1999 Playoffs

 

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Note: The audio trails the video by up to 10 seconds at various points. The video source video we obtained has the same problem. You can FF or RW or skip to the next scene. This video is about 51 minutes of highlights at 300kb per second. You may also hibernate your computer and come back to the video where it was paused. There are 28 scenes. Each scene will load and stream invidually. Once a scene is done, it unloads from the RAM in your PC. The last scene has the winning call being made by the WGLS announcers, instead of the Mount Union TV announcers. The Scenes: 1 Pregame 2 Rowan Offense 3 Mount Defense 4 Mount Offense + long pass completion 5 Rowan Defense 6 Mount TD 7-8 Rowan FG 9-10 Rowan 2nd FG 11 Rowan interception stops Mount drive 12-13 Rowan failed drive 14 Rowan's DE - Tim Watson returns fumble for TD 15 Rowan 2pt conversion 16 Mount 2nd TD 17-19 Rowan 3rd FG 20-22 Mount FG 23 Rowan failed FG 24 Rowan sack 25 Rowan's DT - Randy Marotto good play stopped Mount drive 26 End of Regulation 27 Rowan OT TD 28 Mount failed drive - End of Game .

Dan Barreiro: Mount Union is beatable ... barely Dan Barreiro, Star Tribune - Minneapolis - St. Paul Published December 19, 2003 This is the time of year when the phone rings a lot inside the office of Rowan University football coach Jay Accorsi. He doesn't know the people who are calling him, yet he knows precisely why they are dialing his number. First, they want confirmation that the Mount Union football team not only is capable of losing a game but actually did once. He'll chuckle and explain that yes, on Dec. 11, 1999, Mount Union lost 24-17 in overtime in the Division III national semifinals. Then they want to know how his Rowan University team managed to be on the other end of the score. They want intelligence, they want anecdotes, they especially want secrets. Accorsi will chuckle again. "There are no secrets," he said. "I will tell you this much. As a team, you cannot suddenly try to be somebody you're not. You can't try a bunch of gimmicks, or start blitzing on every play. "They'll kill you with their famous crossing routes. You cannot try to force a big play, but when the chance comes to make one you have to seize it. You cannot turn the ball over against them. And because you're not just playing their team, but their program, you have to believe you can win." That last part is easier said than done. Over the past eight seasons, the Purple Raiders have fashioned the two longest winning streaks in football history. The current streak is 55. The last streak was 54. Sandwiched in between was their only loss, to Rowan. That is a record of 109-1 heading into the Stagg Bowl against St. John's on Saturday. The Purple Raiders have won six of the past seven Division III titles. Rowan denied them the other. Accorsi was the associate head coach then under K.C. Keeler, who has moved on to Delaware, which will play Colgate on Friday night for the Division I-AA title. "I think one trap you can fall in with them is that when you watch Mount Union on film, you don't get overly impressed," Accorsi said. "They have no superstars. They just have a lot of very good, fundamentally sound players, and you don't always realize how good they are until you are up against them." He believes Rowan used experience against Mount Union to its advantage. "You have to remember that we had played in three national championships against them and lost," he said. "But we were in those games." In the 1998 Stagg Bowl, Mount Union beat Rowan 44-24. But Rowan led 24-16 with three minutes to play in the third quarter. So when players talked about believing they could win, it was more than pregame lip service. In the Stagg Bowl the year after Rowan's upset in the semifinals, St. John's and Mount Union were tied 7-7 until the Purple Raiders hit a field goal with one second left. "That's what St. John's has to use, the knowledge that they can play with them," Accorsi said. Rowan accomplished three things in its victory. It ran the ball well (220 yards), it limited Mount Union's running game to 108 yards on 38 carries, and it had no turnovers. Just as Accorsi had observed, Rowan also took full advantage of its own big-play opportunity, scoring on a fumble return. In overtime, Rowan scored a touchdown. Mount Union then faced fourth-and-goal from its own 19 when quarterback Gary Smeck tried to hit receiver Jason Richards. Two defenders smacked Richards and pried the ball away. The celebration on the field, and at the 10,000-student university in southern New Jersey, was festive. Given that Mount Union has gone on to win another 55 in a row, the upset has become an even greater source of satisfaction. Only two moments in school history come close to rivalling it. On June 23, 1967, the school hosted a summit between President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin. On July 6, 1992, school officials received a check for $100 million from Henry and Betty Rowan and promptly changed the school's name Glassboro State College to Rowan University. To the Profs -- yes, that is their nickname -- there remains one maddening thing about the 1999 victory over Mount Union. The next week, the Profs lost 42-13 to Pacific Lutheran in the Stagg Bowl, dropping Rowan's record in the title game to 0-5. It almost doesn't seem fair to knock off Mount Union, in the Purple Raiders' home stadium in Alliance, Ohio, and not get a trophy for it. And yet, who needs a trophy when the memories are so rich? "After the game, we stopped by a fast-food burger place," Accorsi said. "This older fellow who hadn't been at the game comes up to one of our players and says, 'So how bad did you lose?' And the player says, 'We won . . . in overtime.' To see the look on the face of the older gentleman was just priceless." Dan Barreiro can be heard weekdays on AM-1130 KFAN and the FAN radio network from 4:30-7 p.m. He is at dbarreiro@startribune.com.

