Defending National Champions Ruin Titans' Homecoming
Jeff Donovan threw for all 315 of his yards in the first half as second-ranked UW-Whitewater defeated the UW-Oshkosh football team, 44-3, on Saturday (Oct. 18) at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.
Donovan connected on 16-of-22 passes in the first two quarters as he led the Warhawks (6-0/4-0 WIAC) to a 27-3 advantage at halftime. His favorite target on the day was Aaron Rusch, who reeled in eight catches for 168 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
The Titans (3-2/1-2 WIAC) were only able to muster 113 yards of offense, while UW-Whitewater amassed a total of 549. The Warhawks scored points on each of their first six possessions en route to a 34-3 lead. On their first trip down the field, Rusch recorded three catches for 40 yards as UW-Whitewater went 57 yards on 10 plays. Jeff Schebler tallied the game's first points on a 34-yard field goal to make it 3-0.
The Warhawks' defense forced a second punt by UW-Oshkosh, starting a drive at their own 15-yard line. The seven-play stanza included 32-yard, five-yard and 26-yard grabs from Rusch, with the final reception getting him into the end zone for a 10-0 UW-Whitewater lead with 1:52 remaining in the opening quarter.
Levell Coppage carried the ball six times when the Warhawks got the ball back in the second period. After a 20-yard hookup from Donovan to Jordan Wells, Coppage ran the ball in for a four-yard score. The touchdown put UW-Whitewater up 17-0 with 10 minutes to play in the half.
UW-Oshkosh did manage a 20-yard pass play to Charlie Weissman (Fr. • Colgate) on the next possession, but it still came up short of a first down. The Warhawks then broke out on their third play with a 54-yard touchdown pass from Donovan to Rusch.
A 41-yard kickoff return by Jeremy Roach (So. • Deerfield) put the Titans in position for their lone score of the contest. Weissman accounted for a 12-yard catch before UW-Oshkosh threw three straight incomple passes. James Taraboi (Jr. • Grafton) was able to drill a 36-yard field goal with 5:25 left in the half to cut the deficit to 24-3.
Donovan hit a pair of big pass plays to get UW-Whitewater on the scoreboard once more before the intermission. He found Wells for 38 yards and Matt Gifford for a gain of 34 to reach the red zone. With 20 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Schebler made an 18-yard field goal for a 27-3 advantage.
UW-Whitewater wasted no time in the third period, taking back the opening kickoff 41 yards into Titan territory. On the first offensive play, Coppage sprinted free from the defense and went to the house for a 44-yard touchdown run. The score showed a 34-3 reading just 18 seconds into the second half.
The Titans defense came to life in the third quarter, forcing a punt and intercepting Donovan on the Warhawks' second drive. UW-Whitewater took over deep in UW-Oshkosh territory following a punt, but Jack Breese (Fr. • Kewaskum) picked off the pass at the Titans' seven-yard line to prevent a score.
Antwan Anderson received handoffs on all six of the Warhawks' plays when they got the ball back. He totaled 26 yards to set up Schebler, who knocked through a 31-yard field goal as time expired in the third quarter to make it 37-3. Anderson also tacked on a 40-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring.
UW-Whitewater celebrated the 100th meeting between the two teams by totaling 22 first downs, compared to UW-Oshkosh's figure of seven. Coppage finished with 103 yards on 20 attempts, while Anderson compiled 80 yards on 11 carries. Wells was second on the Warhawks with four catches for 82 yards.
Craig McClelland (So. • Union Grove) completed six of his 12 passes for 47 yards while Dieter Juedes (Sr. • Sheboygan Falls) did not connect on any of his four throws. The Titans' leading rusher was Roach, who carried nine times for 32 yards. Steve Levonowich (Jr. • Kenosha) chipped in 26 yards on nine attempts. Weissman amassed 32 yards receiving, to go along with 13 yards on two catches by Juston Wara (So • Oshkosh).
The Warhawks went 9-of-17 on third down conversions, leading to a 34:37 time of possession total. UW-Oshkosh succeeded on just one of its 11 third down opportunities while getting sacked three times.
Chris Lins (Jr. • Madison) topped all defensive players with nine tackles in the contest. Other leaders for the Titans were Jon DeVillers (Sr. • Menomonee Falls) with eight stops and Taraboi with seven takedowns. The Warhawks, who posted their 25th straight WIAC victory, got six tackles and one quarterback sack from Kyle Supianoski.