By JEFF BROWN
Of the Tribune staff

The Mount Union Purple Raiders kept attacking to the very end just to guarantee UW-L would not resurrect another miracle comeback.

The Eagles didn't.

Mount Union's relentless -- and virtually mistake-free -- offense powered the Purple Raiders past the Eagles 39-21 in a NCAA Division III semifinal game played before 2,131 spectators.

UW-L finishes its season at 11-2, and was denied the chance to defend its national championship.

Mount Union (13-0) will face Rowan (10-2) next Saturday in Salem, Va., in a rematch of the 1993 Stagg Bowl.

``It is a very big obstacle to beat La Crosse,'' Mount Union coach Larry Kehres said. ``They shut us out in the second half last year. As a coaching staff, you take pride in not letting that happen.''

It wouldn't happen again.

Mount Union scored 26 points in the third quarter to put UW-L in a hole it couldn't climb out of. Unlike last week when UW-L rallied from a 22-point second-half deficit to beat St. John's, Mount Union never quit attacking.

``It is kind of hard to believe this is the end,'' said UW-L safety Ben Chossek. ``I can't get myself to walk off the field. I don't think it has hit me yet.''

UW-L slowed Mount Union's high-octane offense in the first half, but it couldn't stop Purple Raiders quarterback Bill Borchert in the second. Borchert's pin-point passing and lightning-quick feet led to 467 total yards for Mount Union -- 326 of those in the second half.

``We knew he was a great athlete and it's an example of a great quarterback carrying an outstanding football team to where they are,'' UW-L coach Roger Harring said.

``He is a great quarterback who can lead them all the way, I'm sure.''

One of the biggest plays of the game came with 20 seconds left in the first half. Borchert capped an 11-play, 67-yard drive by hitting Darrin Kershner with a 30-yard scoring strike.

Bill Andrea's kick tied the game at 7-7.

``I think that was a big factor. I think it bothered our kids at halftime,'' Harring said. ``It bothered us more than I have ever seen it before.''

It also gave Mount Union the confidence it need for a third-quarter wave of scoring.

``I think that was a huge play. Our confidence wasn't there up until that point,'' said Borchert, who completed 23 of 39 passes for 317 yards and three TDs.

``It seemed like everything, all of our short passes, opened up after that.''

Mount Union scored on its opening drive of the second half, thanks to a 2-yard scramble by Borchert. Borchert rushed 18 times for 128 yards, but was sacked four times for 42 yards in losses to leave him with 86 net yards on the ground.

Andrea's PAT was blocked, but it would prove insignificant because Mount Union's defense came big moments later.

Linebacker Jason Hall recovered Mike Bechtel's fumble at the La Crosse 42-yard line.

After a 42-yard bomb from Borchert to Reiko Gollate, Borchert connected with a wide-open Marc Lantos for a 6-yard scoring play.

Suddenly, UW-L was down 19-7.

``In the first half they were trying to do a lot of straight drop-back passes and you could get the pressure,'' said UW-L defensive lineman Dan Kloepping.

``In the second half they started rolling the quarterback out a little bit and then they pulled the backside guards. It just seemed like it mucked up a lot of our pass rush lanes.''

Mount Union continued to rides it wave of emotion when Hall came up with another big play. This time the sophomore linebacker intercepted Baker at the 48-yard line and returned it for a touchdown.

With a 33-7 lead, Mount Union was in control.

``Those turnovers, they were huge,'' Kehres said. ``We didn't do anything different. You can't create new offensive and defensive schemes at halftime.''

At that point, Harring pulled Baker, who was 9-for-21. Baker wasn't pulled because of his performance, Harring said, but rather because of an injury he received early in the game.

``We probably made a mistake in that we probably should have substituted for him quicker,'' Harring said. ``He went down on the turf on the first drive and it (shoulder separation) bothered him from then on.''

Backup quarterback Rob Slavens made a spectacular entrance, tossing a 81-yard scoring bomb to Brandon Hall on his first play from scrimmage.

``When I came in against Duluth my first two passes I underthrew, so I just wanted to make sure I put enough on it,'' said Slavens, who stayed hot and finished with six completions in eight attempts for 152 yards.

``It is kind of like fireworks. One goes off and who knows.''

UW-L would pull within 36-21 with 10:26 remaining on a 12-yard run by Mike Bechtel and a two-point conversion run by Toby Krause, but UW-L's defense couldn't hold the Purple Raiders.

``We were not relaxing at all. Our players were well aware of their quick-strike capabilities,'' Kehres said.

Not this time.

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