Rowan Halts Mt. Union's Run

A few big plays by Rowan and one crushing hit in overtime was all it took to end Mount Union's NCAA record 54-game winning streak.

Rowan scored on a 7-yard run in OT, then stopped the Purple Raiders on four plays, including breaking up a pass at the goal line, for a 24-17 victory in Saturday's Division III semifinals.

It was the Purple Raiders' first lost since Dec. 2, 1995, when they were beaten 20-17 by Wisconsin-La Crosse in the Division III semifinals.

"Rowan made more plays than we did today," Mount Union coach Larry Kehres said. "The effort was there. It just came down to the fact that they made enough plays to win."

Rowan (12-1) finally got the best of Mount Union (12-1), which beat the Profs in the 1993, 1996 and 1998 championship games.

The Purple Raiders had won three consecutive national titles and four in the '90s. They beat Otterbein 44-20 on Oct. 16 to surpass the 47-game winning streak set by Bud Wilkinson and his Oklahoma Sooners in 1957.

"You learn a lot more after losing than you do after a win," Kehres said. "There will be lessons to learn from today that these kids will take with them. I'm extremely proud of their effort."

Mount Union won the coin toss in overtime, but elected to play defense.

Jason Frabisile's 7-yard run gave the Profs the lead, and their defense didn't allow Mount Union to get a first down.

The Purple Raiders managed just 5 yards on their first three plays, giving them a fourth-and-5 from the 20.

Instead of going for a short completion, quarterback Gary Smeck looked down the field for Jason Richards, who appeared to have broken loose from Rowan defenders near the goal line.

Richards leaped into the air and caught the ball but couldn't pull it in. Three Rowan defenders hit Richards before he came down with the catch, knocking the ball loose and ending the game.

"Mount Union has a great football program. I am humbled to be a part of what happened today," said Rowan coach K.C. Keeler, whose team advanced to Saturday's Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl against Pacific Lutheran of Washington (12-1) in Salem, Va.

"Larry Kehres and his players do what they expect to do better than anyone on any level. They have a great system and their kids execute it almost perfectly. To win 54 straight games is amazing. I can't even imagine it," he said.

Keeler has led the Profs to six semifinals in seven seasons, but Rowan has not won a title.

Rowan trailed 7-6 late in the second quarter when its defensive took away Mount Union's momentum. Lineman Tim Watson returned a fumble 33 yards for a score, and Mike Warker completed a 2-point conversion pass to Scott Lipford for a 14-7 halftime lead.

Mount Union's Gary Smeck completed 20-of-36 for 252 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, but the quarterback with a knack for completing big passes couldn't help Mount Union pull ou a victory.

Smeck came in with 35 touchdown passes, including four in last Saturday's come-from-behind 56-31 victory over Ohio Northern in the quarterfinals.

"We made some great individual plays out there today," Keeler said. "Defensively, we were able to put some pressure on them with our front four. We didn't blitz a whole lot because Mount Union is very good at picking the blitz apart."

Frabisile finished with 147 yards on 24 carries, and Warker completed 17-of-27 for 186 yards. Nick Frade kicked field goals of 20, 40 and 33 yards, the last of which gave Rowan a 17-14 lead with 3:42 remaining in the third quarter.

Rob Sondles caught a 13-yard TD pass and Chuck Moore a 15-yarder for Mount Union. Moore also had 116 yards on 26 carries.