Titans Rise Above Blue Devils In Low-Scoring Affair
The UW-Oshkosh football team rode its strong defense and special teams in the fourth quarter to hold off UW-Stout, 9-7, on Saturday (Oct. 11) in Menomonie.
Leading by two with 6:32 to play, the Titans (3-1/1-1 WIAC) stuffed quarterback Kyle Provos on fourth-and-one at the UW-Oshkosh 44-yard line. When the Titans were forced to punt on the next possession, Kyle Calhoun (Fr. • Waukesha) downed the kick at the Blue Devils' five-yard line.
UW-Oshkosh's defense forced a three-and-out, getting the ball back near midfield. Neither team was able to move the ball, forcing Calhoun to punt once again. This time, he pinned UW-Stout at its own three-yard line with 2:18 on the clock.
The Blue Devils (3-2/1-1 WIAC) looked to be on their way to a game-winning drive, marching into Titans' territory on 11 plays. On 3rd-and-10 from the UW-Oshkosh 33, Provos fired a pass in the contest's final minute. Nate Heard (So. • Milwaukee) intercepted the throw to clinch the Titans' first conference victory of the year.
Juston Wara's (So. • Oshkosh) 28-yard reception was the lone offensive highlight of the opening quarter, as the game's first three possessions resulted in punts. The Titans then embarked on their longest drive of the season, covering more than nine minutes on 16 plays for 69 yards. Steve Levonowich (Jr. • Kenosha) headed the ground game, running for gains of eight and seven yards while catching a pass for nine. Matt Haass (So. • Brownsville) reeled in three passes, including a 14-yard grab on third down to keep UW-Oshkosh moving down the field. The drive stalled deep in UW-Stout territory at the 7:23 mark of the second quarter, when James Taraboi (Jr. • Grafton) connected on a 28-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
UW-Stout totaled 100 yards in the first half, with 75 coming off the arm of Provos. He hit Eric Cieslak for gains of 11 and 22 yards during second quarter drives. Provos added a 12-yard run in the first half, which ended with a missed 48-yard field goal attempt by the Blue Devils' Kyle Martin. UW-Oshkosh held a 3-0 advantage at intermission on the strength of 99 yards passing from Craig McClelland (So. • Union Grove).
The Titans got a 24-yard reception from Paul Coburn (So. • Sussex) before punting on the first drive of the second half. On UW-Stout's opening play, Luke Bingen (So. • Hartford) forced a fumble, which was recovered by Kevin Bahl (Jr. • Muskego) at the Blue Devils' 23-yard line. Levonowich rushed for gains of seven and 11 yards to put UW-Oshkosh in scoring position. But on fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line, the Titans passed incomplete to turn the ball over.
A pair of special teams plays made an impact late in the third period. After UW-Stout moved down the field with an 18-yard catch by John Sherman, Patrick Mengelkoch snared an 11-yard reception. Martin then attempted a 42-yard field goal and missed to keep UW-Oshkosh ahead.
The Titans' ensuing drive started with a sack before getting much worse. The Blue Devils' Justin Crooks blocked the punt, giving his team the ball at UW-Oshkosh's 31-yard line. Provos took advantage, finding Antawan Walker for an 18-yard touchdown pass. UW-Stout went up, 7-3, with 13:27 to play in the game.
The Titans' offense came right back, getting nine-yard runs from McClelland and Jeremy Roach (So. • Deerfield). Facing 3rd-and-13, McClelland hit Charlie Weissman (Fr. • Colgate) for a 37-yard gain and a huge first down. The 10-play, 63-yard drive ended with a one-yard touchdown plunge by McClelland to give UW-Oshkosh the lead with 8:50 remaining. The extra point try failed to keep the score at 9-7.
McClelland finished with 167 yards on 13-of-19 passing, while Levonowich paced the Titans with six catches for 42 yards. In the running game, Levonowich also carried the load with 22 carries for 71 yards. UW-Oshkosh held the ball for 35 minutes and 23 seconds, to go along with 5-of-15 conversions on third down.
The Titans outgained UW-Stout in total yards by a margin of 247-237 as the defense held the Blue Devils 21 points and 130 rushing yards below their season averages. Provos completed 17-of-31 passes for 161 yards, one touchdown and one interception while also rushing for 30 yards. UW-Stout's leading rusher was Trevor Fiege, who ran 12 times for 37 yards. Mengelkoch lead the squad with five catches for 39 yards while Dan Lytle pulled in three receptions. The Blue Devils went 5-of-13 on third-down conversions.
Bahl topped all defensive players in the contest with 11 tackles, including two for a loss. Eric Hebel (Jr. • Howard) recorded the Titans' lone sack, while UW-Stout's Cody Price and Justin Rindt each took down the quarterback once. The Blue Devils were led by Marcus Ball's figures of nine tackles, including three for a loss, and one sack. The game featured a total of 20 tackles for a loss.