Ray Named WIAC Special Teams Player Of The Year
Senior Nate Ray was named Special Teams Player of the Year as UW-Oshkosh placed 13 members on the 2014 All-WIAC Football Team.
The Titans had eight players voted to the first team and two to the second. UW-Oshkosh was the owner of three honorable mention selections.
Ray earned his Player of the Year award after excelling as both a punter and a kicker. He currently leads the NCAA Division III in punting and the WIAC in field goals. Ray was selected to this year's All-WIAC squad as both a first-team punter and honorable mention kicker. He was the league's first-team punter in 2013 and the conference's second-team kicker in 2012.
Ray averaged 43.9 yards on 62 punts this season. He launched 16 punts of 50-plus yards, including a conference-leading 73-yard kick against UW-River Falls and a 71-yard boot against UW-Whitewater. Ray landed 19 of his punts inside the 20-yard line.
Ray, who was named WIAC Special Teams Player of the Week three times in 2014, scored 54 points by converting 10-of-16 field goal and 24-of-28 extra point attempts. Among Ray's 10 field goals was a season-long 41-yard kick against UW-Stout. He made two field goals in three of the first four games of the season and converted all seven extra points and a 25-yard field goal against UW-Eau Claire.
Ray made 129 extra points and 29 field goals to finish his 43-game career with 214 points, the fifth-highest total in UW-Oshkosh history. He averaged 42.1 yards on 110 career punts.
Joining Ray on the All-WIAC First Team were sophomore special teams player CJ Blackburn, senior defensive linemen Cody Huemmer and Alex Smith, senior defensive back Mitch Schultz, junior tight end Joe Sommers, senior linebacker Beau Steffens and junior offensive lineman Sam Versnik.
Blackburn has the WIAC's only kickoff return for a touchdown this year with an 86-yard score against UW-Eau Claire. UW-Oshkosh's first touchdown on a kickoff since 2008 earned Blackburn WIAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Blackburn, who finished the season averaging 25.1 yards on eight kickoff returns, recorded six tackles on special teams.
Huemmer, a repeat first-team selection, led UW-Oshkosh with 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. He was third on the team with 50 tackles, including a season-high 13 against UW-River Falls. Huemmer recorded sacks in five of nine games played to rank sixth in the WIAC with 0.56 sacks per game.
Smith registered 27 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks, in eight games played. He had a season-best seven tackles against UW-Stevens Point while totaling five tackles and a forced fumble against UW-River Falls. Smith earned second-team accolades in both 2012 and 2013.
Schultz counted 24 tackles, including 20 solo, with two interceptions and seven pass breakups. He helped lead a defensive unit that limited opponents to a 53.1 completion percentage, the second-best mark in the WIAC. Schultz intercepted passes against UW-River Falls and UW-Stevens Point and tallied a season-high five tackles against UW-Stout.
Sommers, a repeat first-team selection, led UW-Oshkosh with 41 receptions for 669 yards and three touchdowns. He ranked sixth in the WIAC with 66.9 receiving yards per game. Sommers caught a season-high eight passes for 81 yards against UW-Platteville and three passes for a career-best 105 yards and two touchdowns against UW-Eau Claire.
Steffens ranked second on the team with 67 tackles and 6.5 for loss. He also registered two interceptions, one sack and five pass breakups. Steffens made a season-high 11 tackles against UW-Whitewater and six tackles, including a sack, against UW-Stout. Steffens recorded both of his interceptions against UW-River Falls.
Versnik anchored an offensive line that finished second in the conference with an average of 155.1 rushing yards per game and 17 rushing touchdowns. UW-Oshkosh averaged 328.8 yards per game overall and allowed just 16 sacks.
UW-Oshkosh sophomore linebacker Reese Dziedzic and freshman running back Dylan Hecker were named to the All-WIAC Second Team.
Dziedzic paced the Titan defense with 82 tackles, which included four for a loss and 1.5 sacks. His two fumble recoveries tied for the conference lead while his tackle count ranked fourth. Dziedzic registered a career-high 13 tackles against UW-Whitewater and 12 against both UW-La Crosse and UW-Platteville. His performance against UW-Platteville, which included a fumble recovery, earned him WIAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Hecker started the season as a backup quarterback and led UW-Oshkosh with 102 carries for 489 yards and nine touchdowns. He surpassed 100 yards on the ground twice, including a career-best 157 yards and two scores against UW-River Falls. Hecker, the WIAC's fifth-leading rusher, caught five passes for 27 yards while completing 11-of-22 passes for another 96.
Other UW-Oshkosh players receiving All-WIAC honorable mention recognition were sophomore offensive lineman Austin Haase and senior defensive lineman Brandon Jackson.
The WIAC selected UW-Whitewater quarterback Matt Behrendt as its Offensive Player of the Year and UW-Platteville linebacker Jacob Zilbar as its Defensive Player of the Year.
The WIAC Coach of the Year was UW-Whitewater's Lance Leipold. UW-Oshkosh's Mark Angeletti and Craig Stenbroten were selected as the WIAC Co-Assistant Coaches of the Year.
UW-Oshkosh concluded the season with a 6-4 record, including a 41-3 loss to NCAA Division I South Dakota State University. The Titans won six of their last seven games to finish second in the WIAC standings with a 6-1 mark.
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