Unbeaten Titans, Warhawks Clash In Nationally Ranked Battle
UW-Oshkosh travels to UW-Whitewater on Saturday (Oct. 8) for a battle of unbeaten nationally ranked football teams. Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. at Perkins Stadium in Whitewater.
UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater enter the game with 4-0 records, including 1-0 marks in the WIAC. UW-Whitewater, which has won its last 27 home games, is ranked second in the NCAA Division III by D3football.com. Defending WIAC champion UW-Oshkosh, ranked fifth in the country, has won 28 of its last 31 league games.
Last season, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater split a pair of games in Oshkosh. The Titans won the regular-season matchup, 10-7, to snap the Warhawks' collegiate football leading 36-game winning streak, while UW-Whitewater ousted UW-Oshkosh from the NCAA postseason with a 31-29 decision in the quarterfinal round.
Saturday's game is the 109th meeting, including the sixth in the last six seasons in which both teams were ranked in the top 20 nationally. The Warhawks own a 75-28-5 record in a series that began in 1897.
UW-Oshkosh was the last team to beat UW-Whitewater, the 34-time WIAC and six-time national champion, at Perkins Stadium. The Titans accomplished the feat by downing the Warhawks, 28-13, in 2012.
UW-Oshkosh ranks second in the NCAA Division III by scoring 55.8 points per game and eighth by allowing 9.5 points per contest. UW-Whitewater scores 43.8 points per game to list 21st in the country while surrendering 15.3 per game to rank 30th.
The Warhawks are sixth in the Division III with a +2 turnover margin per game, and the Titans rank 15th at +1.75.
Offensively, the Titans rank second in the nation in tackles for loss allowed per game (2.75), fifth in passing efficiency (193.12) and first downs (126), sixth in sacks yielded per contest (0.50), eighth in rushing yards per game (311.5), ninth in yards per completion (17.82) and 12th in total yards per game (538.8).
UW-Oshkosh, which ranks 243rd out of 244 Division III teams by possessing the ball for just 23:26 per contest, has had just two of its 34 scoring drives last longer than four minutes this season. The Titans, who have 36 offensive plays of 20 yards or more, have outscored their opponents by a combined 165-3 score during the first half this year.
The UW-Whitewater offense lists 20th nationally with 515.3 yards per game, including 243.5 rushing.
On defense, UW-Oshkosh lists fourth in the country in yards allowed per game (205.8) and fifth in rushing yards ceded per contest (45.3) while UW-Whitewater ranks sixth by yielding 48.3 rushing yards per contest and last in the country (244th) with 376.8 passing yards allowed per game.
The Titans began the season with a 33-14 home win over 18th-ranked John Carroll University (Ohio) on Sept. 3. UW-Oshkosh owned a 27-0 lead in the third quarter, and Devon Linzenmeyer had two rushing touchdowns and Brett Kasper passed for two more.
Following a bye week, UW-Oshkosh won a pair of lopsided road games by scores of 68-7 over Finlandia University on Sept. 17 in Hancock, Mich., and 77-0 over Morthland College on Sept. 24 in Marion, Ill. In their final two non-conference games, the Titans held a 1,112-238 advantage in offensive yardage, including 735 to -26 rushing.
UW-Oshkosh scored on 10 of 12 possessions against Finlandia University, and its first 11 drives against Morthland College went for touchdowns.
Against Finlandia University, the Titans had a 582-135 edge in total yards, including 450-37 rushing as 11 Titans received carries. Dylan Hecker rushed for a 65-yard touchdown on the game's first offensive play and Dom Todarello had a school-record 87-yard punt return for a score just over three minutes later as the Titans had a 44-0 lead at halftime.
Against Morthland College, the Titans racked up the third-highest point total in the 122 years of the program. UW-Oshkosh, which did not commit a turnover or penalty nor attempt a punt, possessed the ball for just 15:15 and averaged 13.25 yards per play. Defensively, the Titans limited the Patriots to -63 rushing yards.
UW-Oshkosh opened WIAC play last Saturday (Oct. 1) with a 45-17 home victory over UW-Stout. The Titans had a season-high 12 plays of 20 yards or more, including four that went for touchdowns. Linzenmeyer had a career-high 204 total yards and four touchdowns in one half of action as UW-Oshkosh built a 45-3 lead at intermission.
