2004 Season Preview

With its 110th season of intercollegiate competition on the horizon, the UW-Oshkosh football team has been working with a sense of purpose and pride to bring the Titans back into contention for an upper-division finish in the WIAC.

The optimism for the 2004 campaign, Phil Meyer's fifth as UW-Oshkosh's head coach, is generated by the return of 17 starters and a very productive off-season weight training and conditioning program. In all, 33 lettermen return to the UW-Oshkosh program this fall, giving the Titans a more experienced squad than the one that won its first four games of the 2003 season before losing its last six. UW-Oshkosh finished seventh in the WIAC a year ago with a 1-6 record.

UW-Oshkosh returns nine seniors to its 2004 team, including defensive tackle Dustin Drexel who has started 28 games and offensive guard Pat Hughes and quarterback Nick Wara who have started 20 contests each. This year's senior class also features the 19 career starts of offensive tackle Jesse Turkow, 18 of linebacker Dan Mulqueen and the 15 of both fullback Aaron Chaltry and linebacker Craig Korth.

The Titans return nine of last year's 11 offensive starters, with the only absentees being wide receiver Mike Kinateder and tight end Chad Lindsley. UW-Oshkosh averaged 20.3 points and 370.4 yards per game a year ago, with 612 yards coming in a 45-36 loss to UW-Eau Claire and 472 yards in a 38-3 win over Upper Iowa University.

The offensive reins belong to Wara, who begins his third season as the Titans' starting quarterback. Last year, Wara completed 172 of 309 passes for 2,056 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing 112 times for 398 yards and five scores. In last season's finale against UW-Eau Claire, Wara accounted for a school-record 499 yards of offense by compiling 371 yards and two touchdowns passing and 128 yards and two touchdowns rushing. Wara enters his final collegiate season having completed 336 of 628 passes for 3,805 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also has 265 career rushes for 814 yards and seven touchdowns.

Poised to backup Wara are junior Mike Budziszewski and redshirt freshman Joe Patek, who played in the 2003 Wisconsin High School All-Star Football Game. Budziszewski's career resume includes nine pass completions in 26 attempts for 117 yards and one touchdown.

UW-Oshkosh returns its top-six rushers from 2003, including starters Andrew Stern, a junior, at halfback and Chaltry at fullback. Limited to only six starts last season due to injuries, Stern still managed to rush for a team-leading 535 yards and two touchdowns while catching 24 passes for 206 yards. Stern rushed for 142 yards against Upper Iowa University and 125 against UW-Stout a year ago. In 2002, Stern led the Titans in rushing with 452 yards. Chaltry, primarily a blocking back, rushed for 213 yards and two touchdowns last season while adding eight pass receptions for 170 yards and two scores. Looking to carry the football more this fall are sophomore halfbacks Chris Kirch and Andy Moriarty. Kirch rushed for 368 yards and three touchdowns last season, while Moriarty added 179 yards and two scores.

Due to several departures, UW-Oshkosh's receiving corps will have a new look as only returning starter Chad LaLuzerne, a sophomore, has experience. Last year, LaLuzerne made the most of his six starting assignments by catching 24 passes for 355 yards. LaLuzerne ranked second on the 2003 team in pass receiving yardage and third in pass receptions. Expected to compete for the other starting wideout position are senior Jeff Koepsell and sophomore Tom Roszak. UW-Oshkosh will also feature a new starting tight end due to the loss of Lindsley and backup Bob Docherty, the Titans' top-two pass receivers of a year ago.

With the return of all five starters, UW-Oshkosh's offensive line has the potential to be the most productive interior unit the Titans have had in several years. In addition to Hughes' 20 career starts at left guard and Turkow's 18 at left tackle, the Titans also welcome back junior Mike Basch's 17 career starts at right guard, sophomore Shawn Dahlke's 10 at right tackle and sophomore Joe Schmitz's 10 at center. Adding depth to the offensive line are sophomore guards Pete Caruso and Joe Zander.

UW-Oshkosh's defense returns eight of last year's 11 starters, with the only departures being defensive end Jason Boehlke and cornerbacks Noah Paquin and Jon Thomas. The Titans yielded an average of 23.5 points and 336 yards per game last season, with the latter medium ranking second in the WIAC. UW-Oshkosh held four opponents under 14 points last year and five competitors under 315 offensive yards.

The Titans' top defensive area may be the line, where Drexel and 2003 starters Mike Arendt, a junior tackle, and Ryan Neff, a sophomore end, return. In addition to Drexel's 28 career starts, Arendt has gained the starting nod 11 times and Neff eight. The group also welcomes back junior tackles Rob Fett and Jason Hartwig, players who combined to start six games a year ago.

Drexel has been a pillar in the Titans' defensive front most of his career, totaling 113 tackles, 21 tackles for a loss and nine quarterback sacks. Last year, he compiled 43 tackles, including 10 for a loss and five quarterback sacks. Neff had 39 tackles, including 13 for a loss, while Fett registered 22 tackles, Arendt 19 tackles and Hartwig seven.

UW-Oshkosh should also be extremely strong at linebacker, where 2003 starters Korth, Mulqueen and junior Jacob Malzahn return. Korth led the Titans with 88 tackles a year ago, including nine for a loss. In 2002, Korth ranked second on the team with 68 tackles, including 11 for a loss. Mulqueen listed third on the team with 67 tackles last year, including 18 for a loss and four quarterback sacks. He totaled 46 tackles for the Titans in 2001. Malzahn has made 10 career starts for UW-Oshkosh, including eight last year when he recorded 38 tackles, including eight for a loss.

Seeking more playing time at the linebacker position are juniors Joe Gabriel, Shane Schutz, who made two starts for the Titans in 2003, Craig Stenbroten and Adam Story and sophomore Dustin Stumpf. Last fall, Schutz totaled 21 tackles, while Gabriel and Stenbroten had seven each.

The Titans' defensive secondary also has extensive experience with the return of senior Ryan Slowik, junior Nick Kilton and sophomores Jason Manikowski and Ryan Radtke. Manikowski started all 10 games for the Titans last fall, while Slowik started six and Kilton five. Kilton also started nine contests and Slowik two in the defensive backfield in 2002.

Manikowski tallied 67 tackles last season to rank third on the team with Mulqueen. He also had two forced fumbles, one tackle for a loss and one pass interception. Kilton counted 46 tackles, including three for a loss, last year, while Slowik totaled 32 tackles, including four for a loss, and one pass interception. Radtke had 11 tackles and one pass interception a year ago. In 2002, Kilton had 37 tackles, including three for a loss, and two pass interceptions, while Slowik had 30 tackles. Slowik's father, Bob, is the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers.

UW-Oshkosh welcomes back half of its kicking game this season with the return of Roszak as its punter. Last year, Roszak averaged 36.2 yards per boot and placed 15 punts inside the 20-yard line. Due to the loss of Kinateder, who kicked eight field goals and scored a team-leading 49 points, the Titans' place-kicking duties will likely fall on the foot of Patek.