Titans Erupt In Second Quarter To Pull Away From Hawks

Jamie Braasch's (Fr. • Oshkosh) 67-yard touchdown reception ignited a string of 24 unanswered points as the UW-Oshkosh football team rolled to a 31-13 win over Huntingdon College (Ala.) on Saturday (Sept. 19) at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.

Tied 7-7 late in the second quarter, UW-Oshkosh (2-0) opened a drive with two Tyler Wegner (So. • Oshkosh) pass completions. Wegner avoided the pass rush and fired a strike to Braasch on 3rd-and-10, with Braasch sprinting the final 25 yards to take the lead. The Titans stayed on top for the remaining 35:29 of the contest.

Despite 1,021 total yards of offense, the game's momentum shifted on a defensive play. The Hawks' (2-1) Justin Ridgeway was intercepted on their next possession. Charlie Stueck (So. • Clintonville) grabbed the deflected pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown with 4:55 to play in the first half.

UW-Oshkosh's defense forced a punt to get another chance before intermission. The Titans then used first-down runs by Nate Wara (Fr. • Oshkosh), Duane Hartkopf (So. • Crivitz) and Jeremy Roach (Jr. • Deerfield) to reach the red zone. With six seconds remaining in the second quarter, Nate Wara connected with Juston Wara (Jr. • Oshkosh) in the corner of the end zone for a 28-7 lead.

Huntingdon College moved down the field on its opening drive before turning the ball over. Ridgeway found three different pass receivers for gains of 13-plus yards before extending the possession with a third-down penalty. He tried to put the Hawks on the scoreboard with his feet, but Ridgeway fumbled the ball to the Titans' Jake Schnetzer (Sr. • Menasha) at the one-yard line.

Nate Wara highlighted a 99-yard march by hitting Matt Haass (Jr. • Brownsville) for a 66-yard pickup. The eight-play drive concluded with a 15-yard run by Nate Wara to give the Titans a 7-0 advantage midway through the opening period.

The two teams traded punts before the Hawks tied the game early in the second quarter. Ridgeway carried on three consecutive plays for a total of 17 yards to set up his five-yard touchdown pass. Willie McDowell made a one-handed reception in the end zone to equal the score at 7-7 with 14:49 to play before halftime.

UW-Oshkosh had three different players complete a pass during its ensuing 71-yard drive. Juston Wara found Nate Wara on a flea-flicker for 21 yards before Haass lofted a 21-yard toss to Juston Wara for a successful fake field goal. The Hawks prevented another score when Chas Worthy intercepted Wegner inside the five-yard line.

Craig McClelland (Jr. • Union Grove) tallied a 28-yard run and a 14-yard catch on back-to-back plays in the third quarter. That drive ended with a missed 38-yard field goal from Andy Lindsay (So. • Howard). Lindsay redeemed himself later in the period with a 35-yard connection to put the Titans up, 31-7.

Ridgeway ran for a gain of 23 as the Hawks marked the game's final points. With 8:44 on the clock, he found Brian Watts for a six-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was blocked to keep the score 31-13.

An interception by James Taraboi (Sr. • Grafton) deep in UW-Oshkosh territory preserved the margin during the final six minutes. Taraboi had an impressive day, totaling nine tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Jacob Juedes (So. • Sheboygan Falls) contributed nine tackles as well.

Ridgeway finished 24-of-46 for 298 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Hawks' total of 467 offensive yards included 66 rushing from Alex Baronich on 14 attempts and 57 by Ridegeway on 16 carries. Watts topped all Huntingdon receivers with 89 yards on seven grabs. Keith Anthony recorded 13 stops on the defensive side as the Hawks surrendered 554 yards to the Titans.

Haass posted a 100-yard receiving game on three catches, to go along with Juston Wara's three receptions and 29 yards. UW-Oshkosh got 117 yards on 10-of-17 throwing by Nate Wara and 152 yards on 6-of-10 passes from Wegner. Charlie Weissman (So. • Colgate) rushed for 83 yards and Nate Wara 61, with each carrying 14 times. The Titans racked up 243 yards on the ground to help convert 6-of-15 third downs.

Huntingdon College was able to achieve a 31-23 advantage in first downs as it was successful on nine of its 16 third-down opportunities. The Hawks couldn't overcome their five turnovers and 10 penalties for a total of 80 yards. UW-Oshkosh had nine infractions of its own as it opened the season 2-0 for the third straight year.