Stagg Bowl 2014: Wis.-Whitewater vs. Mount Union Date, Time, TV Schedule, More

This is getting to be a familiar sight for Division III football fans, as the 2014 Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl will feature Mount Union and Wisconsin-Whitewater squaring off for the DIII title for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons.

The UW-Wisconsin Warhawks have won five titles in school history, all of which have come since 2007. Their dominance has only been rivaled by the Purple Raiders, who have 11 national championships and are playing in the Stagg Bowl for the 18th time since 1993.

CBS Sports' Dane Brugler tweeted about their unfathomable dominance:

Who will reign supreme in this year's installment of the Stagg Bowl? The Purple Raiders and the Warhawks enter Friday's play as seemingly indestructible forces, but one will bow to the other by game's end.

When: Friday, Dec. 19

Where: Salem, Virginia, at the Salem Football Stadium

Time: 7 p.m. ET

TV Broadcast: ESPNU

Will Kevin Burke Continue to Dominate for Mount Union?

The Warhawks and the Raiders couldn't have gotten to this game any differently. UW-Wisconsin barely edged Linfield, 20-14, thanks to a 33-yard run with five minutes left by running back Dennis Moore.

Mount Union, on the other hand, absolutely dismantled Wesley, 70-21.

Quarterback Kevin Burke combined for eight touchdowns in the game. Brian Dulik of the Medina Gazette tweeted that he put up those numbers in less than three quarters:

Wesley's All-American linebacker Sosthene Kapepula admitted that Burke can turn the smallest of mistakes into golden opportunities, per Tim Warsinskey of The Plain Dealer: "Kevin Burke, you see him on film, he's very active. But when you get to play against him, he really takes away a lot of things when you make one mistake. He's very sharp."

Burke will have all eyes on him when he steps on the field Friday evening—and for good reason. In 14 games, he racked up 4,089 passing yards, 49 touchdowns, a 65 percent completion rate and just five interceptions. He added 520 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns for good measure.

Yeah, 59 total touchdowns in 14 games.

That would explain why Burke is a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy. It's definitely not the Heisman, but it's still an award that recognizes the player with the best football, academic and community service achievements in DIII. He won the award last year.

Burke will face a Warhawks defense that has allowed over 20 points just twice in 14 games this season. The unit averaged just 10.6 points allowed per game. Something's gotta give, though, as the Raiders averaged 60.1 points per contest. They failed to reach 58 points just twice.

Prediction

Two teams used to playing drastically different styles of football meeting for the national championship makes for a hard prediction.

The Raiders haven't played a close game in quite some time, whereas the Warhawks have played them all year. One would assume that UW-Whitewater doesn't have the offense to get by if Burke torches the defense like he has done to so many other defenses before.

That may not be the case, however.

High-powered offenses don't know how to recover when a defense finds answers. Just look back to last year's Super Bowl between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, for example.

Seattle entered with one of the most overwhelming defenses the NFL had seen in years. Denver entered riding Peyton Manning's historic season. The Broncos were widely chosen as the favorites given their unmatched offensive potential.

And what happened? The Seahawks ran away with things, 43-8.

Nobody could predict that outcome, but it's the most recent example of how a football team with an underrated offense and a strong defense could turn it on when it mattered most.

Mount Union hasn't played in close games that mattered all season. That type of inexperience will be the team's downfall. Burke may have himself a nice game, but his team will struggle to solve a strong defensive unit.

Prediction: UW-Whitewater 31, Mount Union 27

Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn