Titans Clobber Blue Devils To Finish Second In WIAC Race

UW-Oshkosh concluded its best WIAC football season since 1976 with a 35-3 domination of UW-Stout on Saturday (Nov. 12) at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium. The Titans end the year with a 7-3 overall record while sharing second place in the league at 5-2 with UW-Platteville.

Nate Wara (Jr. • Oshkosh) threw for 300 yards and all five touchdowns as UW-Oshkosh scored 35 consecutive points. On senior day, Garrie Fox (Sr. • Madison) posted a touchdown reception during the first, second and third quarters. UW-Stout (5-5/3-4 WIAC) scored in the opening period, but the Titan defense notched a shutout for the final 50 minutes.

The Blue Devils marched 31 yards on the game's first possession, but Vince Sciano (Sr. • Greendale) blocked their field goal attempt. On UW-Stout's next opportunity, Eric Brown got his team down the field with runs of 18, 7 and 6 yards. Ryan Howg nailed the 22-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. UW-Stout's next 11 possessions resulted in five punts, three interceptions and three turnovers on downs.

UW-Oshkosh trailed for just 1:20, as it responded immediately. Caleb Voss (So. • Van Dyne) marked catches of 42 and 22 yards on back-to-back plays. Facing third-and-long, Wara hit Fox on a corner route for the 15-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter.

The Titans tallied two more touchdowns in a six-minute span during the second period. Wara stepped up in the pocket and fired a 30-yard bullet to Cory Wipperfurth (So. • DeForest) that made it 14-3. Following a Taylor Goodman (Jr. • South Wayne) interception, Fox hauled in a difficult four-yard scoring grab with 7:43 on the clock.

Wara wasn't content with the 18-point cushion, so his offense put together a 43-second drive before the break. He found Fox and Charlie Weissman (Sr. • Colgate) for gains of 20 and 11 yards. Weissman then caught a screen pass and rumbled 29 yards into the end zone for a 28-3 lead. Justin Budiac (Sr. • Mukwonago) delivered a crushing block on the play to spring Weissman.

The only score of the second half came on the Titans' 11-play, 63-yard trip. Budiac had an 18-yard reception, while Wara converted a crucial fourth-and-two run. From 18 yards away, Wara connected with Fox, who made a spinning catch at the goal line for his personal-best third score. Fox finishes his Titan career with 131 receptions (third in school history) for 1,710 yards and 19 touchdowns.

UW-Oshkosh's defense put the game away, recording a season-high six sacks and holding the Blue Devils to 14-of-33 passing. UW-Stout compiled 324 yards and held the ball for a staggering 40:22, but it could only tally three points. The Titan effort was led by 14 tackles from Goodman, 13 by Zach Wettengel (Jr. • Appleton) and 10 more by Jack Breese (Sr. • Kewaskum). Brent Aaron (Sr. • Sussex) topped the unit with 1.5 sacks.

Amassing 427 yards, the Titans averaged 7.4 yards per play. Budiac paced the running game with 56 yards, while Fox marked 93 yards on seven catches. UW-Oshkosh may have possessed the ball for just 19:38, but it broke 31 points for the fifth time this season. The Titans conclude the year with 4,218 yards of offense and a 307-182 scoring margin.

Brown was the standout for the visitors, totaling 169 yards on 29 carries. The Blue Devils' 14 receptions featured eight for 86 yards by Jordan Peterson. Ross Carey notched 149 yards in the passing game. The UW-Stout defense received seven tackles from the WIAC's leader, Ryan Pearcy.

UW-Oshkosh completed a two-game sweep of the Blue Devils, outscoring them 91-13 this year. The Titans' seven-win season marks the seventh time they've reached that many victories during their 117-year history.