Titans To Host Vikings In Final Non-League Game
The nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh football team concludes its non-conference schedule by hosting first-time opponent North Park University (Ill.) on Saturday (Sept. 19) at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.
Located on the north side of Chicago, North Park University is a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW). The NCAA Division III Vikings are the Titans' first CCIW opponent since Carroll University in 1979 and second overall.
UW-Oshkosh (1-1), ranked 20th in the NCAA Division III by D3football.com, has compiled a winning record for four consecutive seasons. North Park University's last winning campaign was 1968, when the Vikings owned a 6-3 record. The Vikings (1-1) have won just 77 of 429 contests since their last winning season.
In its home opener last Saturday (Sept. 12), UW-Oshkosh established a program record for points during an 86-0 thrashing of visiting Finlandia University (Mich.), which was playing the second game of its inaugural season. Eleven different Titans scored touchdowns as UW-Oshkosh rolled up 567 yards and 26 first downs on offense while limiting the Lions to just 69 total yards and four first downs.
UW-Oshkosh recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff on the Finlandia University 1-yard line. The Titans took a 7-0 lead just nine seconds into the game and held a 63-0 advantage at halftime. UW-Oshkosh scored on 13 of its 16 drives, including eight consecutive first-half possessions that resulted in touchdowns.
The Titans fell, 23-21, in the season opener against scholarship program Robert Morris University (Ill.) on Sept. 5 in Arlington Heights, Ill. The Eagles entered the contest ranked 20th in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
UW-Oshkosh ranks third in the NCAA Division III with an average of just 12.5 penalty yards per game and lists second in the WIAC with 53.5 points and 285.5 rushing yards per contest. The Titan defense leads the conference with 94 passing yards allowed per game and five sacks while ranking second by allowing 191.5 total yards and 97.5 rushing yards per game.
UW-Oshkosh has forced six turnovers this season while committing just one.
Dylan Hecker leads the UW-Oshkosh offense with 23 carries for 151 yards and a conference-leading four touchdowns on the season. Zach Kasuboski has added seven rushes for 113 yards and two scores.
UW-Oshkosh quarterback Brett Kasper has completed 21 of 38 passes for 326 yards with three touchdowns.
Craig Schommer paces Titan receivers with six catches for 41 yards. CJ Blackburn has five grabs for 102 yards and one touchdown, Sam Mentkowski four receptions for a team-best 124 yards, Kasuboski three grabs for 34 yards, and Joe Sommers two catches for six yards and a touchdown.
Reese Dziedzic heads the UW-Oshkosh defense with 15 tackles, including one for loss. Branden Lloyd has 11 tackles, followed by Max Adkins with 10, and Cameron Brown and Matt Gasper with nine apiece.
Titans Nick Boyd, Trevor Fiegel, John Horter and Scott Skornicka all have one sack. Johnny Eagan has a WIAC-leading two interceptions, and Brad Walovitch one. Cody Moon and Skornicka have both recovered fumbles.
UW-Oshkosh kicker Greg Rand ranks second in the WIAC with 15 points after converting 9 of 10 extra points and both of his field goal attempts.
North Park University erased two deficits to win its season opener, 23-16, at Concordia University Wisconsin before falling, 41-31, to St. Norbert College last Saturday at home.
The Vikings scored 10 unanswered points in the third quarter to reclaim a 23-16 lead and hung on to win their season opener. North Park University held Concordia University Wisconsin to just 75 rushing yards.
Last weekend, St. Norbert College scored 14 points in the last 22 seconds to defeat North Park University. The Green Knights took a 35-31 lead on a short rushing touchdown with 22 ticks left before returning an interception for a score as time expired. The Vikings took a 31-28 advantage after a 99-yard fumble return for a touchdown with 1:45 to play.
North Park University averages 334 yards per game and cedes 361.5 per contest. The Vikings have attempted 102 passes compared to just 44 rushes, leading North Park University's opponents to possess the ball for nearly 10 more minutes (34:25 to 25:35) per contest.
The Vikings have amassed 521 yards through the air after two games and 147 on the ground.
North Park University's offense is led by T.D. Conway, who has completed 54 of 102 passes for 521 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Conway lists second in the CCIW in passing yards.
Kvonte Spearman's 12 catches leads three Vikings with double-digit catches. Spearman has 60 yards and one touchdown, followed by Jordan Turner's 11 catches for 105 yards and one score and Anthony Burton's 10 receptions for a team-high 148 yards and one touchdown. Devin Childress has eight grabs for 104 yards and a score, while Dakota Conway has chipped in eight catches for 82 yards.
The Vikings' rushing attack has averaged 3.3 yards per tote. Spearman highlights the North Park University backfield with 19 carries for 95 yards. Filo Langkilde has nine carries for 11 yards, while John Obasi Wilkinson has produced seven rushes for 64 yards, including a long of 51.
The North Park University defense is holding opponents to 3.4 yards per carry and has returned two of its three turnovers for touchdowns.
Vikings defensive back Matt Difecchio leads the squad with two touchdowns. He returned an interception for a 36-yard score against Concordia University Wisconsin and scooped up a fumble and raced 99 yards for a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter against St. Norbert College. Difecchio also ranks fifth on the team with 17 tackles.
Brendon Dull leads the North Park University defense with 28 tackles, including two sacks. Joe Butz has added 22 tackles, including one sack, while Nick French and Chaun Maiava have contributed 18 stops apiece. Maiava has a team-high three sacks as the Vikings rank second in the CCIW with eight sacks on the season.
North Park University kicker Noah Moore is the CCIW leader with 18 points after connecting on all six extra points and all four field goals. His season-long field goal is 37 yards.
UW-Oshkosh, playing its 121st season, has defeated just one program from Illinois. The Titans own a 4-0 record against St. Xavier University, including a 42-3 decision in the last meeting in 1997. However, UW-Oshkosh has lost to each of its seven other opponents from Illinois by a combined score of 226-52 dating back to 1904. The Titans have fallen to Lake Forest College (4-0 score in 1906), North Central College (21-0 in 1930, before the CCIW was formed), Northern Illinois University (21-6 in 1940 and 33-6 in 1941), Northwestern University (97-0 in 1904) and Robert Morris University (27-19 in 2014 and 23-21 this season).
Following Saturday's game, UW-Oshkosh is off until it opens WIAC play at UW-Stout on Oct. 3.