North Central wins the 2022 Stagg Bowl 28-21 over Mount Union

The Cardinals have jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first half of the 2022 Stagg Bowl, and both touchdowns have come on huge plays.

Quarterback Luke Lehnan found Gagliardi Trophy winner Ethan Greenfield over the top for a 34-yard score early on, and doubled the lead with a 94-yard catch-and-run linkup with Deangelo Hardy that set a record for the longest scoring play in program history.

LEHNEN ➡️ HARDY for 6️⃣!

That 94-yard TD is the longest in @football_ncc history!

NCC: 14
Mt Union: 0
6:18 left in the half#WeAreNC #d3fb pic.twitter.com/j7rGjRMFXU

— NCC Cardinals (@NCC_Athletics) December 17, 2022

The Purple Raiders have struggled to get anything going offensively, with just 93 total yards of offense on 29 plays. The ground game, especially, has run into nothing but trouble. Nine rushing attempts have gained -17 yards.

The North Central running game, meanwhile, has not only found success in the first half, with 101 yards on 21 attempts, but also set a new DIII football team rushing record with this short play in the second quarter. 

🚨@NCAADIII RECORD🚨

This three yard run by Ethan Greenfield set a new Division III team rushing record as @football_ncc has surpassed 5,188 yards on the ground in a single-season. #WeAreNC | #d3fb | @NCAAStats pic.twitter.com/x2y78Pr4h8

— NCC Cardinals (@NCC_Athletics) December 17, 2022

The 2022 Stagg Bowl is today, Dec. 16 as North Central (IL) will battle Mount Union for the DIII football national championship.

In the semifinals, the Cardinals advanced past Mary Hardin-Baylor, 49-14, while the Purple Raiders defeated Wartburg, 34-31, with a late game-winning drive.

Here is today's schedule: 

• North Central (IL) vs. Mount Union, 7 p.m. ET | ESPNU

Click or tap here for the bracket

Four teams were in action in the semifinal round of the 2022 DIII football championship kick-off today. Saturday's advanced to the national championship game on Friday, Dec. 16. 

Watch how Mount Union marched down the field to secure the win

Here is the semifinal schedule (all times ET):

• Mount Union 34, Warburg 31
• North Central (IL) 49, Mary Hardin-Baylor 14 

Click or tap here for the bracket

The DIII football championship quarterfinals took place today. The winners of today's matchups will advance to the semifinals next Saturday, Dec. 10. Here are the results of today's action:

• Mary Hardin-Baylor 41, Bethel (MN) 28
• North Central (IL) 48, Ithaca 7
• Wartburg 45, Aurora 17
• Mount Union 22, Delaware Valley 6

Click or tap here for the bracket.

The semifinals matchups are as follows (all times ET):

• Wartburg vs. Mount Union, Noon | ESPN+
• Mary Hardin-Baylor vs North Central (IL), 3:30 p.m | ESPN+

The DIII football championship started Saturday, Nov. 19 with 32 teams in first round action. Get scores and stats here for all 16 games here.

First round of the 2022 DII football championship

Click any of the games below for stats.

• Alma 41, Mt. St. Joseph 21
• Carnegie Mellon 45, DePauw 14
• Delaware Valley 59, Gallaudet 0
• Springfield 17, Endicott 14
• Ithaca 63, UMass Dartmouth 20
• Mount Union 51, Salisbury 0
• Randolph-Macon 35, SUNY Cortland 28
• Utica 17, Susquehanna 10
• Mary Hardin-Baylor 54, Huntingdon 0
• North Central (IL) 50, Lake Forest 0 
• Saint John's (MN) 49, Northwestern-St. Paul 0
• Trinity (TX) 14, Hardin-Simmons 7
• Wartburg 14, Wisconsin-La Crosse 6
• Bethel (MN) 34, Wheaton (IL) 32
• Aurora 33, Wisconsin-Whitewater 28
• Linfield 51, Pomona-Pitzer 24

The 16 winning teams next meet in the second round on Nov. 26. Click or tap here for the bracket.

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Division III Football Committee announced today the field of 32 teams for the 2022 NCAA Division III Football Championship. The committee selected teams based on conference results and competition within an institution's respective evaluation region.

Twenty-seven conferences received automatic-qualifying berths. The remaining five berths were awarded to teams from automatic qualifying conferences that did not win an automatic berth.

MORE: Click or tap here for the complete 2022 DIII football championship field release

The first round of the championship will be played November 19 at the host institution's campus or at an alternate site approved by the football committee. The Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the national championship game, will be played Friday, December 16, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

In the 2021 championship, Mary Hardin-Baylor defeated North Central 57-24.

BRACKET: Click or tap here for the complete 2022 DIII football bracket