A regular season loss in 2005, the Raiders' first since 1994, didn't stop Mount Union (14-1 overall in 2005) from claiming its eighth NCAA Division III National Championship in the last 13 years with a 35-28 win over the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Highlights included the Purple Raiders becoming the first team in college football history to produce a pair of 1,000 yard rushers (Aaron Robinson and Nate Kmic), two 1,000 yard receivers (Scott Casto and Pierre Garcon) and a 3,000 yard passer (Mike Jorris) in the same season.
Kmic set a new Division III playoff record for total rushing yards (1,040 yards), Casto set a then single-season Raider mark for receptions (78) and Jorris posted a then Mount Union single-season high-water mark for yards passing (3,736 yards).
As a team, the Purple Raiders set new highs in offensive yards (7,800), pass completions (294), passing yards (4,227) and first downs (374). Â Jorris set a new Stagg Bowl mark for completion percentage (.714) while Kmic tied former Raider Chuck Moore's single rushbest of 95 yards accomplished in 2001.
Defensively, the Raiders finished the 2005 campaign ranked second in the nation in points allowed (10.3 ppg)and third in total defense (223.7 ypg). Senior linebacker Mike Gibbons set a Raider single-season record with 151 tackles, while senior corner Ross Watson was among the nation's leaders with nine interceptions.
