Stagg Bowl 2015: Score, Twitter Reaction for Mount Union vs. St. Thomas (Minn.)

The Mount Union Purple Raiders claimed their 12th Stagg Bowl championship, and first since 2012, with a 49-35 victory over the No. 4 St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies on Friday at Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia.

It was the 11th straight championship appearance for Mount Union, 15-0, which defeated the two-time defending Stagg Bowl champion Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks in the semifinals.

The school posted a shot of the championship trophy shortly after the game:

Plenty of Mount Union players contributed to the stat sheet, but one stood out more than the others.

Senior Lane Clark had just three career touchdowns coming into the game but caught two Friday, including a juggling 13-yard score that helped tie the game at 21-21 early in the third quarter.

It was quite the ending to Clark's career, per Sean Greene of Delaware's WDEL SportsZone:

The guy throwing the ball to Clark had a good game as well. Taurice Scott completed 12 of 19 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, one year after catching seven passes in the Stagg Bowl as a wide receiver. He also ran for 54 yards and a score.

Senior Logan Nemeth, Division III's fourth-leading rusher, had a big game on the ground with 220 yards and two touchdowns.

Nemeth finished the season with 1,957 yards, and Mike Popovich of the Canton Repository pointed out the obvious when Nemeth's 36-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach:

The onslaught of points wasn't a surprise for a team that averages 53.6 per game, but the fact that it came against a stout defense was impressive.

St. Thomas, 14-1, allowed a paltry 9.9 points per game coming in and held Mount Union to 14 in the first 30 minutes as the teams headed into the half tied.

However, Mount Union found itself in rare territory in the first quarter, trailing 7-0 after this 24-yard touchdown pass from John Gould to Charlie Dowdle, per MIAC Athletics:

Bill Connelly of SB Nation, like many others, didn't know what to do when he saw the score:

St. Thomas stretched the lead to 14-0 after a Jordan Roberts one-yard touchdown run with 10:59 remaining until halftime.

However, order was restored in the third quarter as Scott and Mount Union took advantage of a St. Thomas turnover, scampering into the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown that helped build a 35-21 lead.

The game looked to be heading off the rails for the Tommies, but on the next drive, they turned their own fumble into a touchdown as Gould scooped the ball off the turf and scampered into the end zone to help cut the deficit to seven.

SB Nation CFB summed up what many viewers were likely thinking:

After forcing a Mount Union punt, St. Thomas tried some trickery late in the third quarter while down by seven, attempting a fake field goal from the Mount Union 39-yard line.

The Purple Raiders snuffed it out quickly, and St. Thomas' run never stood a chance, per Jeffrey Zupanic of the Alliance Review:

The momentum then shifted squarely to Mount Union as it rolled to victory. It was the 12th championship for the Purple Raiders but the first for third-year head coach Vince Kehres, who took over for his father Larry after the 2012 season.

John Telich of Cleveland's Fox 8 congratulated Kehres on the victory:

Former Purple Raiders receiver Pierre Garcon was on hand for the game, per Mount Union:

St. Thomas came up short, but there were some impressive performances for the Tommies.

Running back Jordan Roberts was one of only three players to outgain Nemeth in a game this season, finishing the contest with 135 yards and two touchdowns.

Nick Waldvogel had 78 receiving yards, with 58 coming on one big touchdown play in the third quarter. Gould was 8-of-22 for 123 yards and two touchdowns.

Mount Union is now 12-7 in Stagg Bowls, with its first appearance coming in 1993.

Postgame Reaction

After the game, SportsCenter brought attention to the dynasty Mount Union has become:

ESPN Stats & Info shared a more in-depth look in to just how amazing their 23-year run has been:

On a team like Mount Union there are plenty of players deserving of winning the MVP award, but it was Scott's performance through the air and on the ground that earned him the trophy, per 91.1 WRMU, the radio voice of Mount Union:

Kehres, whose father Larry won the first 11 Mount Union titles, was happy to win his first national championship, per Tim Warsinskey of Cleveland.com: "This means a lot. I had a great mentor, a lot of great mentors, and a lot of great coaches and players who contributed to this.''