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The No. 4/5 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team visits consensus No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor in an NCAA Division III Championship semifinal this Saturday, Dec. 8, at 2:30 p.m. at Crusader Stadium in Belton, Texas. Saturday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN 3 via WatchESPN online or the WatchESPN app on mobile devices.
Saturday's game can also be heard live on KOOL 106.5 FM WKCH in the Whitewater area or online at 940wfaw.com. Fans can track live statistics here.
UW-Whitewater, the automatic qualifier from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, reached the semifinal round with a 26-12 triumph over Bethel (Minn.) in last Saturday's quarterfinal at Perkins Stadium. The Warhawks jumped out to a 23-0 lead, taking advantage of two interceptions, a blocked punt and a muffed punt snap, and held on despite a pair of touchdowns by the Royals in the second quarter.
The Warhawks were ranked fourth in the latest American Football Coaches Association Division III Coaches' Poll and held steady at No. 5 in the latest D3football.com Top 25 entering the postseason. UW-Whitewater garnered 542 points from D3football.com voters, only five points shy of No. 4 St. John's, and 1142 points from AFCA pollsters. The Warhawks were ranked sixth by Street & Smith entering the 2018 season.
Mary Hardin-Baylor, the automatic qualifier from the American Southwest Conference, survived a 15-point fourth quarter by St. John's (Minn.) and intercepted the Johnnies' last pass attempt in the end zone with 1:26 remaining for a 21-18 victory in Belton. The Crusaders posted four sacks and three interceptions defensively to advance to their third straight national semifinal.
SERIES
The Warhawks hold a 5-0 advantage in the all time series between the two teams. UW-Whitewater last played Mary Hardin-Baylor on Dec. 14, 2013, in a national semifinal in Belton. Clinging to a one-point lead, Matt Behrendt completed a key third-down pass to Derric Junakin to help run the clock down to one second and preserve a 16-15 win. Jordan Raliffe rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns, and Josh Williams led the defense with eight tackles.
NEXT UP
The winner of Saturday's game advances to the Stagg Bowl (national championship game), which is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 14, at 6 p.m. Central Time at Woodforest Stadium in Shenandoah, Texas. The other semifinal includes Johns Hopkins (Md.) at Mount Union (Ohio).
NOTABLE
The Warhawks are making the program's 11th appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship semifinals. UW-Whitewater is 9-1 all time in national semifinal games, last reaching the final four in 2015, when it was defeated at Mount Union.
To view the entire edition of this week's game notes, click here.
