the kickoff, possession went to Whitewater because the football did not pass the Crusaders’ 40-yard line. A kickoff must go at least 10 yards to be considered a live ball, and although the kick crossed the 40 in the air, it landed at the 38—meaning it went only eight yards.
The Warhawks then wasted no time converting on the opportunity as Jeff Donovan hit Danny Benson for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage for 18-10 lead just seven into the third quarter.
The Crusaders never got past the Whitewater 27 after that turn of events, and the Warhawks scored three more TDs to put the game away.
Donovan completed 16 of 25 passes for 229 yards and three scores without an interception. He also did not suffer a sack after being dumped six times last week against Wartburg.
“I had the ‘Nerf ball’ mentality where I tried not to throw the ball too hard,” Donovan said. “With a Nerf ball, the harder you throw it, the less likelihood you have of being successful.”
But the Warhawks obviously were successful through the air. They also got major help from running back Antwan Anderson, who ran 19 times for 106 yards and a touchdown—his fourth straight playoff game with 100 or more yards. Anderson now has 795 playoff yards on 99 carries (8.0 ypc).
The Warhawks also started the game the way they finished—with a run of success.
With a wind-blown opening kickoff that pinned Mary Hardin-Baylor deep in its territory, Whitewater got a safety on the first play from scrimmage for a 2-0 lead 17 seconds into the game. The Warhawks extended it to 5-0 with Jeff Schebler’s 25-yard field goal on their first offensive possession.
After the Crusaders grabbed a 10-5 lead, Whitewater went ahead for good on Donovan’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Nick Slupski with 26 seconds left in the first half. The Warhawks led 12-10 at halftime and kept the momentum with their 20-point surge to start the second half.
After taking advantage of the wind-blown second-half kickoff, Whitewater pushed its 18-10 lead to 25-10 on Donovan’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Slupski with 3:42 left in the third quarter. The Warhawks then made it 32-10 after Levell Coppage’s 1-yard touchdown run on the first play of the final period.
And that sealed another Warhawk victory over Mary Hardin-Baylor. Now, the Warhawks look forward to getting even with Mount Union at 2-2 in their fourth straight national title game against the Purple Raiders.
The Purple Raiders beat Whitewater in 2005 and 2006, but the Warhawks prevailed, 31-21, last year.
Now, it’s time for more.
“This is a dream come true to finish my career in the Stagg Bowl,” said Whitewater linebacker Jace Rindahl. “We seniors have been very fortunate to get to go to the Stagg Bowl all four years, and we have confidence in having been here before.”
UW-WHITEWATER 39,
MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR 13
TEAM STATISTICS
WW MHB
First downs 17 17
Yards rushing 40-175 42-125
Yards passing 220 151
Passes 16-25-0 13-27-0
Punts-avg. 6-30.7 7-25.4
Fumbles-lost 0-0 3-1
Penalties-yards 3-10 2-17
Time of possession 29:53 30:07
SCORING SUMMARY
UW-Whitewater 5 7 13 14—39
Mary Hardin-Baylor 0 10 0 3—13
First Quarter
W—Team safety, 14:43. W—FG, Jeff Schebler, 25, 11:39.
Second Quarter
MHB—Josh Saenz, 1 run (Alan Munoz kick), 12:17. MHB—FG, Alan Munoz, 38, 4:11. W—Nick Slupski, 3 pass from Jeff Donovan (Schebler kick), :26.
Third Quarter
W—Danny Benson, 24 pass from Donovan (kick blocked), 14:53. W—Slupski, 8 pass from Donovan (Schebler kick), 3:42.
Fourth Quarter
W—Levell Coppage, 1 run (Schebler kick), 14:56. MHB—FG, Munoz, 44, 9:04. WW—Antwan Anderson, 38 run (Schebler kick), 4:00.
Individual stats
Rushing—Whitewater: Anderson 19-106, Coppage 13-45, Donovan 4-14, Jake Andersen 3-8, Aaron Rusch 1-2. Mary Hardin-Baylor: Matt Hurst 20-74, Saenz 15-46, Kyle Noack 3-12, Tommy Vadell 1-1, Bryson Tucker 2/-3, Tariekus Ellis 1/-5.
Passing—Whitewater: Donovan 16-25-0, 220 yards. Mary Hardin-Baylor: Saenz 9-17-0, 67 yards; Noack 4-10-0, 44 yards.
Receiving—Whitewater: Rusch 4-59, Slupski 3-22, Jordan Wells 2-53, Adam Brandes 2-22, Matt Gifford 2-18, Benson 1-24, Anderson 1-15, Cory Robinson 1-7. Mary Hardin-Baylor: Pi´Dadro Davis 3-33, Brian Scott 3-26, Ellis 2-21, Aerttrail Robinson 2-11, Ervin Johnson 1-10, Hurst 1-5, Jonathan Green 1-5.