ALLIANCE, Ohio -- Mount Union is headed back to the Stagg Bowl, and the better news for the Purple Raiders is they won't be playing Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Mount Union beat playoff nemesis Whitewater, 36-6, in an NCAA Division III semifinal Saturday behind a defense that settled some pretty big scores before a sellout crowd of 6,147, many of whom stormed the field and surrounded the Purple Raiders in venerable Mount Union Stadium.

Powerful Purple Raiders tailback Logan Nemeth and two-way QB Taurice Scott led the way behind an offensive line that grew more dominant as the game heated up on a 64-degree afternoon.

Nemeth ran for 214 yards and two touchdowns. Scott contributed 180 yards and three TDs passing and rushing.

The No. 1-ranked Purple Raiders (14-0) advanced to their 19th Stagg Bowl national championship game since 1993, and 11th in a row. They will play No. 4 St. Thomas (14-0) Friday at 7 p.m. in Salem, Va. St. Thomas beat No. 2 Linfield, 38-17, Saturday.

NCAA Division III football playoff bracket

Mount Union's 11th and most recent national championship was a 28-10 victory against St. Thomas in 2012. The Purple Raiders lost five of the last six Stagg Bowls to Whitewater.

"They beat us the last couple years and it feels good to beat them, but we didn't come here to beat Whitewater, we came here to win 15 games,'' Nemeth said. "We've got to win one more.''

Whitewater scored a combined 95 points in the 2013 and 2014 victories. It didn't score a touchdown Saturday for the first time in three years, and never even reached the red zone.

Two major differences between Mount Union's losses to Whitewater the last two years and Saturday were turnovers and line play. Mount Union committed nine turnovers in those two defeats, and had none Saturday while swiping three interceptions on defense.

Mount Union's offensive and defensive lines won the day.

"I think it was a lot of guys who got tired of hearing about how we got dominated in the trenches (in 2013 and 2014),'' Mount Union coach Vince Kehres said.

Trailing 15-6 at halftime, Whitewater's offense floundered in the second half, managing just 48 yards total offense.

Every time Whitewater needed a big play on offense, Mount Union's defense made a bigger play. Whitewater converted just 4 of 14 third downs, none of its last nine.

"That was the biggest thing compared to last year and this year -- we got off the field on third downs. We challenged them and we stopped them,'' safety Alex Kocheff said.

Among the UMU defensive standouts, Kocheff and linebacker Hank Spencer each had 10 tackles and defensive lineman Duram Alarms had two sacks. Tom Lally recorded his school-record 18th sack this season, end Mike Furda's interception set up a touchdown and cornerback Tre Jones played with a bum knee and held Whitewater standout Marcus Hudson without a catch.

Nemeth (5-10,195), a senior from McBain, Michigan, repeatedly broke tackles and ran past linebackers en route to 214 yards on 14 carries -- nearly identical to his 218 yards and two TDs last week against Wesley. He has 747 yards and and 10 TDs in the playoffs.

"The difference was their ability to run the football on us. That is ultimately is what caught up to us in the end,'' Whitewater coach Kevin Bullis said.

Scott completed 12 of19 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran for 45 yards and a TD. It was his final game in Mount Union Stadium, where he also played in front of some sparse crowds at Alliance High School.

"He was poised; we were poised,'' Kehres said. "I give him an 'A.'"

No. 5 Whitewater (12-2) will miss the Stagg Bowl for only the second time in 11 years. It beat Mount Union in six of those games, and lost to the Purple Raiders three other times.

Whitewater distinguished itself on the opening drive with a 46-yard field goal by Lake Bachar, becoming the first team to lead the Purple Raiders this season.

The trend continued on Whitewater's next possession, which started at the Warhawks' 1-yard line. A 38-yard run on third down by Jordan Ratliffe -- the longest run Mount had allowed this season -- keyed a 77-yard drive that ended with a 40-yard field goal by Bachar, who had two swings. He missed a 45-yarder, but Tre Jones was flagged for running into the kicker, giving Bachar another shot.

Though Whitewater scored, holding them to field goals gave the Purple Raiders momentum, especially if they recalled last year's Stagg Bowl when the Warhawks opened with a pair of 78-yard touchdown drives, converting six straight third downs.

Two field goals also wouldn't go very far against a Mount Union offense averaging 59 points in the playoffs. The Purple Raiders finished the first quarter with two quick touchdowns and a 15-6 lead.

It was vintage Mount football. Score quick, get a turnover, score again.

Scott guided a five-play, 75-yard drive and found Roman Namdar streaking to the end zone for a 31-yard TD.

Furda dropped back into coverage and grabbed an interception moments later, putting the Purple Raiders at the Whitewater 24. Scott scored on a keeper from the 1. Holder Tim Kennedy took a direct snap on and threw to kicker Jake Antel, who lined up at wide receiver, for a 2-point conversion.

Both teams missed a field goal in a scoreless second quarter -- Antel from 30 yards and Bachar from 64.

Mount scored twice in the third quarter for a 29-6 lead. Nemeth capped an 80-yard drive with a 4-yard run. Receiver Tim Kennedy made a diving catch of an 18-yarder from Scott with 29 seconds left.

Whitewater's last three possessions ended with a fourth-down stop by Spencer and Jonathan Gonell, followed by interceptions by Will Hiteshue and Brian Grove.

Whitewater went for it on fourth-and-2 from its 22, and Ratliffe was stuffed for no gain by Gonell and Spencer. Nemeth scored five plays later on a 6-yard run.

Ratliffe finished with 99 yards on 24 carries.