1996 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON

For Mount Union College's 1996 football team, it all started back in the late summer sun as one of 218 Division III football programs strapping on chin straps during two-a-days. It ended with the Purple Raiders being crowned National Champions on a beautiful, fall-like day less than two weeks before Christmas in Salem, Virginia.

On the way, the Purple & White earned their fifth consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference Championship and continued to post the best winning percentage and most wins in all of college football during this decade (80-6-1/.925).

The season began with a record breaking 41-point second quarter performance against Defiance en route to a 62-10 win. That was followed by a pair of home wins - 55-20 over Baldwin-Wallace and 49-13 against Otterbein.

Weeks four and five saw Mount Union win at Ohio Northern, 44-7, and come home for a 59-7 defeat of Heidelberg. The Raiders took sole possession of first place in the Ohio Athletic Conference the following week with a 27-9 win at previously unbeaten John Carroll.

Mount Union inched closer to its fifth consecutive conference crown with a 55-17 road win at Muskingum, and a 61-16 home victory over Marietta in weeks seven and eight. The Purple Raiders would finish the regular season in style with a pair of shutouts - a 42-0 home win against Capital and 40-0 road conquest of Hiram.

The Raiders set a number of OAC records during the regular season, including breaking the OAC's single-season scoring mark (494). Individually, quarterback Bill Borchert set new single season (38) and career (94) marks for touchdown passes while wide receiver Kevin Knestrick broke the conference record for touchdown receptions in a season (15).

The post-season began with the Raiders' toughest challenge to date - a 31-26 home victory over Allegheny. In that contest, Mount Union held off a late Gator surge to ensure their fourth consecutive trip to the North Region title game. Jim Eller led the defense with 16 total hits. Offensively, Borchert connected on 17-of-31 passes for 308 yards and four touchdowns.

The Raiders advanced to the Final Four with a convincing 49-14 second round win over Illinois Wesleyan. Mount Union erupted for 35-second quarter points to put the game away. Borchert hit on 19-of-26 for 228 yards and three touchdowns. He also had a career high 97 yards rushing versus the Titans. Inside linebacker Jason Hall led the defense with 10 tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery while outside backer Brian Wervey had nine tackles and a quarterback sack.

Mount Union would face Wisconsin LaCrosse, the defending national champions, in the playoff semi-final contest. The Eagles had defeated the Raiders twice in two previous post-season meetings.

The Purple & White broke a 7-7 half-time tie with 26 third quarter points as Borchert threw for 339 yards and three scores while running for 64 yards and one rushing touchdown.

Defensively, Eller led the charge with 11 tackles while Hall returned an interception 48-yards for a score and recovered a fumble.

The stage was set for a re-match of the '93 Stagg Bowl featuring the Rowan Profs and the Purple Raiders. Mount Union and Rowan exchanged leads six times in the first half of play with the score reading 24- 21 Profs at the break.

Mount Union outscored Rowan 35-0 in the second half of play as the defense allowed just 96 total yards in the third and fourth quarters. The Raiders totaled 385 yards of offense in the final two periods. Twenty six records were either tied or broken in the contest, including Borchert's 505 yards passing and seven touchdown passes on 26-of-38 attempts for the day. Knestrick also set a new Stagg Bowl mark with his 211 yards receiving.

Tackle B.J. Payne and outside linebacker Brian Wervey led the Raider defense with 12 tackles each.

A number of Raiders earned All-American honors for their play in '96.

Borchert was a consensus Division III First-Team All-American selection according to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Football Gazette Magazine, American Football Quarterly and Co-SIDA/ Hewlett-Packard. He also was a Second-Team A.P. Little All-American choice. On the year, he completed 250-of-374/67%/4,035 yds/55 TDs/ 9 INTs. For his efforts, he was named the Melberger Award winner in recognition of Division III's best player.

Weber earned First-Team Hewlett-Packard All-American honors while Weimer was a First-Team Football Gazette All-American selection. Knestrick was a Third-Team Football Gazette & Hewlett-Packard All- American pick.

Defensively, Wervey was named a First-Team Hewlett-Packard All- American choice and Sean Moore earned Hewlett-Packard Honorable- Mention honors. Wervey totaled 108 tackles and a team leading eight sacks and 13 passes broken up. Moore had 61 tackles, a team-high six INTs and 12 pbu.