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Titans, Pointers Renew WIAC's Oldest Football Rivalry

Titans, Pointers Renew WIAC's Oldest Football Rivalry

Recap Box Score

The UW-Oshkosh football team plays its second straight nationally ranked opponent on the road when it travels to No. 20 UW-Stevens Point on Saturday (Nov. 1). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Community Stadium at Goerke Park.

The winner between the Titans (3-4, 3-1 WIAC) and Pointers (6-1, 3-1 WIAC) will be tied for second place in the league standings. The WIAC co-leaders, No. 1 UW-Whitewater (7-0, 4-0 WIAC) and No. 16 UW-Platteville (6-1, 4-0 WIAC), play Saturday in Platteville.

UW-Oshkosh has defeated UW-Stevens Point in three straight high-scoring affairs, winning 35-20 last season, 56-31 in 2012 and 38-24 in 2011. The Pointers hold a 61-43-8 advantage in the all-time series.

Last Saturday (Oct. 25), the Titans fell behind, 14-0, in the first quarter at defending NCAA Division III and WIAC champion UW-Whitewater and had their three-game winning streak snapped in a 27-7 loss.

UW-Oshkosh battled the top-ranked team in the NCAA Division III to a 7-7 stalemate in the second half and outgained the Warhawks, 195-85, in the last two quarters. UW-Whitewater went into the game leading the country with 45.7 rushing yards allowed per game, but the Titans racked up 164 yards on the ground.

The Titans began their WIAC schedule with a 3-0 record for the fourth consecutive season. UW-Oshkosh defeated UW-Stout, 32-7, before adding a 21-18 win over UW-La Crosse and a 37-7 homecoming victory over UW-River Falls.

UW-Oshkosh opened the season with losses to programs outside the NCAA Division III, falling 27-19 to NAIA Robert Morris University (Ill.), 24-20 to NAIA Marian University (Ind.) and 41-3 to NCAA Division I South Dakota State University.

UW-Oshkosh, which has won 17 of its last 20 WIAC contests, has been one of the most disciplined teams in the nation this season, ranking eighth in the NCAA Division III with 36.14 penalty yards and 11th with 4.43 penalties per game.

The UW-Oshkosh offense averages 19.9 points and 292.4 yards per game, including 132.4 rushing.

Dylan Hecker ranks second in the WIAC with 70 rushing yards per game and third with seven touchdowns. Tyler Parker had a career-high 91 yards on the ground against UW-Whitewater and owns 216 on the year.

Brett Kasper has completed 64-of-93 passes for 603 yards and three touchdowns.

Joe Sommers has caught 28 passes for a team-leading 416 yards, while Sam Mentkowski totals 28 receptions for 213 yards and one touchdown.

The UW-Oshkosh defense allows 21.1 points and 334.3 yards per game. The Titans have registered 18 sacks and allowed 190.4 passing yards per game.

Reese Dziedzic, who recorded a career-best 13 tackles against UW-Whitewater, leads UW-Oshkosh with 55 tackles. He is followed by Beau Steffens's 49, Branden Lloyd's 36, Cody Huemmer's 34 and Brandon Jackson's 32.

Huemmer leads the Titans with seven tackles for loss and four sacks. John Eagan and Kevin MacCudden have a team-high three interceptions apiece. MacCudden's interception last Saturday snapped UW-Whitewater quarterback Matt Behrendt's streak of 388 consecutive passes without an interception.

On special teams, Nate Ray's 44.3 punting average ranks second in the nation while his eight field goals are tied for the WIAC lead with UW-Stevens Point's Jesse Valverde.

UW-Stevens Point, which goes into the game ranked sixth in the country with a +13 turnover margin, defeated all three of its non-conference opponents, winning 42-31 over Albion College (Mich.), 37-21 over Coe College (Iowa) and 34-27 over North Central College (Ill.).

The Pointers, who rank eighth in the WIAC with 49 penalties for 453 yards, opened conference play with a 17-14 victory over UW-River Falls and a 30-3 win over UW-Eau Claire before falling, 31-13, to UW-Platteville.

Last Saturday, UW-Stevens Point trailed visiting UW-La Crosse, 17-10, at halftime. But the Pointers held the Eagles to just 47 yards in the second half and went on to a 24-17 victory. The Pointers have won all four home games this season and seven of their last eight at Community Stadium.

The UW-Stevens Point offense averages 28.1 points and 342.6 yards per game, including 225.4 through the air. The Pointers have allowed a conference-high 22 sacks.

UW-Stevens Point's Kyle Larson ranks second in the WIAC with 219.3 passing yards per game and has completed 128-of-227 passes for 1,535 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Larson's top target is Matt Sosinsky, who ranks second in the conference with 47 catches and 640 yards. He has a team-high five touchdown catches.

DeJuan Wright paces the Pointer ground game with 89 carries for 401 yards and four scores. Jake Menzel has 64 rushes for 212 yards and three touchdowns, while Christian Almonte has added 204 yards and three touchdowns.

The Pointer defense leads the nation with 16 interceptions, ranks second with 25 turnovers and 13th with 3.43 sacks per game. UW-Stevens Point has allowed 20.6 points and 357.9 yards per contest, including 225.4 passing.

UW-Stevens Point's Aaron Karlen leads the country with 0.83 fumble recoveries per game, while ranking second with 1.42 sacks and 19th with two tackles for loss per game.

Zach Vallafskey paces the Pointers with 61 tackles, followed by 50 apiece from Jake Luedke and John Kontowicz. Bo Seibel has 45 tackles, including 11 for loss and 4.5 sacks. Deion Jones ranks eighth in the nation with five interceptions.

At 113 all-time meetings, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stevens Point is the oldest rivalry in the WIAC. The teams first played in 1896. The Titans are seeking to win consecutive games in Stevens Point for the first time since 1978 and 1980.