Kasper has completed 39 of 57 passes for 680 yards with six touchdowns and one interception.
Linzenmeyer and Hecker have paced the Titan rushing attack that has accounted for 18 touchdowns and averaged 8.6 yards per carry.
Linzenmeyer, who ranks sixth in the country by averaging 14 points in his three games played, has 305 yards and six touchdowns on 27 carries with one additional score and 122 yards on seven receptions. Hecker has added 217 rushing yards and four scores on 16 carries in three games played.
The UW-Oshkosh receiving corps is led by Sam Mentkowski, Dom Todarello and CJ Blackburn. Mentkowski has a team-leading nine catches for 149 yards and one touchdown while Todarello has eight catches for a team-best 216 yards and three scores, and Blackburn seven grabs for 142 yards and one touchdown. Todarello lists fifth in the nation with 27 yards per reception and seventh by averaging 18.8 yards on eight punt returns.
AJ Plewa leads the UW-Oshkosh defense with 16 tackles, followed by Nick Amato with 15, Steve Forner with 14, and Reese Dziedzic and Cameron Brown with 13 apiece.
Forner has a team-leading five tackles for loss, including two sacks, while six different Titans have recorded interceptions and four have recovered fumbles. Cole Yoder has chipped in 10 tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery.
On special teams, UW-Oshkosh ranks ninth nationally with a 39.29 net punting average. Turner Geisthardt has averaged 42.1 yards on his eight punts, including three boots inside the 20-yard line.
UW-Oshkosh placekicker Eli Wettstein has converted 4 of 6 field goals, including a long of 50 yards, and 25 of 27 extra point attempts.
UW-Whitewater opened the season with three straight road games before beginning the WIAC slate at eighth-ranked UW-Platteville.
The Warhawks won their home opener, 51-3, over The College of New Jersey on Sept. 3 before defeating Belhaven University (Miss.), 59-13, on Sept. 10, Morningside College (Iowa), 35-21, on Sept. 24, and UW-Platteville, 30-24, last Saturday. Morningside College was ranked second in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
After two routs to begin the year, UW-Whitewater recorded four turnovers in the victory over Morningside College and held UW-Platteville to (minus)-15 yards rushing.
UW-Oshkosh has never trailed this season while UW-Whitewater had deficits of 13-7 in the second quarter against Belhaven University and 24-20 in the fourth at UW-Platteville.
Chris Nelson and Cole Wilber have shared time at quarterback for UW-Whitewater. Nelson, who ranks sixth nationally with 17.63 yards per completion, has completed 24 of 46 passes for 423 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions in three games played. Wilber is 34-for-58 passing for 586 yards with five scores and two interceptions.
Drew Patterson and Jarrod Ware spearhead a Warhawk running game that has compiled 12 touchdowns and 5.3 yards per carry.
Patterson leads the team with 68 rushes for 501 yards and seven touchdowns while Ware has 65 totes for 328 yards and two scores.
UW-Whitewater's Tony Gumina has a team-best 13 receptions for 140 and two touchdowns. Manny Jones has contributed 10 catches for 238 yards and one score, Marcus Hudson nine grabs for 233 yards and two touchdowns in two games played, and Canton Larson nine receptions for 121 yards and three scores.
Colin Buck, Vince Mason and Matt Seitz pace the UW-Whitewater defense with 19 tackles each. Buck also ranks third in the nation with one interception per game.
Brandon Tamsett has four of the Warhawks' 29 tackles for loss and two of the team's 12 sacks. John Flood and Ben Threloff have added two sacks apiece for UW-Whitewater while six different Warhawks have accounted for the team's fumble recoveries and six have notched interceptions. Seitz has recorded one interception and one fumble recovery.
Ben Franzen and Will Meyer have split kicking duties for the Warhawks. Franzen has connected on 2 of 6 field goals and 18 of 19 extra points while Meyer has converted all three of his field goal tries and each of his four extra points.
UW-Whitewater punter Michael Schwichtenberg is averaging 36.4 yards on 12 boots, including a long of 51 and six punts inside the 20-yard line.
The teams' last meeting in Whitewater, on Oct. 25, 2014, was played in front of 13,627 fans at Perkins Stadium. That attendance figure ranks as the second highest in WIAC history.