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WHITEWATER, Wis. – The No. 1 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team scored the go-ahead touchdown with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and posted a fourth-down sack deep in its own territory in the final minutes Saturday to defeat 10th-ranked Linfield (Ore.) 20-14 in an NCAA Division III Playoffs semifinal game at Perkins Statdium.
 
With the victory, the Warhawks (14-0 overall) punched their ticket to the 2014 Division III Stagg Bowl XLII, to the program's ninth appearance in the last 10 seasons in the national championship game.
 
UW-Whitewater will take on a familiar opponent in third-ranked Mount Union (Ohio) on Friday, Dec. 19, at 6 p.m. Central Time at Salem Stadium in Salem, Va.
 
The Warhawks led for first two and a half quarters before Linfield (11-2) tied the game at 14-14 with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns, setting the stage for a pressure-packed fourth quarter.
 
UW-Whitewater forced a Wildcats punt and started at its own 20-yard line with 8:54 on the clock. On third-and-eight, senior quarterback Matt Behrendt (Westchester, IL/Nazareth Academy) found junior running back Jordan Ratliffe (Milwaukee/Milwaukee Vincent) in the flat, and Ratliffe ran through a couple of defenders to pick up 11 yards and a first down.
 
The Warhawks faced another third down three players later, and Behrendt connected with senior wide receiver Jake Kumerow (Bartlett, IL/South Elgin) for nine yards to the UW-Whitewater 47-yard line.
 
Following a pair of runs by Ratliffe, junior running back Dennis Moore (Elgin, IL/Elgin) broke two tackles, made a cut and outran a pair of defenders to the end zone for a 33-yard touchdown to give the Warhawks the lead.
 
Linfield drove the ball into Warhawks territory, but junior defensive lineman John Flood (Spring Grove, IL/Richmond-Burton Community) sacked Sam Riddle on fourth-and-three, and senior defensive lineman Mykaell Bratchett (Milwaukee /Hope School) recovered the fumble to give the ball back to UW-Whitewater with 1:51 left.
 
Ratliffe iced the contest with a 23-yard run on second down.
 
Moore finished with 19 carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns (one receiving), while Ratliffe registered 15 carries for 100 yards. Moore eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the season, making it the 11th consecutive season the Warhawks have a 1,000-yard rusher.
 
Senior wide receiver Jake Kumerow (Bartlett, IL/South Elgin) recorded five catches for 58 yards and a score, while senior quarterback Matt Behrendt (Westchester, IL/Nazareth Academy) finished 14-of-28 for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Sophomore linebacker Paul Foster (Janesville/Craig) and junior defensive back Ryan Winske (Omro/Omro) led the defense with eight tackles apiece. Winske also added an interception, his third of the season.
 
Bratchett finished with two sacks to lead the group up front, and freshman linebacker Matt Seitz (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) totaled six stops.
 
The first three drives of the contest resulted in punts before Winske intercepted a deep pass from Riddle and returned it to the Linfield 32-yard line.
 
After a pair of first down runs by Moore, Behrendt tossed to Kumerow from eight yards away to give UW-Whitewater a 7-0 advantage with 4:56 left in the first quarter.
 
Early in the second quarter, the Warhawks took advantage of a pair of penalties, and on third-and-13, Moore took a short pass from Behrendt and sprinted to the goal line for a 46-yard score with 10:39 on the clock.
 
The Wildcats missed a field goal on the ensuing drive and muffed a punt later in the period, but UW-Whitewater was unable to convert an opportunity deep in Linfield territory.
 
The Warhawks forced four turnovers and averaged 5.0 yards per rush for the contest. UW-Whitewater finished with 395 total yards (211 rush, 184 pass) and held Linfield to 344 yards (154 rush, 190 pass).
 
UW-Whitewater and Mount Union (14-0) will compete against each other in the title game for the ninth time in 10 years. The Warhawks own a 5-3 edge in Stagg Bowl affairs, and have won four straight and five of the last six against the Purple Raiders.
 
Media members planning to attend the Stagg Bowl should visit www.ncaa.com/media to apply for a credential.
 
Contact sports information director Chris Lindeke (lindekec@uww.edu) for more information, or to check availability for interviews of student-athletes or coaches.
 
Check back to uwwsports.com for more information in the coming days.