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UW-Oshkosh intercepted six UW-River Falls passes, including this takeaway by Luke Guenther that was returned 43 yards for a touchdown.
UW-Oshkosh intercepted six UW-River Falls passes, including this takeaway by Luke Guenther that was returned 43 yards for a touchdown.

Titans Use Turnovers To Rout Falcons On Homecoming

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The UW-Oshkosh football team created eight turnovers and cruised to a 37-7 homecoming victory over UW-River Falls on Saturday (Oct. 18) at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.

The Titans, who improved to 3-0 in the WIAC for the fourth straight year, returned one interception for a touchdown and converted three other turnovers into touchdowns on the ensuing offensive play. The UW-Oshkosh defense also limited the Falcons to one third-down conversion in 12 attempts.

Leading 7-0, UW-Oshkosh's Kevin MacCudden returned an interception 49 yards to the UW-River Falls 14-yard line with 1:47 remaining in the first half. Craig Schommer scored a rushing touchdown of 14 yards on the next play.

Reese Dziedzic recovered a fumble 16 seconds later, and Brett Kasper's 27-yard touchdown pass to Sam Mentkowski on the next play gave UW-Oshkosh a 20-0 lead and 13 points off turnovers in the span of 24 seconds.

Leading 23-7, Mitch Schultz picked off a UW-River Falls pass at the Falcon 6-yard line with 5:58 left in the fourth quarter. Dylan Hecker scored his second rushing touchdown of the game on the ensuing play.

The next UW-River Falls play resulted in a UW-Oshkosh score as Luke Guenther returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown to give the Titans 14 points off turnovers in the span of 16 seconds.

Beau Steffens recorded two of the Titans' six interceptions. John Eagan had one interception and one of UW-Oshkosh's two fumble recoveries. Cody Huemmer tallied a game-high 13 tackles, while MacCudden counted seven and Dziedzic and Brandon Jackson six each.

UW-River Falls, which fell to 0-3 in WIAC play for the fifth time in six seasons, went into the game ranked 236th of 242 NCAA Division III teams with a minus-10 turnover margin. The Falcons are now minus-16.

UW-Oshkosh (3-3) outgained UW-River Falls, 307-298, including 186-91 on the ground.

Hecker had career highs with 20 carries for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Kasper completed 11-of-21 passes for 121 yards and one touchdown. Mentkowski had five catches for 69 yards and one score.

UW-River Falls, which lost its ninth straight game to the Titans, opened the game with a nine-play, 54-yard drive that ended in a fumble recovery by Eagan at the UW-Oshkosh 23-yard line. Following a punt by both teams, UW-Oshkosh took a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard run by Hecker with 3:58 remaining in the first quarter.

The Falcons closed within 20-7 with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Kusilek to Jake Ryan on the first play of the fourth quarter.

UW-Oshkosh extended its lead to 23-7 on Nate Ray's 39-yard field goal with 10:07 left in the fourth. The field goal was Ray's WIAC-leading eighth of the season.

Rance Ashley led UW-River Falls (1-5) with 13 rushes for 53 yards. Kusilek completed 25-of-42 passes for 207 yards with one touchdown and five interceptions. Backup quarterback Sawyer Moon had his only pass attempt returned for a touchdown. Jordan Christianson and Charles Dixon led the Falcons with a game-high seven receptions apiece.

Andy Lundgren and Zach Loos paced the UW-River Falls defense with seven and six tackles, respectively. Robbie Flom had five tackles and one interception. Geno DeMike added four tackles and one fumble recovery.

UW-Oshkosh has outscored its opponents, 101-26, in winning its last three homecoming games. The Titans last played their homecoming game against UW-River Falls in 1999.

UW-Oshkosh, which has won 17 of its last 19 WIAC contests, visits defending NCAA Division III and WIAC champion UW-Whitewater next Saturday (Oct. 25). The Warhawks have won their last 12 WIAC games.