|
| UW-Whitewater knocks the ball away in the end zone on the final play of the game to preserve a 13-7 win vs. UW-La Crosse. Photo by Doug Sasse, d3photography.com | More photos from this game |
North Central, Mount Union and Mary Hardin-Baylor clinched their automatic bids with ease, while UW-Whitewater had to fight to the end in Division III football Top 25 action on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021.
No. 3 UW-Whitewater held off a fourth-quarter charge by No. 12 UW-La Crosse for a 13-7 WIAC-clinching win. The Warhawks outrushed the Eagles 187-79 behind Alex Peete's 27 carry, 152 yard effort. Sophomore defensive back Egon Hein led the Warhawk defense with nine solo tackles and two pass breakups, including knocking away UW-La Crosse's final pass in the end zone. The win came in front of 11,991 fans at Perkins Stadium.
Luke Lehnen threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more TDs on the ground as the top-ranked Cardinals eased past Washington U. 59-20 to clinch the automatic bid out of the CCIW and ensure that the defending national champions will return to the playoffs, nearly two years after they raised Walnut and Bronze in Texas. Ethan Greenfield ran for two touchdowns as well.
Howard Payne jumped out to a 14-0 lead just three and a half minutes into the game, but it was all Mary Hardin-Baylor from then on out as the No. 2-ranked Cru scored 59 unanswered points for the victory. Landon McKinney hit two long TD passes to Jake Parker in that span but was just 1-for-7 the rest of the way. Ryan Redding, getting a second start at quarterback for the Cru, was 21-for-28 for 307 yards and two scores and ran for 98 yards and two more touchdowns in the win.
Josh Petruccelli scored four touchdowns on just eight carries and Wayne Ruby rolled up 111 rushing yards on four catches as No. 4 Mount Union cruised past Muskingum 73-7. Braxton Plunk and Todd Simonds combined for 18-for-21 passing for 338 yards and two scores. Eli Beers had four tackles, all of them solo, and all of them tackles for loss for the Purple Raiders, who improved to 9-0 and clinched the automatic bid from the OAC.
No. 24 Ithaca handed No. 13 Union its first loss of the season and finishes its Liberty League schedule 5-1 in the league after a 26-7 win against the Dutchmen. The LL automatic bid will come down to the Dutchman's Shoes game next week between Union and RPI. If Union wins the Shoes, Ithaca wins the automatic bid, but if RPI wins on Saturday, RPI will get the LL automatic qualifier. After missing a would-be game-tying kick last week against RPI, Nicholas Bahamonde kicked four field goals for the Bombers in the win. Ithaca held Will Bellamy to 13-for-27 passing and kept Ike Irabor out of the end zone, although he picked up 154 yards on 27 carries. Delano Munoz Whatts scored on a rush in the first overtime and then ran in the two-point conversion in the second extra period to help No. 23 RPI survive and remain alive in the LL race, defeating St. Lawrence 22-20 in double overtime. St. Lawrence missed a field goal at the end of regulation that would have won the game and given Ithaca the automatic bid.
Blaine Hawkins was held under 300 yards but No. 9 Central hardly batted an eye as the Dutch rolled to a 56-7 win against Dubuque, clinching the American Rivers Conference title. With Dubuque taking away the deep ball, Hawkins completed 34 of 44 passes, including nine of them to running back Jason Hopp, who tied for the team high with 79 receiving yards and had 22 carries for 140 yards and a touchdown. Eric Knaack caught two touchdown passes and Tanner Schminke added two more as Central improved to 9-0.
Carnegie Mellon found the end zone three times in the second quarter and used a stout defensive effort to power its way to a 27-11 victory over No. 22 Washington & Jefferson. In coach Rick Lackner's final year, the Tartans are now in the driver's seat to claim at least a share of the PAC title and the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs with a win next week vs. Case Western Reserve.
A three-way tie is highly unlikely in the Centennial after Muhlenberg took it to Susquehanna, beating the River Hawks 52-27. Michael Hnatkowsky threw for six touchdowns, three to Michael Feaster and three to Mitch Daniel. With Johns Hopkins defeating Dickinson, JHU and Muhlenberg remain tied for the Centennial Conference lead, but Muhlenberg holds the head-to-head tiebreaker. JHU finishes with McDaniel (2-7) while Muhlenberg finishes with Moravian (3-6).
No. 7 Linfield clinched at least a share of the Northwest Conference championship Saturday, beating Willamette 77-7 at McCulloch Stadium. The Wildcats scored touchdowns on all eight of their first-half possessions en route to securing their 31st national playoff berth, their 16th as a member of NCAA Division III. Of the Wildcats' eight drives, five started in Willamette territory and five took less than one minute.
No. 10 Delaware Valley wrapped up its fourth consecutive MAC title by shutting out Wilkes, 30-0. The Aggies defense held Wilkes to 66 yards and five turnovers, including an 87-yard pick-six by Jamir Prevard. Wearing the No. 7 jersey of injured All-American Mike Nobile, twin brother Anthony registered four sacks and forced a fumble.