Mt. Union quiets Thunder again
ALLIANCE, Ohio - Wheaton College quarterback Sean Norris threw for 246 yards and 2 touchdown passes, but that effort wasn't nearly enough as top-ranked Mt. Union built a 24-0 lead and pulled away for a 45-24 victory Saturday in the NCAA Division III national semifinals.
It was the sixth time Wheaton has been eliminated in the playoffs by Mt. Union, which has won nine national titles and will seek No. 10 next week in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl against Wisconsin-Whitewater.
While the Thunder was making its first appearance in the national semifinals, the game marked Mt. Union's 14th straight Final Four berth.
Wheaton, which had won three consecutive road playoff games, couldn't contain the explosive Purple Raiders offense, allowing 657 total yards. Mt. Union running back Nate Kmic did the bulk of the damage, piling up 310 yards on the ground.
It was his fourth straight 200-yard playoff game, and he becomes the NCAA's all-time career rusher, breaking the mark of 7,962 by Chadron State's Danny Woodhead (2004-07). Kmic's new record total is 7,986, more yards than any running back, at any level, in college football history.
"Coming in we didn't care if they threw for 500 yards, as long as we stopped that kid (Kmic) from running the football," said Wheaton coach Mike Swider. "We didn't want him to beat us and we gambled a lot to try to stop him. But he's very good and so is their offensive line.
"The best team won today and if you're going to lose, you might as well lose to the best. We've never lost in the playoffs to anyone except Mt. Union. The game could have been closer if we hadn't dropped a few balls and given up some big plays."
Wheaton was at a disadvantage from the start. Leading rusher Rocky Gingg was unavailable for the contest due to an injury. The Thunder also lost starting offensive lineman Jesse Scott after he dislocated his already-injured shoulder in warmups.
The Thunder entered the contest averaging 172.3 rushing yards per contest but was limited to only 90 yards on the ground against Mt. Union.
Norris' two TD passes gives him a single-season school-record of 32, passing the mark of 30 by Jeff Brown (1995). Norris also became Wheaton's single-season leader in total offense with 3,383 yards.
The junior from Wheaton North was unavailable after the game due to an injury.
"He had a concussion last week against Franklin and he took a beating again today, so his head is probably bothering him again," Swider said.
Mt. Union scored on five of its six first-half possessions to build a 24-0 advantage.
Wheaton trimmed the deficit to 24-7 on a 29-yard scoring pass from Norris to Alex Pokorny with 2:44 left in the second quarter.
"We played better at times in the second half, but we dug ourselves a bit of a hole there. To beat a team like this you need to catch some breaks, but we dropped a touchdown and made some mistakes," Swider said.