St. Thomas beats Wisconsin-Oshkosh 28-14

By MIKE COOK

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Matt O'Connell ran for two touchdowns and threw for another on Saturday and St. Thomas (Minn.) beat Wisconsin-Oshkosh 28-14 in the Division III national semifinals.

Brenton Braddock added 117 rushing yards for the fourth-ranked Tommies (14-0), who will be making their first appearance in the championship game. They will play top-ranked Mount Union (14-0) Friday in Salem, Va. Mount Union beat Mary Hardin-Baylor 48-35 on Saturday.

On the game's first play from scrimmage, Tommies defensive lineman Ayo Idowu picked up a fumble after an errant Titans pitch and rumbled 25 yards for a 7-0 lead.

Later in the first quarter, the Tommies scored on a 6-yard pass from O'Connell to Logan Marks and a 1-yard keeper by O'Connell for a 21-0 lead.

Nate Wara was 20 of 34 for 266 yards and had a rushing and passing score for the fifth-ranked Titans (13-1), who turned the ball over four times.

Updated December 8, 2012