Profs celebrate victory over Mount Union ending Mount's NCAA record win streak at 54 games Play John Sadak's game winning call from 89.7 WGLS-FM. You will need macromedia's flash player in order to hear the audio. Rowan 24, Mount Union 17 (OT) Dec 11, 1999 By Pat Coleman, D3football.com ALLIANCE, Ohio — The streak is over. Rowan University ended Mount Union's incredible run at 54 consecutive games in knocking off the Purple Raiders 24-17 in overtime and earning a berth in Stagg Bowl XXVII. They will meet Pacific Lutheran, who downed Trinity 49-28. The Profs (12-1) did it with a mixture of run defense and run offense, holding Mount Union to 108 yards rushing on 38 carries while running 42 times for 220 yards themselves. The Purple Raiders gained 50 yards on their first play from scrimmage and averaged only 3.9 yards per game after that. "We didn't blitz quite as much as we did in the past," said Rowan head coach K.C. Keeler, "because they do a great job of rubbing off and doing different things, like crossing routes." With the game tied at 17, Mount Union was unable to enter Rowan territory in the final 13 minutes of regulation and did not get a first down in overtime. "Their defense stopped our offense today on numerous occasions because their players are good and ... they're well-coached," said Mount Union coach Larry Kehres. Mount Union quarterback Gary Smeck finished 20-for-36 passing but was only 10-for-20 in the second half. "He has great vision, great poise and he has such a nice touch on the ball," said Keeler. "But for him that's a horrible day." After coming away with only six points in three trips to the Rowan red zone early in the first half, the Profs defense got in the end zone on a 33-yard fumble return by senior defensive tackle Tim Watson. "You're coached to go for the ball. That's a lineman's dream," said Watson of the running room in front of him. Watson needed only a block of running back Chuck Moore to reach paydirt. "We were watching Smeck on film all week and he's a great quarterback, but a lot of times when he runs he holds the ball out and we were talking about chasing him down and stripping the ball," Watson added. Rowan had just missed a 25-yard field goal attempt after senior running back Justin Wright slipped inside the Mount Union 5-yard line with a wide-open path ahead of him. Freshman Jason Frabasile led Rowan's ground game with 24 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown, the game-winner on a seven-yard scamper in overtime. Wright, who is playing with a torn ACL, carried 10 times for 64 yards. Freshman quarterback Mike Warker completed 17 of 27 passes for 186 yards, while Scott Lipford caught nine balls for 104 yards, including a crucial first down in overtime. Warker and Lipford also connected on a two-point conversion following Watson's score. Mount Union finishes its season at 12-1, with its outgoing senior class having gone 54-1 in their careers.

