Titans Tussle With Blue Devils In Season Finale

UW-Oshkosh aims for a 5-5 season record and its fifth consecutive win over UW-Stout when the Titans host the Blue Devils on Saturday (Nov. 14). Kickoff for the last game of the year is set for 2 p.m. at Titan Stadium.

In last season's meeting between these two squads, UW-Oshkosh used a late interception and fourth-and-one stop to pull out a 9-7 victory. Including that contest, the Titans' last five WIAC wins have come by a combined 11 points. UW-Stout (7-2/4-2 WIAC) enters this matchup with its best team since 2000. The Blue Devils are looking to win in Oshkosh for just the second time in the past 20 years, with the Titans owning a 30-21-1 edge in the all-time series.

UW-Stout comes in riding a three-game winning streak, including last Saturday's 43-10 triumph over UW-Platteville. Two interceptions returned for touchdowns and a blocked punt helped the Blue Devils to a 26-point halftime lead. After opening 2009 with four consecutive wins, UW-Stout dropped back-to-back games against UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater.

Craig Warminski is the focus of UW-Stout's rushing attack, which averages more than 220 yards per game. He has eight touchdowns on the ground and needs 64 more yards to crack 1,000 for the year. The passing game is directed by Ross Carey, who has nine touchdowns and an average of 125 yards per contest. Patrick Mengelkoch tops all Blue Devil receivers with 27 catches, 287 yards and three scores.

After taking on UW-Whitewater's conference-leading defense last week, the Titans (4-5/2-4 WIAC) have another challenge with UW-Stout's second-rated unit. The Blue Devils surrender 281 yards per game, led by Marcus Ball, Adam Churchill and Trevor Fiege. Ball tops the WIAC with 7.5 sacks, while Churchill owns four interceptions and Fiege 50 tackles.

UW-Oshkosh's defensive unit owns a pair of experienced playmakers. James Taraboi (Sr. • Grafton) will conclude a stellar season that has seen him rack up 130 tackles to rank first in the NCAA Division III. In the secondary, Nate Heard (Jr. • Milwaukee) has picked off four passes while topping the league with 1.5 passes defended per game. The Titans have posted 21 takeaways and lead the conference with a +8 turnover margin.

Despite struggling in last week's 40-7 loss to the second-ranked Warhawks, UW-Oshkosh's offense averages nearly 400 yards per contest. Three Titans have at least 375 yards rushing, with Jeremy Roach (Jr. • Deerfield) owning 506, Charlie Weissman (So. • Colgate) totaling 474 and Nate Wara (Fr. • Oshkosh) scampering for 376. Wara has completed 65 percent of his passes on the year for 1,453 yards and nine touchdowns. In the receiving department, five Titans have grabbed 20 or more receptions, including 345 yards and four touchdowns by Jamie Braasch (Fr. • Oshkosh).