Jennings Jr. Leads Titans' Three D3football.com All-America Selections
Repeat first team selection Derrick Jennings Jr., and first-time honorees Alex Wendorf and Cole Yoder were selected to represent UW-Oshkosh on the D3football.com All-America Team.
Jennings Jr., a senior linebacker, becomes the first Titan to collect two All-America first team accolades from any organization.
Wendorf, a senior offensive guard, was named to the Second Team while senior safety Yoder received Honorable Mention status. Both Wendorf and Yoder are the second Titans to earn D3football.com All-America accolades at their respective positions.
A total of 25 UW-Oshkosh players have combined to collect 27 All-America honors from D3football.com since the online organization began its award program in 1999. Jennings Jr. and Cole Myhra (Second Team in 2012 and 2013) are the only Titans to achieve D3football.com All-America status twice.
Each of the four D3football.com All-America Teams featured 26 players, including 11 on offense and 11 on defense. Each team also honored one placekicker, one punter, one return specialist and one special teams player.
Jennings Jr., Wendorf and Yoder were among 10 WIAC players on the All-America Team. UW-Whitewater had six players selected and UW-Eau Claire one.
Jennings Jr. led the WIAC with three blocked kicks and two forced fumbles while ranking second in the league with four interceptions, fourth with 13 tackles for loss and ninth with four sacks. He also broke up four passes on the year.
Jennings Jr., a two-time D3football.com All-West Region and All-WIAC first team selection, finished the year with 62 tackles, including a team-leading 37 solo. He tallied a career-high 10 tackles against UW-Stevens Point on Oct. 27 and made nine stops against both UW-Platteville on Oct. 13 and UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 3. Jennings Jr. intercepted three passes and recorded 1.5 sacks against Carthage College on Sept. 1 before blocking a pair of kicks against Lincoln University of Missouri on Sept. 15.
Wendorf, an All-WIAC first team award winner the past two years and an All-West Region first team pick this season, played a key role for a UW-Oshkosh offensive line that paved the way for 14 Titans to combine for 1,247 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. With Wendorf anchoring the line, the UW-Oshkosh offense ranked third in the conference with 23 sacks allowed.
Yoder paced the Titans with 71 tackles this year. He ranked second in the conference with four interceptions, sixth with 10 passes defensed and 10th with 7.1 tackles per game.
Yoder, who was named All-West Region and All-WIAC the last two seasons, produced a career-high 16 tackles, including seven solo, against UW-Eau Claire and made 10 stops against Davenport University (Mich.) on Sept. 8. He also intercepted two passes against UW-River Falls. Yoder capped his four-year career tied for third in program history with 16 interceptions.
Saint John's University (Minn.) quarterback Jackson Erdmann and University of Mount Union (Ohio) cornerback Louis Berry headlined the All-America Team as the Offensive Player of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year, respectively. Jim Margraff from Johns Hopkins University (Md.) was named D3football.com's Coach of the Year.
UW-Oshkosh concluded the year with a 6-4 record, marking the program's eighth consecutive winning season. The school's only other stretch with eight straight winning seasons was 1918-25.
The Titans, who have compiled a 69-16 record and four NCAA Division III postseason appearances since 2012, finished the 2018 campaign with a WIAC-leading 19 interceptions gained and 174 first downs allowed. Winner of three of the last seven WIAC titles, UW-Oshkosh advanced to the Division III title game in 2016, the national semifinal round in 2012 and 2017, and the quarterfinals in 2015.