Rowan 42, Montclair State 13 Dec 4, 1999 By Pat Coleman, D3football.com UPPER MONTCLAIR, N.J. — If defense truly does win championships, then Rowan is ready to go to Salem. The Profs' defense equalled its offensive output as each scored three touchdowns in a 42-13 romp against Montclair State in the East regional final at Sprague Stadium. Sophomore safety Clinton Tabb rolled up 157 yards in returns and scored twice, once on a 95-yard fumble return in the second quarter that gave Rowan (11-1) a 14-0 lead, then added a 43-yard interception return to put the game away 28-7 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Tabb didn't even know how the ball popped out of Montclair State quarterback Ed Collins' hands. "All I saw was the ball pop up, so I took it and ran 50 yards, then I got tired. (Defensive tackle) Cornelius (White) threw me a good block and I went the rest of the way." The return came shortly after junior cornerback Ron Gibson was whistled for a late hit and received an unsportsmanlike conduct flag for protesting the call, giving the Red Hawks (9-2) possession in the Profs' red zone. From there it was off to the races, as the Montclair State first-string offense could only score when it got the ball at the 28-yard line in the third quarter. The Red Hawks had had a field goal blocked with 2:51 left in the first quarter and turned the ball over eight times on the game. "We desperately tried to get back into the game," said Red Hawks head coach Rick Giancola, "but the harder we tried ther more the turnovers came." Rowan allowed only 208 yards of total offense before Montclair State's backups added a touchdown in the closing minutes. "We've decided, 'this is a championship defense and let's take our shots' ", said Rowan head coach K.C. Keeler, whose Profs won the East Region title for the fifth consecutive season. "I thought it was the best defense we've seen. They feed off each other." "We knew the severity of this game and once we tasted some blood we went after it," said White, who was second on the team with five tackles, three for lost yardage. Tabb led Rowan with seven tackles, all solos. Rowan took the opening kickoff and marched 56 yards in 12 plays for the score, a 4-yard pass from Mike Warker to Bobby Woolfolk with 10:20 remaining in the first quarter. The drive was highlighted by a 12-yard Warker run on a sprint draw, which put the Profs in the Montclair State red zone. "We added the sprint draw and used a stretch play instead of a toss play," said Keeler. "Offensively we (had gotten) predictable and stagnant," in the team's previous meeting, a 28-24 win by Montclair in Week 11 that put the Red Hawks in the playoffs and cost Rowan the top seed in the East. After Tabb's fumble return made the score 14-0 at the half, Rowan scored on its first possession of the second half on an 8-yard Jason Frabasile run with less than four minutes gone in the third quarter. Montclair State answered with a 1-yard run by Ron Lewis at the 6:53 mark, but Tabb's second return and two scores within a 34-second stretch of the fourth quarter turned the game into a rout. Rowan advances to play at Mount Union for the right to go to Stagg Bowl XXVII. "They're the best, we're considered the second-best, and we want to beat them to be considered the best," said Keeler. "We know we have to play perfect football to beat a team like Mount Union," said senior linebacker Mark Hendricks.

Rowan Blanks Ursinus 55-0 Glassboro, NJ - Freshman quarterback Mike Warker (Oakcrest/Egg Harbor, NJ) passed for career highs of 257 yards and five touchdowns as Rowan University rolled past Ursinus College, 55-0, in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. The Profs, the fifth seed in the East Region, improved to 10-1 on the season and advance to the national quarterfinals. Rowan will meet number four seed Montclair State on Saturday, December 4 at noon in Upper Montclair, NJ. The Red Hawks advanced today with a 32-24 win at Western Connecticut State. MSU handed Rowan its only loss of the season, a 28-24 setback in Glassboro, on November 13. Ursinus ends the season at 10-2. Rowan used eight Ursinus turnovers (six interceptions, two fumbles) and converted them into 27 points. Warker completed 13 of 26 passes and was sacked four times. Wide receiver Taman Bryant (sr. Buena Reg./Vineland, NJ) was Warker's primary target. Bryant hauled in five passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns. Rookie running back Jason Frabasile (fr. Bishop Ahr/ Carteret, NJ) gained 73 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries. Outside linebacker Matt Baranyay (so. Central Reg./Bayville, NJ notched seven tackles, a sack and an interception. It was Baranyay's first start as starter John Gavlick (sr. Eastern Reg./Medford Lakes, NJ) missed the game with appendicitis. Free safety Clinton Tabb (so. Pennsauken/Pennsauken, NJ), outside linebacker Mark Hendricks (sr. Deptford/Wenonah, NJ) and strong safety Alex Ferrante (jr. Eastern Reg./Voorhees, NJ) each made six tackles and had one interception. Ferrante also had a blocked punt and he recovered a fumble for a touchdown. For Ursinus, quarterback Frank Vecchio (jr. Governor Mifflin/Shillington, PA) was nine of 24 for 109 yards. Vecchio and backup quarterback Dominick Cammuso (fr. Barron Collier/Naples, FL) each threw three interceptions. Running back Shearrod Duncan (so. Holy Trinity/Amityville, NY) rushed for 58 yards on 14 attempts. Wide receiver Kory Stauffer (sr. Selinsgrove/Selinsgrove, PA) made four catches for 71 yards while wide receiver Steve Sharkey (so. Germantown Academy/Norristown, PA) had four grabs for 50 yards. Free safety Eric Cowie (so. St. Joseph/Atco, NJ) registered a game-high 10 tackles and two sacks. Linebacker Andy Ashton (sr. Tower Hill/Newark, DE) contributed with nine tackles, seven solo and two assisted. On Rowan's second possession of the game, Warker lofted a deep pass down the left side which Bryant hauled in and raced 58 yards for a touchdown. The drive lasted five plays, 78 yards and 2:28. Frabasile had a 17-yard run to key the drive. After an Ursinus punt, the Profs marched 66 yards in six plays, capped by a Frabasile 10-yard run with 3:47 remaining in the first quarter. The big plays on the drive were a 39-yard Warker to Bryant strike and an Ursinus offside penalty on third and two. Two series later, standing in his own end zone, Bears' punter Eric Fierro (fr. Southern Reg./Manahawkin, NJ) was jarred by defensive back Earle Whilby (so. Dwight Morrow/Englewood, NJ). Ferrante recovered the fumble in the end zone for a TD. The special teams score gave Rowan a 21-0 lead after one quarter. In the second quarter, Vecchio had a pass intercepted by defensive tackle Tim Watson (sr. Mainland Reg./Williamstown, NJ) at the Ursinus 13. On the next play, Warker tossed his second TD of the day, a 13-yarder to wide receiver Bobby Woolfolk (so. Glassboro/Glassboro, NJ) for a 27-0 Rowan advantage. With 2:32 remaining before halftime, Baranyay intercepted Vecchio and returned it four yards to the Bears' 25. Again, on the next play, Warker connected with Bryant for a 25-yard TD and a 34-0 lead. On Ursinus' next possession, Ferrante blocked Fierro's punt, and defensive back Bobby Acosta (sr. Memorial/West New York, NY) recovered on the Bears' 11. After a sack and incompletion, Warker threw his fourth TD of the afternoon, an 18-yarder to tight end David Sadowski (sr. Bishop Eustace/Mt. Laurel, NJ) with 1:24 left before halftime. Sadowski had three receptions for 48 yards. Rowan took a 41-0 lead into the intermission. The second half featured more of the same. In the fourth quarter, Hendricks returned an interception 35 yards to the Ursinus one. Fullback Elijah Freer (so. Neptune/Neptune, NJ) scored on the next play for a 48-0 lead. Warker's final TD, a 25-yarder to Bryant, came with 3:41 remaining. This is Rowan's eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Profs have an 18-7 record in the NCAAs with four second place finishes (1993-95-96-98). The Bears made just their second postseason trip and had their first ever win over Bridgewater State (MA) last week, 43-38. The Rowan-Montclair State winner will face the Mount Union (OH)-Ohio Northern survivor in the national semifinals on Saturday, December 11. The national championship game, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, is scheduled for Saturday, December 18 in Salem, VA.

