ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Sunday, December 15, 1996              TAG: 9612160132
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: C-1  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER

MOUNT UNION ERUPTS PURPLE RAIDERS NOTCH 2ND STAGG BOWL CROWN 56-24

During the first half of the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl on Saturday, the Purple Raiders of Mount Union College found themselves watching things they never had seen an opponent do to them. Rowan was running at will, and scoring in a similar way.

``We had players calling the coaches and suggesting what we should do,'' said Mount Union coach Larry Kehres. ``We lost our poise.''

The Purple Raiders regrouped at halftime and rolled to their second Division III football national championship since 1993, beating Rowan 56-24. Mount Union ran off 35 unanswered points and 385 yards of offense after the break to humble the Profs for the second time in the Stagg Bowl before 5,048 spectators at Salem Stadium.

Mount Union (14-0) set 18 offensive records and tied six others. Junior quarterback Bill Borchert completed 26 of 38 passes for 505 yards and seven touchdowns. During one three minute stretch of the second half, Borchert ran five plays, threw three touchdown passes and helped his team score 21 points.

Meanwhile, Rowan had no points, fewer than 100 yards and only four first downs in the second half.

``We got our focus back on what we needed to do,'' Kehres said.

Mount Union's defense, which had all five of its sacks in the second half, had a name for what happened. Defensive tackle and professional wrestling expert B.J. Payne described it.

``I've got to go with the American Dream Dusty Rhodes for this one,'' he said. ``It was a clubberin' and a blubberin'.''

Purple Raiders defensive coordinator Don Montgomery met with his players before the game and talked with them about Florida State's recent victory over Florida in which the Seminoles knocked Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel down 25 times. He told his players if they got to Rowan quarterback Greg Lister that many times, they could win.

``We tried to come with blitzes he may not have seen,'' Montgomery said. ``The kids realized that was a significant part of the game.''

Asked how much pressure he felt in the second half, Lister said, ``A lot.''

The Profs (10-3) had their first punt of the game on their first possession of the second half. Lister was hit and then had to scramble for a loss on their next possession, which also ended with a punt.

Rowan's last hope left them with no hope. Mount Union had gone ahead 35-24 late in the third quarter. The Profs series began with a penalty, then saw tailback Jyi Peterson (15 carries, 162 yards and two touchdowns) stuffed for perhaps the only time all day, and climaxed with Lister being sacked by Payne for a 5-yard loss.

It was at that point when Lister and the Profs realized why the Mount Union defensive tackle goes by a name worthy of a wrestling gimmick, ``House of Payne.''

``That was the biggest play of the second half,'' Payne said.

Pardon his bravado. He was merely sharpening his skills for the future, when he will attend wrestling school, something his parents have promised to fund after he gets his degree from Mount Union.

There were plenty of other big plays, most of which involved a flick of the wrist by Borchert and a cradle of the arms of his wide receivers, Kevin Knestrick and Reiko Gollate. Knestrick caught seven passes for a Stagg Bowl-record 211 yards after dropping three of the first four balls thrown his way. Gollate's 166 yards receiving were merely 27 yards off the previous record.

``I really couldn't believe they were able to get them like they were,'' Borchert said.

Payne was one of the few people at Salem Stadium who ever had seen such a display. ``Yeah,'' he said. ``In two-a-days.''

When those practices were taking place, there were 216 other Division III programs trying to reach Rowan and Mount Union's levels of success. The Profs lost two of their first five games, while Mount Union won every week. Rowan started just three seniors and didn't expect to be in the Stagg Bowl in the middle of the season. It didn't want a game like this to end it, either.

``We didn't want to get into a shootout with these guys,'' said Rowan coach K.C. Keeler.

That's what the Profs got. And particularly in the second half, Mount Union's hits were amazingly accurate.

Rowan|10--14---0---0--24

MountUnion|14---7--14--21--56

First quarter

Row-FG Huckel 35, 3:02

MtU-Flinn 9 pass from Borchert (Andrea kick), 7:48

Row-Peterson 42 run (Huckel kick), 10:30

MtU-Knestrick 38 pass from Borchert (Andrea kick), 12:51|

Second quarter

Row-Bosco 9 pass from Lister (Huckel kick), 2:50

MtU-Gollate 29 pass from Borchert (Andrea kick), 4:51

Row-Peterson 2 run (Huckel kick), 11:06|

Third quarter

MtU-Brock 13 run (Andrea kick), 7:20

MtU-Evans 4 pass from Borchert (Andrea kick), 13:31|

Fourth quarter

MtU-Gollatte 45 pass from Borchert (Andrea kick), :19

MtU-Flinn 12 pass from Borchert (Andrea kick), 2:46

MtU-Tyla 18 pass from Borchert (Andrea kick), 11:03

A-5,048.

--|Row--MtU Firstdowns|---18----30 Rushes-yards|-44-266-37-177 Passing|---157---505 Puntreturns|---0-0----2-8 Kickoffreturns|-9-213---5-98 Interceptionsret.|---1-0---3-9 Comp-att-int|14-27-3-26-38-1 Sacked-yardslost|---1-2---5-33 Punts|--3-35---1-29 Fumbles-lost|---2-1----1-0 Penalties-yards|--4-25---2-16 Timeofpossession|--30:51--29:09INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS|

RUSHING-Rowan, Peterson 15-162, Foster 10-63, Bosco 6-35, Lister 12-8, Thorpe 1-(-2). Mount Union, Brock 13-69, Lantos 7-54, Borchert 7-27, Evans 5-11, Pollock 1-6, Eshler 3-6, Zeppernick 1-4.

PASSING-Rowan, Lister 14-27-3-157. Mount Union, Borchert 26-38-1-505.

RECEIVING-Rowan, Bosco 5-89, Green 4-30, Foster 3-22, Sadowski 1-9, Trinidad 1-7. Mount Union, Knestrick 7-211, Gollate 6-166, Brock 4-29, Flinn 3-34, Evans 3-25, Tyla 1-18, Lantos 1-11, Kershner 1-11.

NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores. 

LENGTH: Long  :  129 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  1. DON PETERSEN/Staff. Mount Union defenders, led by 

          Mark Black (right), stop Rowan running back Jyi Peterson in his 

          tracks during second-half action

          Saturday at Salem Stadium. 2. Jyi Peterson of Rowan breaks loose for

          a

          touchdown run in the first half. Peterson led all rushers with 162 

          yards. 3. STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS/Staff. B.J. Payne (66) of Mount 

          Union celebrates the Purple Raiders' victory in the Stagg Bowl. 4. 

          Reiko Gollate (left) of Mount Union catches a touchdown pass in the 

          second half after beating Rowan defender Troy Damon. 5. DON 

          PETERSEN/Staff. Rowan quarterback Greg Lister (14) is brought down 

          by Mount Union defender Scott Braden in the second half of the 

          Division III national championship game Saturday afternoon. color.
by CNB