Stagg Bowl 2015: Mount Union vs. St. Thomas (Minn) Date, Time, TV Schedule, More

There's a new playoff in FBS Division I football, but Division III has been running a pretty successful one for a while now.

After winning four playoffs games, the No. 1 Mount Union Purple Raiders and the No. 4 St. Thomas (Minn.) Tommies will play Friday in Division III's national championship game, the Stagg Bowl.

Mount Union, who can boast current NFL wide receivers Cecil Shorts III and Pierre Garcon as former players, has played in the past 10 Stagg Bowls—winning four of them—and got here this year after knocking of its nemesis, the Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks, in the semifinals to avenge two straight championship game losses. 

It was a historic victory against the Warhawks, per Mike Popovich of CantonRep.com:

St. Thomas, playing in its second Stagg Bowl, defeated the Linfield Wildcats 38-17 in the semis to set up a date with Mount Union.

Here's a look at some important info and analysis of what should be a great matchup: 

Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl XLIII

Who: Mount Union Purple Raiders vs. St. Thomas (Minn) Tommies

When: Dec. 18

Where: Salem Stadium (Salem, Virginia)

Time: 7 p.m. ET

TV: ESPNU

Live Stream: WatchESPN

If these two teams sound familiar, there's good reason as to why. Although Mount Union and St. Thomas have only met once in the Stagg Bowl—a 28-10 Purple Raiders victory in 2012—at least one of these schools has played in the past 10 Division III championship games.

Although it's been Mount Union doing the heavy lifting in that department, competing in its 11th straight Stagg Bowl, St. Thomas is no slouch.

The No. 4 Tommies come into the game with the same 14-0 record as No. 1 Mount Union and are looking for revenge. Mount Union's last Stagg Bowl victory was the 2012 defeat of St. Thomas.

Head coach Glenn Caruso said his team is going to have to rely on more than talent to win the game, per Wayne Cavadi of NCAA.com:

"

The difference [between 2012 and 2015] is that we may not have the marquee talent that the teams in 2011 and 2012 had. We did not have a single guy who was a preseason All-American. That speaks to their togetherness and selflessness. We are deeper than in years past, and we are healthier than we have ever been.

"

All of that is important considering the test they are up against on both sides of the ball with the Purple Raiders. 

Senior quarterback Taurice Scott threw for 3,139 yards, 41 touchdowns and only five interceptions in 2015. In a style similar to Heisman Trophy finalist Deshaun Watson, he also ran for 800 yards.

Running back Logan Nemeth, another senior, was the nation's third-leading rusher with 1,737 yards, and he isn't afraid to lower his shoulder and take on the competition, as shown here on the team's Twitter account:

However, the team with the country's highest-scoring offense at 53.6 points per game also has some guys who can play on defense.

Tom Lally, yet another senior, anchors the defense with 18 sacks for a team that leads the nation with 63. Per this video from Mount Union, it's best to avoid getting hit by the 6'2'', 260-pounder:

He, defensive back Alex Kocheff and linebacker Jonathan Gonell have not missed a game together the past four years, per Cavadi.

It's to easy to see why third-year head coach Vince Kehres, who took over for his father, Larry, has his team as the favorite to win a 12th national championship.

Kehres was full of coach-speak when talking about his team leading up to the game, per Cavadi: “You want your team on a path of playing their best football each week. We played at a very high level on Saturday to beat a great opponent, and we want to build on that one step and peak a bit more this week.”

There's certainly going to be football played at a high level, and the Tommies defense is a big reason why.

After allowing 22.3 points per game in 2014, Caruso changed the defense, and while there were only three new starters in 2015, seven played a new position, per Jace Frederick of TwinCities.com:

"

We have guys who were playing corner that are at outside linebacker. Guys that were at outside linebacker that are at inside linebacker, guys who were at inside linebacker that are at defensive end, guys who were at defensive end are at nose guard.

"

While that doesn't seem very organized, it worked this year, as Caruso's crew yields 9.9 points per game and has yet to allow an opponent to top 20.

Season	Yards Allowed	Points Allowed	Turnovers Forced	Sacks
2014	333	22.3	2.3	1.9
2015	227	9.9	2.5	3.6

That defense is most likely going to be tested early and often against Mount Union. Caruso knows what his team is up against, per Frederick:

"

They do a great job of attacking different areas of the field within their run game with different play selections and different personnel groupings. And then you add the quarterback to it on top of having a great tailback and it just multiplies on to it exponentially.

"

Between the high-powered Mount Union offense and the stout St. Thomas defense, something has to give Friday.

It all comes down to which is willing to bend but not break.