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Football

Pioneers Handcuff Titans In Home Finale

Box Score

Joe Burkeland completed his first 13 passes while his defensive teammates pitched their second consecutive shutout as the UW-Platteville football team topped UW-Oshkosh, 28-0, on Saturday (Nov. 8) at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.

The Pioneers (4-5/2-4 WIAC) went on three touchdown drives of at least 52 yards in the third quarter to seal the victory. Burkeland finished the contest 14-of-16 for 187 yards and two touchdowns. His leading receiver was Nick Grosso, who pulled in six passes for 76 yards and a score.

UW-Platteville's defense recorded five sacks for a loss of 61 yards in shutting out the Titans (3-5/1-5 WIAC). The Pioneers' achievement appeared to be in jeopardy late in the fourth quarter after UW-Oshkosh's Charlie Weissman (Fr. • Colgate) returned a punt 65 yards into the red zone. Three straight running plays were shut down before UW-Platteville sacked Dieter Juedes (Sr. • Sheboygan Falls) on fourth down. Tim Stephenson, who tallied 3.5 sacks on the day, took down the quarterback to preserve the shutout.

UW-Oshkosh received the opening kickoff, but it did not retain possession for long. On the second play from scrimmage, the Titans fumbled the snap and UW-Platteville's Randy Langer recovered inside the 20-yard line. Mike Genslinger ran on the next three plays for 19 yards, with his final carry registering a one-yard touchdown. The Pioneers led 7-0 just 1:38 into the contest.

The Titans' four first-quarter drives resulted in a fumble, a deflected punt, a punt and an interception. Jeremy Roach (So. • Deerfield) finally got the offense going with a 47-yard run to the Pioneers' 22-yard line. UW-Oshkosh was forced to punt again, however, after Craig McClelland (So. • Union Grove) was sacked twice for losses of 11 and 14 yards.

Roach added a 21-yard pass reception later in the second quarter to enter UW-Platteville territory. Following a holding penalty, the Titans lost the football on an option play for their third turnover of the half. UW-Platteville moved down the field just before halftime, but Tony Smidl's 40-yard field goal try came up short to keep the score at 7-0.

Coming out of intermission, Terry Belville returned the opening kickoff to the UW-Platteville 48-yard line. Burkeland hit Grosso for gains of eight and 26 yards before the Pioneers turned to the running game. On third down at the Titans' eight-yard line, Burkeland took it himself for the rushing touchdown. UW-Platteville tacked on the extra point for a 14-0 advantage with 11:57 to play in the third quarter.

UW-Oshkosh forced and recovered a Pioneers' fumble on their next possession, but wasn't able to score. Burkeland took over after a Titans' punt and connected with Jake Wiederholt for a gain of 22 yards. Then, on third down once again, he found Grosso along the sideline for a 33-yard touchdown that put UW-Platteville up, 21-0.

Aunton Terry pulled in a 37-yard reception on UW-Platteville's next drive as Burkeland remained perfect. His first incomplete pass of the contest came with one minute to play in the third quarter. After his second straight throw hit the ground, Burkeland hooked up with Tyson Droessler for a 14-yard touchdown. That score made it 28-0 with 1:11 remaining on the third-quarter clock.

Roach accounted for 124 of UW-Oshkosh's 140 offensive yards in the game. He ran 14 times for 70 yards while grabbing four passes for 54 yards. Juston Wara (So. • Oshkosh) also recorded four catches for 51 yards. Juedes closed out the day with 8-of-14 passing for 76 yards and one interception. The Titans totaled eight first downs while converting 4-of-13 third down opportunities.

UW-Platteville was led in rushing by Mike Genslinger, who carried 24 times for 85 yards and one touchdown. Burkeland also ran for 37 yards and a score on 14 carries for the Pioneers, who gained 332 yards of offense with 17 first downs. UW-Platteville was successful on six of its 15 third down attempts.

James Taraboi (Jr. • Grafton) led all defensive players with nine tackles in the game, while Kyle Radke (Sr. • Oshkosh) added seven stops and one sack. Joe Tinucci had 5.5 tackles to lead UW-Platteville, which recorded back-to-back shutouts in league play for the first time since 1950. The Pioneers also won their second straight WIAC contest, a feat they last accomplished in 2001.