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Ninth-Ranked Titans To Visit 20th-Ranked Eagles

Ninth-Ranked Titans To Visit 20th-Ranked Eagles

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UW-Oshkosh seeks to avenge its most recent regular season loss when it visits UW-La Crosse for a matchup of nationally ranked Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football teams Saturday (Oct. 6). Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field.

UW-Oshkosh (3-0, 1-0 WIAC), ranked ninth in the NCAA Division III by D3football.com, suffered a 31-3 loss during its last meeting with 20th-ranked UW-La Crosse on Oct. 26, 2019. The setback snapped UW-Oshkosh's eight-game winning streak against UW-La Crosse as the Eagles outgained the Titans, 475-201, including 352-95 passing two years ago.

UW-La Crosse (3-1, 1-0 WIAC), which owns a 50-17-6 record against UW-Oshkosh in the series that began in 1919, enters Saturday with nine consecutive home victories dating back to the 2018 campaign.

Defending WIAC co-champion UW-Oshkosh, playing a fourth straight road game to open the 2021 season, won its first three contests by scores of 28-24 at 2019 Division III Championship participant Huntingdon College (Ala.), 28-10 at Division II member Northern Michigan University and 35-32 at league rival UW-Platteville last Saturday (Oct. 2).

UW-La Crosse, seeking to remain in contention for its first WIAC title since winning three straight crowns in 2002-04, commenced the year with a 42-21 victory at National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics member Dakota State University (S.D.). The Eagles have since downed University of Dubuque (Iowa) at home by a 38-7 score, lost a 45-24 decision at 12th-ranked Division II program Grand Valley State University (Mich.) and defeated UW-River Falls, 45-23, on the road during their WIAC opener last Saturday.

UW-Oshkosh, ranked fifth nationally by committing just three penalties a game, is averaging 30.3 points and 389.7 yards on the year while yielding 22 points and 331 yards per contest. The balanced Titans offense has gained 590 yards on the ground and 579 yards through the air.

UW-La Crosse averages 37.2 points and 448 yards per game this season while surrendering 24 points and 377.2 yards per contest. The Eagles offense paces the conference with a 52.1% conversion rate on third downs and 15 passing touchdowns.

Titans quarterback Kobe Berghammer, the reigning WIAC Offensive Player of the Week, has completed 44 of 73 passes for 579 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. He has added 33 carries for 163 yards and three scores on the ground.

Peter MacCudden leads the UW-Oshkosh ground attack with 33 rushes for 208 yards and one touchdown. MacCudden also has caught a touchdown pass among his four receptions. Mitch Gerhartz and Mac Winkler have combined to add 173 rushing yards on 38 carries for an offensive backfield that averages 5 yards per carry behind an offensive line anchored by Justin Kasuboski, Mike Olsen, Jason Myrick, Hunter Schultz, Sam Huggett and Joe Blitstein.

The UW-Oshkosh receiving corps features Tony Steger with a team-leading 11 catches for 213 yards and one touchdown, Kasuboski with eight grabs for 103 yards and a pair of scores, Jimmy DuVal with six receptions for 53 yards, and Trae Tetzlaff with four catches for 58 yards and one touchdown.

UW-Oshkosh's defense is spearheaded by Carson Raddatz and Kyle Scharenbroch, who have made a team-best 20 tackles apiece. Eleven different Titans have at least seven tackles this season, including Nick Noethe with 15, CJ Sykes with 11 and Tory Jandrin with 10. Raddatz has accounted for the squad's lone interception.

Jandrin's 3.5 tackles for loss lead the Titans, who have also received a team-high two sacks from Brandon Kolgen and 1.5 quarterback takedowns by both Jandrin and Trenton LaCombe.

On special teams, Titans placekicker and punter Jaydon Haag has gone 0-for-3 on field goals and 13- of 13 on extra points while averaging 35 yards per punt. UW-Oshkosh's Jaylen Grant ranks third in the country by averaging 38.3 yards per kickoff return.

The UW-La Crosse offense is highlighted by a trio of running backs with more than 100 rushing yards this season and quarterback Jakob Parks directing an aerial attack among the WIAC's best.

Parks has completed 70 of 109 passes for 956 yards with a conference-leading 13 touchdowns against two interceptions.

The Eagles offensive backfield also features running backs Joey Stutzman, Brad Tobin and Brant Bohman, who each average 5.4 yards or better per carry. Stutzman has rushed 77 times for 417 yards and three touchdowns while Tobin has 197 yards and a score on 30 rushes and Bohman 123 yards and one touchdown on 19 totes.

Jake Simuncak and Cameron Sorenson are Parks' favorite targets in the UW-La Crosse passing game as Simuncak, who doubles as the team's primary kickoff and punt returner, has hauled in a WIAC-best 29 catches and seven touchdowns while ranking second in the league with 408 receiving yards. Sorensen has added 16 receptions for 233 yards and six touchdowns.

Ryan Daines is the Eagles leading tackler, making 28 stops, including 10 for loss and three sacks. Elijah Alt follows with 23 tackles for UW-La Crosse, which has also received 22 stops from AJ Spychala and 20 from Trevar Helland.

The UW-La Crosse defense has created seven turnovers and collected 11 sacks over its first four games. Alt paces the unit with two interceptions and one fumble recovery.

Eagles placekicker Ryan Beirne is 3-for-3 on field goals, including a long of 29 yards, and 19 of 19 on extra points. Punter Sean Parker's 39.2 yards per boot leads the WIAC.

UW-Oshkosh has started the year with four consecutive road games twice in the past three seasons. The Titans played five straight contests away from home to begin the 2018 campaign.