Rowan 29 - RPI 10 TROY, N.Y. — Rowan defeated RPI 29-10 to end the Engineers' first NCAA playoff appearance in front of 3,500 fans. The Engineers complete their season with a 9-1 record while Rowan (9-1) advances to host Ursinus (10-1). Rowan opened the scoring on their first play from scrimmage when freshman running back Jason Frabasile scored on a 12-yard run. The touchdown was set up by an interception by junior defensive lineman Luke Carpenter on RPI’s second play of the game. Following a stalled series by the Engineers, the Profs struck again when quarterback Mike Warker hit wide receiver Scott Lipford from 20 yards out at 11:11 of the first quarter. Neither team was able to reach the end zone during the second quarter but each got a field goal to make the score 17-3 at the half. Rowan saw its lead increased to 16 points when an errant snap on an RPI punt attempt forced the punter, Dave O’Toole, out of bounds for a safety at 10:55 of the third quarter. Profs senior linebacker Mark Hendricks picked off a Matt Robbens pass and ran it in from 30-yards out for a 26-3 lead. Rensselaer tallied their lone score early in the fourth quarter when Robbens hit senior wide receiver Brian Scogland for a 19-yard touchdown. Rowan kicker Justin Frade, who hit a 23-yard field goal in the first half, ended the scoring when he nailed a 39-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. The game was a matchup of two of the best defensive teams in the nation as the Engineers were ranked first in the country in turnover margin (plus-2.44), third in scoring defense (8.1 points against per game), sixth in pass efficiency defense (77.2), seventh in rushing defense (646 rushing yards against), and 18th in total defense (252.3 yards against per game). In the same categories, the Profs were first in the nation in rushing defense (323), seventh in turnover margin (plus-1.77), eighth in total defense (231), 17th in scoring defense (12.3), and 21st in pass efficiency defense (86.4). Today’s game marked the first appearance ever for Rensselaer in the NCAA Division III Playoffs. Rowan, meanwhile, has been to the postseason tournament eight times. Over the past four years, the Profs have advanced to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl three times, losing each time.