ALLIANCE, Ohio - Mount Union broke its own NCAA record by winning its 55th consecutive game Saturday, beating Bridgewater 66-0 in a Division III semifinal game Saturday.

Randell Knapp and Nick Sirianni each caught three touchdown passes as the Purple Raiders (13-0) broke the 54-game streak they set from 1996-99.

Oklahoma set the record for consecutive victories in major college football, winning 47 straight from 1953-57.

Three-time defending national champion Mount Union will play St. John's, Minn., which beat RPI 38-10 in Saturday's other semifinal, in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl on Dec. 30 in Salem, Va.

''We haven't completed what we set out to do,'' Knapp said. ''We'll go out there next week and try to win the championship. That's the goal.''

Mount Union has won six of the last seven Division III titles. The Purple Raiders' only loss in their last 110 games was a 27-17 overtime setback to Rowan in the 1999 semifinals.

The Purple Raiders picked up their sixth shutout of the season, their most since the 1931 team also had six, and have outscored opponents 654-84.

Bridgewater (12-2) lost three of five fumbles, had two punts blocked and had a pass intercepted.

''We gave them quick momentum and were never able to recover. We were outplayed in every aspect,'' Bridgewater coach Michael Clark said.

''I'm shocked. We got off the bus and everything went downhill after that.''

Mount Union coach Larry Kehres, who has a 205-17-3 record at the school, said the streak is secondary to his overall objective.

''The job of a coach is to prepare his team,'' he said. ''You do that, you have a chance to win. I've always tried to put the emphasis on the game today rather than what has happened. I'm not even sure our players remember back a few games, let alone 55. But it is a great achievement.

''We beat a very good team today that really gave us all we could handle the last time we faced them.''

Bridgewater fell to Mount Union in the 2001 title game 30-27 and was making its fourth consecutive playoff appearance.

Mount Union, alternating Zac Bruney and Jesse Burghardt at quarterback, overcame a sluggish start and amassed 473 yards. Bruney started, but Burghardt was 11-for-12 for 210 yards and career-best four touchdowns.

Knapp caught touchdown passes of 5, 40 and 16 yards to help Mount Union to a 35-0 halftime lead. He finished with five catches for 92 yards and set a school single-season record with 1,459 yards receiving.

Sirianni caught touchdown passes of 15, 35 and 34 yards.

Ken Whitfield scooped up a fumble and returned it 42 yards for another score to make it 63-0 with 3:17 left in the third quarter. The touchdown was the second defensive score of the game and sixth of the season for the Purple Raiders.

Bridgewater's Steward White had an interception and Antony Hunt recovered a fumble on Mount Union's first two possessions.

The Eagles' offense failed to capitalize on those chances and was slowed by turnovers.

Three plays after Hunt's recovery, Andrew Doak intercepted a pass by Brandon Wakefield at the Eagles' 16 and returned it for a score.

Anthony Frate blocked a punt and Mount Union took over at the Eagles' 48. Six plays later, Bruney rolled left and found Knapp with a 5-yard scoring pass for a 14-0 lead.

Jeff Strauch scored on a 6-yard run in the third quarter and George Wilders added a 21-yard field goal with 4:47 left to complete the scoring.