Titans Defeat Polar Bears, Keep NCAA Postseason Run Alive
Brett Kasper tied his career high with four touchdown passes and Dylan Hecker added 132 total yards and two rushing scores to lead UW-Oshkosh to a 42-7 victory over Ohio Northern University during the second round of the NCAA Division III Football Championship on Saturday (Nov. 28) at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.
UW-Oshkosh (11-1), ranked third in the nation by D3football.com, advances to play fifth-ranked and WIAC rival UW-Whitewater (11-1) in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA playoffs next Saturday (Dec. 5). The game's location and start time will be announced on Sunday (Nov. 29).
Kasper completed 14 of 22 passes for 211 yards, while Hecker recorded 13 rushes for 100 yards and two receptions for 32 yards before both exited the contest early in the fourth quarter. Hecker also tied the program record with his 19th rushing score of the season, matching Cole Myhra's total in 2013.
UW-Oshkosh held a 428-286 advantage in total yards, including 249-81 passing.
The teams were tied at 7 after the first quarter before UW-Oshkosh scored the last 35 points of the contest. Each of the Titans' six touchdown drives lasted less than three minutes as the Titans averaged 8.1 yards per play for the game.
Ohio Northern University (9-3) took the opening kickoff and marched to the UW-Oshkosh 19-yard line in 10 plays, but Polar Bears kicker Matt Chaney pushed his 36-yard field goal attempt wide left.
Kasper got started on the ensuing possession hitting Zach Kasuboski for a 55-yard score to cap a seven-play drive that spanned two minutes, 50 seconds, with 6:52 remaining in the first period.
The Polar Bears answered to knot the score at 7 on a 2-yard touchdown run by Justin Magazine – his 25th rushing score of the season – that punctuated a 10-play, 69-yard drive with 86 seconds left in the first quarter.
UW-Oshkosh fumbled a handoff exchange on its own 37-yard line on the first play of the next drive, but Magazine was eventually stuffed for a loss by Kevin MacCudden on fourth-and-1 at the Titans' 28-yard line.
The teams exchanged punts before Hecker took a direct snap, broke a tackle near the line of scrimmage, and scampered 40 yards to give UW-Oshkosh a 14-7 lead with 9:16 to go in the first half.
The Titans received a punt at their own 47-yard line with 55 seconds remaining in the second quarter and scored 33 seconds later on a 17-yard pass from Kasper to a wide-open CJ Blackburn in the corner of the end zone for a 21-7 UW-Oshkosh advantage at intermission. Running back Beau Ash sparked the possession with a pass for 38 yards to Kasuboski on the drive's first play.
UW-Oshkosh put the game away with a pair of quick-strike touchdowns on its first two possessions of the second half and concluded the scoring by converting a turnover into a score on the very next play.
The Titans began their first possession of the second half at the Ohio Northern University 36-yard line following an offside penalty on the Polar Bears' first kickoff attempt and a return of 25 yards by Devon Linzenmeyer on the second boot.
Hecker ran up the middle for an 8-yard score – his 20th total touchdown of the season – just over two minutes into the second half, and Kasper found Craig Schommer from 17 yards out to make the score 35-7 with 9:42 left in the third period.
Cameron Brown intercepted Polar Bears backup quarterback Will Freed with 13:08 remaining in the game, and UW-Oshkosh finished the scoring one play later on a 32-yard pass from Kasper to Blackburn.
Kasuboski, who scored for the seventh straight game, led UW-Oshkosh with six catches for 99 yards while adding four carries for 49 yards.
Blackburn had three receptions for 56 yards, while Schommer recorded two grabs for 51 yards.
Cole Yoder paced the UW-Oshkosh defense with eight tackles, including one sack. Reese Dziedzic, Matt Gasper and MacCudden each added six tackles for the Titans, who also received five stops from AJ Plewa.
Ohio Northern University starting quarterback Ricardo Johnson completed 10 of 20 passes for 71 yards, while Freed went 1-for-7 for 10 yards. Johnson also rushed 21 times for 82 yards.
Magazine led the Polar Bears with 20 carries for 84 yards. Magazine, who went into the game ranked second nationally in rushing touchdowns, had topped 100 rushing yards during 10 of his previous 11 games.
Ohio Northern University's Devon Price was held to five receptions for 33 yards. He entered the contest ranked ninth in the country with 84 catches and 12th with 1,184 receiving yards.
The Polar Bears' Justin Tello led all players with 10 tackles, while Zach Schmerge added six.
Ohio Northern University ended the game with advantages in first downs (18-17), rushing yards (205-179) and time of possession (37:09 to 22:51).
The Polar Bears entered the contest with 68 plays of 20 yards or more this year, while the Titans had 70. Ohio Northern University mustered just two plays of 20 yards or more against UW-Oshkosh, while the Titans had six, including three that went for touchdowns.
UW-Oshkosh will now play a UW-Whitewater team that has captured the last two NCAA Division III titles. The Titans earned the WIAC's automatic berth into this year's 32-team NCAA championship field by compiling a 7-0 league record, including a 10-7 victory over UW-Whitewater on Oct. 10 in Oshkosh. The Warhawks received one of seven at-large bids into the playoffs after producing a 6-1 conference record.
The Titans and Warhawks will be the WIAC's third set of league members to meet in NCAA postseason play. In the two prior meetings, UW-Whitewater downed UW-La Crosse, 24-21, during the second round of the 2006 playoffs, while UW-La Crosse bested UW-River Falls, 28-14, in the quarterfinal round of the 1995 event.
Ohio Northern University & UW-Oshkosh Postgame Press Conference