Wisconsin-Whitewater wins Division III
Justin Beaver and Wisconsin-Whitewater finally found a way to beat Mount Union in the NCAA Division III championship game on Saturday in Salem, Va.
Beaver, the Gagliardi Trophy winner as the best player in Division III, overcame a costly fumble with his normal reliability on the ground, leading the Warhawks to a 31-21 victory in the soggy, cold Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.
The Warhawks won their first national title after losing 35-28 to Mount Union in the 2005 championship game and 35-16 in the rematch last year.
Wisconsin-Whitewater (14-1) ended Mount Union's 37-game winning streak, and deprived the Purple Raiders of their 10th national title in the last 15 years.
Beaver ran for 249 yards and broke off a backbreaking 66-yard run in the final minutes after the Purple Raiders closed to 24-21 with 3:36 remaining. Four plays after the long jaunt, quarterback Danny Jones' sneak finished the upset.
The Purple Raiders (14-1) turned the ball over three times on fumbles and never got their vaunted offense untracked.
Division II: Northwest Missouri State set the very Division II record it was trying to avoid, thanks to a late touchdown by Valdosta State.
Michael Terry scored with 22 seconds left and Valdosta State beat Northwest Missouri 25-20, making the Bearcats the first team to lose three consecutive D-II title games.
Terry's 1-yard TD run capped an 8-play, 37-yard drive sparked by Willie Copeland's 4 straight completions for 27 yards. Valdosta (13-1) overcame a 14-3 halftime deficit in dropping Northwest Missouri to 12-2.
NAIA championship
Carroll, Mont. 17, Sioux Falls 9:ŒOffensive MVP Gabe Le rushed for 116 yards and 2 third-quarter touchdowns to help Carroll College beat defending champion Sioux Falls 17-9 on Saturday for the Montana school's fifth NAIA title in the past six years.
"Our offensive line played real well," said Le, who was soaked in mud after a game played on a sloppy field in steady rain. "We turned it on and got it done."
The Saints (15-0) are 64-6 in the last six seasons, including other unbeaten seasons in 2003 and 2005. Carroll ended Sioux Falls' 27-game winning streak. The Cougars' last loss was a 55-0 decision to Carroll in the 2005 NAIA semifinals.
NFL
Niners 20, Bengals 13: The third quarterback was the charm for the San Francisco 49ers. Shaun Hill passed for 197 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score in his first NFL start, and host San Francisco beat Cincinnati for its second victory in 12 games.
Frank Gore rushed for a season-high 138 yards, and Darrell Jackson had a season-high 8 catches for 86 yards for San Francisco (4-10).
Hill is a six-year veteran backup who only threw his first NFL passes last week after Trent Dilfer suffered a concussion. With Alex Smith also sidelined, Hill was the only quarterback left for the Niners.
Cincinnati's Carson Palmer threw his 100th touchdown pass, a 52-yard strike to Chris Henry in the first half, to become the fifth-fastest passer in NFL history to reach the mark.