Titans Defeat Blue Devils With Late Score

After watching opponents storm back on them week after week this season, the Blue Devils engineered one of their own comebacks on Saturday, scoring 21 unanswered points on UW-Oshkosh to erase a 17-point Titan lead.

But running back Tyler Jandrin's 1-yard plunge regained the lead for the Titans and made the score 23-21 with 13 seconds remaining, where it would stay in yet another home heartbreaker for Stout at Williams Stadium.

"After losing two games in the way we did the last two weeks, it shows the character of our kids to be able to come back from 17 points like that," Stout coach Todd Strop said. "We've still got to find a way to win at the end of the game."

Stout (2-3, 0-2 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) had its chances as two of UW-Oshkosh's fourth quarter drives ended in turnovers. Blue Devils free safety Rob Weinstein saved a touchdown when he forced Andy Heiman to fumble after a long reception and recovered at the Stout 6-yard line.

UW-Oshkosh (3-2, 1-1) was threatening two drives later from the Stout 24 when linebacker Stephen Schils recovered an Andy Moriarty fumble with 1 minute, 53 seconds remaining.

But instead of pounding the ball down the middle and putting the game on ice, Stout attempted a reverse to Antawan Walker on second down that was disrupted. Quarterback Tanner Kattre never was able to get the ball cleanly to Walker, and the fumble gave UW-Oshkosh its best field position of the afternoon inside the Stout red zone.

The Titans converted a third down, and a defensive holding call on third-and-goal from the 3 gave them a new set of downs at the 1.

They only needed one.

"I think we gave Stout a couple gifts," UW-Oshkosh coach Phil Meyer said of his team's three turnovers. "But we got the gift at the end and our guys punched it in. That was our challenge, to come up here and win because we haven't won here in a long time."

Quarterback Kyle Opahle made the start for the Blue Devils, though Kattre was said to have earned the spot after Stout's nonconference schedule.

Strop said Opahle was chosen this week for his arm, and the junior found Jesse Wendt for 38 yards in the first half.

But he left the game in the second quarter and spent the second half sidelined on crutches with a brace on his right leg.

"We talked about a quarterback change (last) Sunday, and we felt coming in that we had to take deep shots at this team," Strop said. "Kyle we felt gave us the best chance to do that."

Kattre made the most of the second chance, passing efficiently for 130 yards and a score. And his tendency to run helped Stout this week as the coach staff called numerous draws for Kattre, who racked up 81 yards and a TD on the ground.

"It's hard to feel good about (my game) right now," Kattre said. "When I got my chance, I came to play hard. I was looking forward to that opportunity to make sure they didn't have any more doubts in their minds about who to play."

The Blue Devils had a tough time stopping Moriarty, who finished with 158 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Stout managed to keep Joe Patek relatively under wraps, holding the 6-foot-6 quarterback to 136 passing yards and an interception, Weinstein's fourth in five games.