Warhawks beat Mary Hardin-Baylor 16-15

Jordan Ratliffe ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns and Matt Behrendt passed for 197 yards to lead Wisconsin-Whitewater to a 16-15 victory over Mary Hardin-Baylor in an NCAA Division III semifinal Saturday afternoon.

The Warhawks (14-0) rallied from a 12-0 first-half deficit to reach the national championship game for the eighth time in the last nine years.

Ratliffe’s 3-yard TD run just before halftime cut UW-Whitewater’s gap to 12-7, and his 5-yard score midway through the third quarter gave the Warhawks the lead for good and kept alive their shot at a fifth title. UW-Whitewater won its first national championship in 2007 and three straight from 2009-11.

UW-Whitewater held the Crusaders (13-1) to 241 yards and 34 points below their scoring average.

Mary Hardin-Baylor led 12-0 by the midway mark of the second quarter, but didn’t score again until Chad Peevey’s 21-yard field goal with 3:29 to play.