League-Leading Titans To Host Falcons

The nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh football team will put a pair of unbeaten streaks on the line when it hosts UW-River Falls on Saturday (Oct. 28). Kickoff for the 62nd meeting between the teams is set for 1 p.m. at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.

UW-Oshkosh has won 11 consecutive games over UW-River Falls by a combined 412-129 score. However, UW-River Falls owns a 34-26-1 record in the series that began in 1920. The Falcons' last victory over the Titans was a 13-10 overtime decision on Oct. 1, 2005.

The Titans are also seeking their 11th straight home win. UW-Oshkosh compiled a 7-0 record at home last season en route to the program's first appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship title game. This year, the Titans have won each of their three home contests by a combined 160-41 score.

UW-Oshkosh (6-0, 4-0 WIAC), which sits alone atop the league standings, enters Saturday's game ranked third in the country by D3football.com. The Titans have been listed among D3football.com's top six teams for 29 consecutive weekly polls since 2015.

Saturday's matchup between the Titans and UW-River Falls (3-4, 1-3 WIAC) features UW-Oshkosh's potent offense and the Falcons' highly ranked defense, which leads the conference by allowing 14.3 points and 76.6 yards rushing per game. UW-River Falls also paces the WIAC with 8.1 tackles for loss per contest while listing 13th nationally by limiting opponents to a .253 conversion rate on third downs.

UW-Oshkosh counters with an offense that leads the WIAC in per-game scoring (42.2), scrimmage yards (500.7), rushing yards (264.5) and time of possession (33:52). The Titans also own the league's best third-down rate (.519), completion percentage (.638), passing efficiency rating (182.48), yards per completion (16.10) and red zone offense (.857).

The Titan defense has created a WIAC-leading 16 turnovers, including 13 interceptions, while the offense has committed a league-low eight turnovers.

UW-Oshkosh's special teams units are averaging a WIAC-best 25.86 yards per kickoff return and 17.22 yards per punt return while the Titan offensive line has yielded a league-low 4.17 tackles for loss and 0.50 sacks per game.

The Titans opened the season with a 23-17 win at then-eighth-ranked John Carroll University (Ohio) on Sept. 2. UW-Oshkosh has since added victories by scores of 74-7 over Virginia University of Lynchburg on Sept. 9, 37-20 over UW-Whitewater on Sept. 30, 49-14 over UW-Stevens Point on Oct. 7, 28-14 over then-ninth-ranked UW-Platteville on Oct. 14, and 42-28 over UW-La Crosse last Saturday (Oct. 21).

UW-River Falls lost its season opener, 13-9, to Coe College (Iowa) on Sept. 2 before winning three straight contests by scores of 20-12 over Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) on Sept. 9, 30-3 over Missouri Baptist University on Sept. 16, and 30-7 over UW-Eau Claire on Sept. 30. The Falcons have since lost three straight conference contests by scores of 24-14 to UW-Platteville on Oct. 7, 21-16 to UW-Stout on Oct. 14 and 20-7 to UW-Whitewater last Saturday.

UW-Oshkosh's offense has been led by Brett Kasper, Dylan Hecker and Sam Mentkowski.

Kasper has completed 79 of 126 passes for 1,354 yards with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions. He leads the WIAC in touchdown passes and completion percentage (.627) while ranking third nationally with a 185.9 passing efficiency rating and 10.75 yards per pass attempt, and fifth with 17.14 yards per completion.

Hecker leads the UW-Oshkosh backfield with 103 carries for 608 yards and nine touchdowns. His 5.9 yards per carry and 10.8 points per game are the best in the conference.

Mentkowski has 27 receptions for 668 yards and six touchdowns. His 27.74 yards per catch lists 11th in the country.

Anchoring the UW-Oshkosh offense is the starting line comprised of Tyler Powers, Austin Summers, Ty Summers, Alex Wendorf and Alex Wipperfurth. The unit has paved the way for UW-Oshkosh's 14 ball carriers to gain 5.5 yards per rush and accumulate 17 rushing touchdowns.

UW-Oshkosh's Mitch Gerhartz has rushed 35 times for 271 yards while JP Peerenboom has added 217 yards on 34 carries. Making his first career start last Saturday, Gerhartz ran for 172 yards on 18 attempts.

The Titans have six players who have surpassed 100 yards on the ground this season, including Chad Walton with 145, Dom Todarello with 111 and Riley Kallas with 110. UW-Oshkosh's six ball carriers with more than 100 yards rushing have combined to average 6.6 yards per carry on the year.

Todarello lists second on the team with 12 catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Seven different Titans have scored touchdowns through the air, including three by Chad Redmer and two by Kallas.

The UW-Oshkosh defense is led by Jon Kallas' 40 tackles. Derrick Jennings Jr. has added 35 tackles and a team-leading 2.5 sacks, four interceptions, one fumble recovery and seven pass breakups.

Scott Skornicka has 33 tackles, including 1.5 sacks, for the Titans, who have also received eight tackles for loss from Jamier Szymanski and three interceptions from Cole Yoder.

Todarello leads the UW-Oshkosh return efforts, averaging 23.2 yards on kickoff returns and 18.2 yards on punt returns.

UW-Oshkosh placekicker and punter Turner Geisthardt has connected on 4 of 6 field goals and each of his 28 extra points while averaging 41.7 per punt and pinning 11 of his 18 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line.

The UW-River Falls offense is averaging 18 points and 292.4 yards per contest.

Falcons running back Michael Diggins paces the WIAC with 862 rushing yards and nine scores on the ground. He is averaging 5.2 yards on his 166 carries while tying for the team lead with 25 catches for 202 yards and one score.

UW-River Falls' Travon Hearns has completed 64 of 131 passes for 693 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions. Falcons backup Ben Beckman has gone 15-for-42 passing for 233 yards with zero scores and one interception.

Trenton Monson paces the UW-River Falls receiving corps with 25 catches for 313 yards and one score.

The Falcons' formidable defense is led by Max Praschak, whose 69 tackles and 9.9 stops per game are best in the conference. He also leads the team with 10.5 tackles for loss.

UW-River Falls has notched 21 sacks, six interceptions and four fumble recoveries.

Rakeem Felder leads the Falcons with 4.5 sacks while Mitch Dienger and Alex Wood have two interceptions apiece. UW-River Falls' Nick Jacobsen and Jared Johnson have both chipped in 3.5 sacks and combined for 17 tackles for loss.

On special teams, the Falcons' longest punt return of the season went for five yards, and UW-River Falls' Janari Glover is averaging 21.5 yards on 10 kickoff returns.

UW-River Falls placekicker Angel Bautista has converted 3 of 5 field goals and 9 of 12 extra points. Falcons punter Owen Schommer is averaging 36.6 yards on 52 punts.