Muhlenberg season ends in heartbreaker
Mount Union scores 20 to erase 12-point deficit in DIII quarterfinals
It all looked so good for so long for the Muhlenberg College football team Saturday afternoon against Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio.
Record-breaking quarterback Michael Hnatkowsky ran for one touchdown and passed for three, including two to Notre Dame-Green Pond graduate Mitch Daniel, and the Mules had a 21-9 lead with 6:27 left in the third quarter.
But Mount Union, a 13-time national champion, rallied in the NCAA Division III quarterfinal.
Josh Petruccelli ran for two scores, including one from 53 yards, and Deandre Parker added another rushing touchdown as Mount Union scored 20 straight points to take the lead.
Then after Muhlenberg tied it at 29 with 1:20 remaining in regulation, the game went into overtime where the Purple Raiders won it 35-29 on a 14-yard TD pass from Braxton Plunk to Derrick Harvey after the Mules missed a fieldgoal attempt on their first overtime possession.
The loss snapped a nine-game win streak by the Centennial Conference champions and ended Muhlenberg’s season at 11-2.
It was the second time in three seasons that Mount Union ended a Mules season in the national quarterfinals, but this was much more competitive than the Purple Raiders’ 38-10 win in 2018.
While disappointed in the outcome, Muhlenberg coach Nate Milne was proud of his team.
“Our guys played their hearts out,” Milne said. “This is one of the cathedrals of college football here in Alliance, Ohio, and for our players to go toe-to-toe into overtime, I couldn’t be anything other than proud.”
Hnatkowsky, a senior from Philadelphia and William Penn Charter, finished his last year with 47 touchdown passes and 3,879 yards passing. In his storied career, the lefthander totaled 154 TD passes and 12,711 yards.
Mount Union outgained 581-299 and Plunk, who like Hnatkowsky is a candidate for the Gagliardi Trophy which is given to the top player in Division
III football, completed 38 of 56 passes for 465 yards.
The Mules, however, were able to stay in the game with help from interceptions by John Lohrer and Alex Batista. They also got a recovery of a muffed punt by Tyler Ekstrom at the Mount Union 22 with the score 21-16 late in the third quarter.
Muhlenberg didn’t do anything with the possession as four passes fell incomplete.
That sequence was a missed opportunity that would prove costly later.
“We had been a throwing team all year and we took a shot,” Milne said. “We took a shot right away on first down and tried to capitalize on the momentum and it didn’t happen. Certainly, when you can’t capitalize on a turnover like that, it’s one of those things that you look back on that will probably haunt you.”
It was another miscue by Mount Union (13-0) that gave Muhlenberg a short field for its last scoring drive. The knee of Purple Raiders punter Thomas Piccirillo touched the ground in getting the snap, and the Mules took over at the Mount Union 25 with 2:37 left in regulation.
Hnatkowsky found Michael Feaster, who had 13 catches for 115 yards, for an 8-yard TD pass with 1:20 to go in regulation. Hnatkowsky then connected with Allentown Central Catholic graduate Thomas Murphy for the two-point conversion to tie it.
The Mules and their fans who made the trip into the Buckeye State sweated out one last drive in the fourth quartern by Mount Union. A 41-yard field goal was missed with 11 seconds left and Muhlenberg knelt down to run out the clock.
Mount Union won the overtime coin toss and went on defense first. The Mules got one first down but had to settle for a 35-yard field goal attempt that went wide.
The Purple Raiders, who racked up 323 yards on offense in the second half, scored on their second play of OT to improve to 107-18 in 125 Division III playoff games, the most wins of any D3 team in the nation.
Hnatkowsky, who was 30-for58 for 294 yards, kept battling until the end, but the lack of a rushing attack put all of the pressure on the passing game. Muhlenberg had net-5 yards rushing on 24 attempts.
Daniel had six catches for 85 yards and Allentown Central Catholic graduate Thomas Murphy had four catches for 48 yards and also caught a two-point conversion that tied the game at 29.
“I don’t think we played good complementary football in the second half,” Milne said. “With us throwing the ball, we weren’t able to capitalize on clock management and we didn’t keep the defense off the field enough. The defense played their hearts out, and they did a lot of good things to slow down either the No. 1 or No. 2 offense in the country. We didn’t play complementary football well enough to keep them off the field.”
Hnatkowsky knew it was going to be a dogfight to the end.
“They’re one of the blue bloods of NCAA Division III football and I’m proud of our guys for the effort from start to finish,” Hnatkowsky said. “I think it showed that Muhlenberg football is not afraid of anybody. We played without fear today and I’m really excited about the future of Muhlenberg College football.”
Hnatkowsky may not be part of it, but his name will remain in the Mules’ record book for a long time.
“I wish Muhlenberg College and our athletics department could speed up the Hall of Fame process and get him in as quickly as possible rather than make him wait,” Milne said. “We should make an exception for him because there’s nobody better than that young man. The lights are brightest on the quarterback in this sport and he has set all kinds of school, Centennial Conference, and national records.
“There are many historians of Muhlenberg College athletics much more knowledgeable than I am, but if there’s a better athlete in Muhlenberg history, you’d have to prove it to me because I would put Mike up against anybody.”
Hnatkowsky, who led Muhlenberg to a record of 43-8 and their first appearances in national quarterfinals and semifinals, was satisfied to leave Muhlenberg football in a better place than he found it.
“It’s bittersweet for me right now,” he said. “I’m upset right now because it’s over. But as a person or player, I didn’t think I’d be where I am at now when I came in here 4½ years ago as a freshman. I’m really happy this all happened. I played with a lot of really talented and good people and I’m just super grateful that my family was able to see every one of our games. You hope to leave a place better than you found it and I hope I left a mark because I know the young guys are going to work their tails off and this program is going to remain strong. We showed we can play with anybody in the country.”