Blugolds Send Titans To Their First Loss
Mitch Schaeuble saw his first action of the season at quarterback and made the most of it, leading UW-Eau Claire(4-1/1-1 WIAC) to a 21-20 victory over previously unbeaten UW-Oshkosh (3-1/0-1 WIAC) on Saturday (Sep. 29) at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.
Schaeuble, who is the Blugolds' punter, threw for 348 yards and two scores to lead UW-Eau Claire to the win in a wild game filled with numerous big plays.
Chris Hull caught both of the touchdowns, with one coming from 55 yards and the other on a 74-yard completion to provide the game's winning points. Coming into the game, Schaeuble had not thrown a pass on the season.
In between the long scores was a momentum-changing special teams play by the Blugolds. During the second quarter, UW-Eau Claire's Kyle Meulemans blocked a Lucas Raschke (Sr. • Cintonville) field goal attempt and Craig Polifka scooped up the ball and took it 80 yards for a touchdown.
The Titans had a strong showing offensively, gaining 505 yards. UW-Oshkosh gained 226 on the ground and 279 through the air. In contrast, UW-Eau Claire posted 395 yards, with 352 of those in the passing department.
UW-Oshkosh tailback Andy Moriarty (Sr. • Mequon) was impressive for his third straight game against UW-Eau Claire. The standout rushed 40 times for 225 yards. Moriarty now has 741 yards in his last three games when facing the Blugolds.
UW-Oshkosh took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter after Moriarty broke numerous tackles on his way to the endzone from 26 yards out. UW-Eau Claire responded with a passing score and the special teams touchdown to take a 14-10 advantage into halftime.
The Titans' comeback fell short in the final minutes when Dave Wicklund intercepted a tipped Joe Patek (Sr. • Cedarburg) pass. It was Patek's first interception of the season on his 115th pass attempt. Patek finished the day 26 of 38 for 279 yards and one touchdown.
Trailing 21-17 in the fourth with three minutes to play, the Titans opted for a 25-yard field goal from Raschke instead of going for the lead on the 10-yard line. Raschke scored eight points in the contest to move his career total to 225, a new UW-Oshkosh record.
UW-Oshkosh had success throwing the football downfield the entire game. Steve Stoltz (Sr. • Greendale) led the Titans with eight catches for 103 yards. Andy Heiman (Sr. • Clintonville) pulled in four passes for 45 yards.
Titans' tight end Kyle Kubasa (Sr. • West Allis) continued his solid season with seven receptions for 73 yards and a key touchdown. Patek found Kubasa over the middle for a 30-yard score to give the Titans a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter.
UW-Eau Claire went away from their game plan from the first four games by throwing 30 passes and running only 23 times. The Blugolds' top ground gainer was Cory Sartorelli with 37 yards on 11 carries. Schaeuble also ran six times for 26 yards.
Chris Hull finished with five grabs for 176 yards, including the two long touchdowns. UW-Eau Claire's second leading receiver was Tony Hull with seven catches for 89 yards.
UW-Oshkosh's defensive performance was a balanced effort with sacks recorded by Scott Salvinski (Sr. • Oshkosh), Mike Mayer (Sr. • Chilton), Eric Stenbroten (Sr. • Monticello), and David Consiglio (Sr. • Hubertus). Salvinski led the Titans with five tackles and forced a fumble, which was recovered by Josh Wara (Sr. • Oshkosh).
Dave Wicklund had an amazing game for the Blugolds in stopping the UW-Oshkosh offense. Wicklund posted 15 stops and sealed the contest with the game's lone interception. Zach Paul recorded 13 tackles and Sam Cummings notched 12 stops to close out the UW-Eau Claire attack.
UW-Oshkosh controlled the ball for 37 minutes and 36 seconds, compared to just 22 minutes and 24 seconds for the Blugolds. The game featured five missed field goals, including three by UW-Eau Claire's Craig Kolb.
UW-Oshkosh held UW-Eau Claire to 3-of-12 conversions on third down. Meanwhile, the Titans converted seven of their 16 opportunities.
UW-Oshkosh will try to start a new winning streak when they host UW-Stout next Saturday (Oct. 6) in its Homecoming Game.