Titans Score 49 Unanswered Points To Rout Pointers
The nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh football team scored a season high five of its seven touchdowns on the ground on the way to building a commanding early lead and cruising to a 49-17 victory over UW-Stevens Point during a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup Saturday (Nov. 6) at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.
UW-Oshkosh (6-2, 4-2 WIAC), ranked 20th in the NCAA Division III by D3football.com, scored 49 unanswered points to claim a 49-3 cushion during the third quarter en route to earning its 29th win over the past 30 regular season home games at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.
The Titans took the lead for good at 7-3 on Mac Winkler's 67-yard run with 9:11 left in the opening quarter. UW-Oshkosh then added six more touchdowns and Jaydon Haag extra points before UW-Stevens Point registered a pair of scoring passes during the final period.
UW-Oshkosh extended its leads to 14-3 following a Mitch Gerhartz 17-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, 21-3 on Winkler's 21-yard run on the first play of the second period, 28-3 on a 1-yard run by Gerhartz, 35-3 after a 21-yard scoring pass from Kobe Berghammer to Steven Makinen, 42-3 on a 9-yard pass from Berghammer to Tony Steger and 49-3 following a 3-yard Bryce Huettner run at the 4:15 mark of the second quarter.
UW-Stevens Point, which opened the scoring with a 48-yard field goal by Victor Ponterio with 10:22 remaining in the first quarter, got touchdown passes from Max Herro to both Jeremy Kobe and Ernie LaSpisa during the fourth period to create the final score.
UW-Oshkosh picked up its ninth win in the past 10 meetings with UW-Stevens Point. Despite Saturday's loss the Pointers sport a 61-49-8 record against the Titans in WIAC's oldest rivalry that began in 1896.
The Titans outgained UW-Stevens Point, 408-299, on Saturday while the Pointers held a 21-20 edge in first downs. UW-Oshkosh owned a 303-115 yardage advantage during a dominant first half.
Winkler rushed for a season best 114 yards on just nine carries for the Titans, who also received at least 12 yards on the ground from Huettner (29), Berghammer (23), Gerhartz (22), Cody Staerkel (19) and Zoe McDowell (12). The rushing scores were Winkler's third and fourth of the year, Gerhartz's fifth and sixth this season and 19th career, and Huettner's first career.
Berghammer went 12 of 21 passing for 163 yards with a pair of touchdowns before exiting the game midway through the third quarter. Berghammer now has 19 touchdown passes against three interceptions this season.
Steger, who paced the Titans with 60 receiving yards, hauled in his fifth touchdown catch this year and sixth career. Makinen's touchdown grab was his second in 2021. Mitchell Gerend and Trae Tetzlaff made four and three catches, respectively, for UW-Oshkosh for 28 yards apiece.
Herro completed 16 of 33 passes for 135 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions for UW-Stevens Point. Pointers backup quarterback Trey Schroeder went 4-for-6 passing for 9 yards during a brief appearance in the first half.
Five different Pointers ran the ball at least five times each, including Vercion Gammel with a team leading nine totes for 43 yards.
UW-Stevens Point's Kobe led all players with seven receptions for 74 yards to go along with his fourth quarter touchdown while Markell Outlaw chipped in six catches for 34 yards.
Twenty-eight Titans made tackles, including 18 with at least two each as Eli Tranel and Alex Gonzalez made a team leading six stops apiece. Tranel and CJ Sykes snared interceptions for UW-Oshkosh. Mackade Mella's fumble recovery accounted for the other of the Titans' season best three turnovers gained.
Kameron Kryzanski collected nine tackles and Berkley Corvino eight stops to lead the UW-Stevens Point defense.
UW-Oshkosh remains at home to host UW-River Falls during the regular season finale next Saturday (Nov. 13) at J. J. Keller Field at Titans Stadium.