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Published: Sunday, December 10, 2006

Nate the great: Kmic's big day leads Mt. Union

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The sophomore RB rushed for a school-record 371 yards in the 26-14 win.

By ERIC HAMILTON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

ALLIANCE — Mount Union running back Nate Kmic doesn't like the limelight.

You can tell by the way he shies away from questions and the manner in which he deflects any credit he gets for rolling up big numbers.

"My O-line played great today. The holes were huge. I just ran the ball," he said when asked about his record-setting performance.

Whether he likes the attention or not, it's safe to say that someday he's going to look back on days like Saturday and realize that he's right in the middle of something special.

Kmic broke his own school record, rushing for 371 yards and scoring all three Mount Union touchdowns, as the Purple Raiders earned the chance to defend their Division III national championship next week after beating St. John Fisher 26-14 in the national semifinals on Saturday.

It will be Mount Union's ninth trip to the national championship game in the last 11 years. The Purple Raiders will face Wisconsin-Whitewater, whom they defeated for the 2005 title.

"In big games, you have to run the ball to win," said Kmic, following his 18th career start. "Every playoff game is a big game and the weather has been right, so I've just gone with it.

"I have a great relationship with my line. A majority of them live in the same house, so I go over there and hang out. They've been playing great all season and the holes were just there today."

Tough game

Mount Union needed most of Kmic's yards, as St. John Fisher put up a fight for three quarters. The Cardinals trailed by just two points most of the contest — the difference being a safety in the first half when a punt snap sailed out of the back of the end zone.

"The kids played great and stayed toe-to-toe against a tremendous team," said St. John Fisher coach Paul Vosberg. "They came through with some big sacks and we missed some assignments — you just can't make mistakes against Mount Union.

"Kmic came through for them when they needed him, especially in the fourth quarter. He's a great back and his numbers speak for themselves. But he's got a great offensive line in front of him. They complement each other very well."

Both teams scored on their opening possessions of the game. After the squads traded punts twice, St. John Fisher caught a break.

With Mount Union driving, the Cardinals recovered a fumble at their own 17. But on third down, linebacker Justen Stickley sacked quarterback Rob Kramer for a 7-yard loss back to the original line of scrimmage.

On a fourth own punt attempt, the snap sailed over the head of the St. John Fisher punter and out the back of the end zone giving Mount Union a safety and a 9-7 lad at the half.

Mount Union and St. John Fisher each scored touchdowns in the third quarter and the Purple Raiders preserved their two-point lead at 16-14 as the third period wound down.

But on the last play of the quarter, Mike Zimmerman nailed a 25-yard field goal to pad the advantage to 19-14 to begin the fourth quarter.

Momentum swing

The Cardinals again drove the field inside the Mount Union 20. On fourth down, St. John Fisher lined up for a 33-yard field goal attempt that would have cut the deficit back to two points.

But Stickley blocked the attempt to preserve the lead and swing momentum back to Mount Union.

"There comes a point in a game when a play needs to be made and that was it," said Stickley. "That really swung the momentum for us and was a big point in the game."

The Purple Raiders put the rest of the game in Kmic's hands. The sophomore carried nine straight times on the next drive and finished St. John Fisher off with a 5-yard touchdown with 5:56 left.

"Nate had his finest game yet," said Mount Union coach Larry Kehres. "He putting up some numbers that he might have trouble topping, this still very early in his career.

"There are points in the game when the pressure is on that we tend to give him the ball an awful lot. He has a pretty good offensive line in front of him, so we just kept going to him."

Sunday, December 10, 2006