Football | 11/27/2025 8:21:00 AM
NCAA III Bracket
La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse football team is set to face Hope College (Mich.) in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Second Round Saturday, November 29. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. (Central) at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium in Holland, Michigan.
UWL, 7-2 on the season, and Hope (Mich.), 9-1, both received at-large bids to the national championships. The Eagles enter the game ranked 13th on the D3football.com Top 25 Poll and 16th in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 Poll while the Flying Dutchmen are ranked 18th on D3football.com and 15th in the AFCA.
The teams will be meeting for the first time in series history.
UWL finished tied for second in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) with a 5-2 record. The Eagles are averaging 402.1 yards of offense this season with 147.7 rushing and 254.4 passing. The team is averaging 32.0 points per game.
Kyle Haas is 159-of-231 (68.8%) passing this season with 1,756 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Gabe Lynch leads the team in rushing yards (541), attempts (106) and touchdowns (6) while
Jack Janke is the Eagles' leader in receptions (65), yards (895) and touchdowns (10).
Opponents are averaging 311.0 yards of offense, including 120.6 rushing and 190.4 passing, and 20.3 points per game.
Tyler Shaver leads the defense with 39 tackles with
Ben Ott is second with 38.
Nicholas Jorndt is third with 36.
Christian Powell and
Henry Walsh are tied for the team lead with 6.5 tackles for loss while Walsh leads with 4.5 quarterback sacks. UWL has 10 interceptions, including a team-high three from
Trent Mullen and
Sam Baumgard.
Michael Stack is 35-of-35 in extra point attempts and eight-of-11 in field goals this season. He has a season-long 47-yard field goal. The Eagles'
Ethan Tranel is averaging 41.2 yards per punt with 14 punts inside the 20-yard line. He has 10 punts over 50-yards.
Matt Janus is in his sixth year as UWL's head coach.
Making its 16th appearance (1983, 1991-93, 1995-96, 1999, 2002-04, 2006, 2021-25) in school history in the NCAA III Championships, including fifth straight, UWL is 20-13 all-time in NCAA playoff history with two (1992, 1995) national titles.
The five consecutive national championship berths are the first time UWL has accomplished the feat with six straight trips from 1988-93. The Eagles advanced to the second round a year ago, earning a 59-14 home victory over the University of Northwestern (Minn.) in the opening round before falling 24-13 at third-ranked Saint John's University (Minn.) in the second round.
UWL advanced to the national quarterfinals in 2023 for the sixth (1991-93, 1995-96, 2023) time in school history. Playing all three games at home in 2023, the Eagles earned victories over the University of Minnesota Morris (62-7) and Aurora University, Ill. (55-42) before falling in the quarterfinals to top-ranked North Central College, Ill. (55-42).
UWL's 62 points versus Minnesota Morris are the most points in a playoff game in school history. The Eagles are 12-4 at home in the NCAA Division III Championships.
Hope (Mich.) was second in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) with a 6-1 mark. The Flying Dutchmen are making their seventh appearance in the NCAA III Championships, including second straight. Hope (Mich.) advanced to the third round last season.
The Flying Dutchmen's lone loss came to MIAA regular season champion, Alma College (Mich.) by the score of the 29-26 on September 27. Hope (Mich.) has won its last six games. The team averages 532.3 yards of offense, including 233.1 rushing and 229.2 passing, and 46.4 points.
Alex Thole is 192-of-267 (71.9%) for 2,640 yards with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. Trey Goike leads the team in rushing yards (556) while ranking second in rushing touchdowns (9). AJ Martel has a team-high 10 rushing touchdowns. Jonny Rohen-Blanton is first in receptions (58) and yards (819) while Travis Myers is second in receptions (35) and yards (627) while leading in touchdown catches (5).
Colton Schreur leads the Flying Dutchmen in tackles (61) while Liam Danitz is first in tackles for loss (19.0) and sacks (13.0). Hope (Mich.) has 18 interceptions with Owne Graham recording a team-high six.
Caden Balkon is six-of-12 in field goals with a long of 45-yards while Noah Dunckel averages 36.9 yards per punt with nine inside the 20-yard line.
Peter Stuursma is in his ninth season as head coach.
