SHENANDOAH, Texas -- No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor topped No. 1 Mount Union 24-13 to win Stagg Bowl LXVI and capture their second Division III national championship in three seasons.

The win helped thrust Mary Hardin-Baylor into the upper echelon of Division III college football. The Crusaders are just the third program to win multiple championships in the 2000s, joining Mount Union and Wisconsin-Whitewater. Fittingly, the Crusaders had to fight the Purple Raiders, the best program in the history of the sport, to win it. And it sure as heck wasn’t easy.

“This obviously means an incredible amount to our program just because of the sheer tradition of Mount Union,” UMHB coach Pete Fredenburg said. “When we started our program in 1998, we tried to emulate Mount Union.”

Even with a virtual home crowd on hand on a chilly Friday night at Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah, Mary Hardin-Baylor needed a few extra moments to arrive.

The Crusaders missed a makeable field goal on their first drive, which Mount Union methodically drove down the field 55 yards before hitting a long field goal into the wind. One drive later, UMHB quarterback Jase Hammack fumbled the handoff to running back Markeith Miller, and Mount Union recovered.

The Purple Raiders converted it into a touchdown five plays later to take a 10-0 lead.

Last year, Mount Union held the Crusaders scoreless in a 12-0 Stagg Bowl victory. After a couple early miscues, the game looked like it could head the same direction.

Hammack did find wide receiver T.J. Josey for a deep touchdown and Mount Union added a field goal to take a 13-7 lead. However, the Crusaders really struggled to generate any offense in the first half. Following a 23-yard opening drive, UMHB had just 53 offensive yards in the first half with three minutes remaining. Thirty-six of them came on one play.

Mary Hardin-Baylor desperately needed a spark to get its head back in the game. Luckily, the special teams unit was happy to provide it. And more importantly, one of UMHB’s All-Americans stepped up.

Mount Union kicker Cory Barnett lined up to attempt a length 54-yard field goal with only 3:12 remaining in the first half. He hit a 41-yard field goal with ease early in the first quarter, but this was a little past his range. But before he could even get the kick off, All-American defensive back Jefferson Fritz broke through the line and blocked the kick.

With that play, the Crusaders found new life. UMHB exploded down the field for a 60-yard touchdown drive, led by a big catch and a big run from wide receiver T.J. Josey. One drive later, Fritz intercepted Mount Union quarterback D’Angelo Fulford to end a late charge before the half.

In the second half, Mary Hardin-Baylor’s defense took control. The Crusaders held Mount Union, one of the most physical teams in football, to just 12 rushing yards on 15 attempts. That includes zero total rushing yards on eight attempts in a suffocating third quarter.

On the first drive of the fourth quarter, the offense managed to land a kill shot. Hammack ran for 36 yards on three different rushes to drive the ball into Mount Union territory. All-American running back Markeith Miller and Josey also added runs to set up a 16-yard touchdown pass from Hammack to wide receiver K.J. Miller for a 16-yard touchdown.

The Purple Raiders kicked a field goal and had the ball down just eight points with 39 seconds remaining, but the Crusaders sacked Fulford and forced an incompletion on a lateral play to end the game, and clinch a second national championship.

One year ago, Josey was hurt on the third play of the game against Mount Union. Against the same Purple Raiders, Josey made some of the biggest plays of the day. He led the game with 99 all-purpose yards and a touchdown for UMHB to capture Most Outstanding Player of the Stagg Bowl.

“I didn’t get to play in this game last year,” Josey said. “I Just told these guys I’d do anything. If you need me, I’ll do anything. This is my last game and it’s great to go out on top.”

Miller ran the ball 25 times for 90 yards and a touchdown. Hammack completed 11-of-19 passes for two touchdowns, and added 44 rushing yards. Linebacker De Jackson led the way with 12 tackles and two tackles for loss in a dominant defensive effort.

For Mount Union, Fulford completed 18-of-37 passes for 194 yards and an interception. Running back Josh Petruccelli posted 57 rushing yards and 34 receiving yards. Linebacker Danny Robinson added 10 tackles and three tackles for loss. The Purple Raiders did not record a sack.

The national championship is the second under Fredenburg since the program was started in 1998. UMHB has been to the Stagg Bowl four times in program and won two of them.