Titans Shut Out Britons To Remain Unbeaten
The UW-Oshkosh football team is off to a 3-0 start for the second consecutive season following its 40-0 non-conference victory over Albion College (Mich.) on Saturday (Sept. 18) at Titan Stadium.
UW-Oshkosh (3-0) recorded its first shutout in 32 games by receiving major contributions from its offense, defense and special teams. Offensively, the Titans scored three touchdowns, totaled 409 yards on 78 plays and controlled possession of the football for 38 of the game's 60 minutes. Defensively, UW-Oshkosh scored one touchdown, yielded just 139 yards on 72 plays, intercepted four passes and recovered one fumble. The Titans' special teams got into the act by returning a fumble for touchdown, averaging 41.6 yards on six punts and making both of its field goal attempts.
UW-Oshkosh, which has scored 140 points in its first three games of the 2004 season, took advantage of two Albion College (1-1) fumbles in the first quarter to take a 13-0 lead. Scott Salvinski (Fr. • Oshkosh) recovered both fumbles for the Titans, including the second one that he returned off a poor Albion College center snap in punt formation for a one-yard touchdown. Salvinski's first fumble recovery set up a short UW-Oshkosh scoring drive, a four-play, 18-yard march that concluded with a one-yard touchdown run by Aaron Chaltry (Sr. • Peshtigo).
UW-Oshkosh increased its lead to 20-0 in the second quarter when Andy Moriarty (So. • Mequon) finished a three-play, 21-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run. Ryan Radtke (So. • Peshtigo) set up the score by returning a pass interception 16 yards. The Britons punted on their next two possessions of the period and both times the Titans countered with field goals, kicks of 24 and 27 yards by Lucas Raschke (Fr. • Clintonville).
The Titans went to the halftime break leading 26-0 on the scoreboard and holding advantages of 11-5 in first downs, 261-17 in offensive yards and 18:50-11:10 in time of possession. Prior to allowing Albion College 19 yards on its last possession of the first half, UW-Oshkosh's defense held the Britons to just a negative two yards of offense in 30 plays.
After a scoreless third quarter, UW-Oshkosh added 14 points in the fourth. The Titans extended their lead to 33-0 by parading 94 yards in 16 plays for a touchdown. Chaltry ended the drive by running three yards for his second score of the game. It took just 36 seconds for UW-Oshkosh to reach the end zone again as Craig Korth (Sr. • Menasha) intercepted an Albion College pass and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown.
UW-Oshkosh's offensive attack was balanced, with 219 yards gained in the air and 190 on the ground. Nick Wara (Sr. • Oshkosh) completed 14 of 24 passes for 182 yards and rushed 13 times for 62 yards to lead the Titans in bith categories. UW-Oshkosh also received 57 yards rushing from Moriarty and 33 from Chaltry. Chaltry led the Titans with four pass receptions for 77 yards, including a 43-yard catch on the game's first offensive play.
Shane Schutz (Jr. • West Bend) led the UW-Oshkosh defense with seven tackles, including two for a loss, while Bryan Kent (Fr. • Pewaukee), Korth and Dan Mulqueen (Sr. • Milwaukee) added five each. Kent also had two of the Titans' four pass interceptions.
Albion College, which was shutout for just the second time in 49 contests, gained 113 of its 139 yards in the air as Steve Wasil completed 18 of 46 passes. Wasil, who also had a team-high 30 rushing yards, completed 10 of his passes to Craig Nabozny for 68 yards.
Defensively, Albion College was led by the 12 tackles of Raymond Burton and the nine each of Dan Holka and Joel McDade.