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Titans, Pointers Renew WIAC's Longest Rivalry

Titans, Pointers Renew WIAC's Longest Rivalry

Recap Box Score

UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stevens Point attempt to remain in the race for the WIAC championship when they renew the league's longest football rivalry on Saturday (Oct. 15) in Stevens Point. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Community Stadium at Goerke Park.

Saturday's meeting is the 115th in a series that began in 1896. UW-Stevens Point owns a 59-47-8 record against the Titans, but UW-Oshkosh has won its last five games against the Pointers by a combined 157-92 score, including a 21-10 decision last season in Oshkosh.

UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stevens Point enter the game with matching 4-1 records and 1-1 marks in the WIAC after suffering defeats to highly ranked league opponents last Saturday (Oct. 8).

UW-Oshkosh, ranked fifth in the NCAA Division III by D3football.com, fell by a 17-14 count at second-ranked UW-Whitewater in front of the largest crowd (17,535) in Division III history. UW-Stevens Point suffered a 47-31 setback at home to seventh-ranked UW-Platteville.

UW-Whitewater scored a touchdown with 55 seconds remaining to stun the defending WIAC champion Titans while UW-Platteville held on to defeat the Pointers after building a 28-7 advantage at halftime.

UW-Oshkosh, which is outscoring opponents by a combined 172-3 during the first half this season, never trailed during its first four games of the year, cruising to wins by scores of 33-14 over then-No. 18 John Carroll University (Ohio), 68-7 over Finlandia University (Mich.), 77-0 over Morthland College (Ill.) and 45-17 over UW-Stout.

UW-Stevens Point also romped through its first four contests by scores of 37-14 over St. Norbert College, 50-13 over Albion College (Mich.), 44-19 over Adrian College (Mich.) and 28-19 over UW-Eau Claire.

UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville (4-1, 1-1 WIAC) and UW-Stevens Point are all one game behind conference co-leaders UW-Whitewater and UW-La Crosse (both 5-0, 2-0 WIAC) with five league contests remaining.

UW-Oshkosh ranks seventh in the country by averaging 47.4 points per game and lists eighth nationally by allowing 11 points per contest. UW-Stevens Point averages 38 points per game while ceding 22.4 points per contest.

The Titans, who have won 28 of their last 32 WIAC games, rank seventh in the nation by yielding 220.4 yards per contest and by allowing 3.40 tackles for loss per game while listing ninth with 287 rushing yards per game.

UW-Oshkosh, which has 39 plays of at least 20 yards this season, also leads the WIAC with 500.2 total yards per game, 66.6 rushing yards allowed per contest, 15.68 yards per completion, a 162.26 passing efficiency and a 36.17 net punting average.

The Pointers, who own a 31-27 WIAC record since 2008, rank among the national top 10 in both kickoff (third with 30.81 yards) and punt (10th with 19.27 yards) return averages.

UW-Oshkosh's Brett Kasper, the reigning WIAC Offensive Player of the Year, has completed 56 of 91 passes for 837 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. He leads the WIAC in passing efficiency (159.8), yards per completion (14.95) and yards per attempt (9.20).

The Titans' league-leading rushing attack, averaging 7.9 yards per carry, is spearheaded by Devon Linzenmeyer and Dylan Hecker. Linzenmeyer paces the team with 37 carries for 391 yards and six touchdowns while Hecker follows closely with 34 rushes for 286 yards and five scores.

Dom Todarello, Mitch Gerhartz and Beau Ash give UW-Oshkosh five players with more than 100 rushing yards as Todarello has 117 yards on 11 carries, Gerhartz 115 yards and one touchdown on 22 rushes and Ash 111 yards on 13 totes.

Todarello leads the UW-Oshkosh receiving corps with 11 catches for 227 yards and four touchdowns while Sam Mentkowski has added 10 grabs for 184 yards and one score, CJ Blackburn nine receptions for 157 yards and one touchdown, Chad Redmer nine catches for 78 yards, and Linzenmeyer and Evan Thammahong with eight grabs and one score apiece.

Fifteen Titans have recorded at least 11 tackles, including Steve Forner with a team-best 22 stops. Forner also paces UW-Oshkosh with 16 solo tackles, six tackles for loss and two sacks.

UW-Oshkosh's Reese Dziedzic has contributed 21 tackles, AJ Plewa 18, Nick Amato 17, and 16 each from Cameron Brown, Johnny Eagan and Branden Lloyd.

Lloyd is one of five Titans with 1.5 of UW-Oshkosh's 13 sacks while six different players have notched interceptions and seven Titans have recovered fumbles. Cole Yoder has registered one interception and one fumble recovery for UW-Oshkosh.

UW-Oshkosh placekicker Eli Wettstein has converted 4 of 7 field goal attempts, including a long of 50 yards, and 27 of 29 extra point tries. Titans punter Turner Geisthardt is averaging 40.7 yards on his 12 punts, including a long of 62 yards and five boots inside the 20-yard line.

Todarello also leads UW-Oshkosh by averaging 18.8 yards on eight punt returns, including a school-record 87-yard return for a score, while Blackburn has a team-leading 19.7-yard average on six kickoff returns.

UW-Stevens Point is led offensively by quarterback Kyle Larson, who is listed as the starter after not appearing in the first two conference games. In the Pointers' three non-conference contests, Larson completed 47 of 76 passes for 647 yards with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. He threw five touchdown passes against both Albion and St. Norbert colleges.

The Pointers' ground game, averaging 136.4 yards per game and 3.7 yards per carry, is highlighted by Britton Vernon, Darin Ward and Christian Almonte. Vernon has 44 carries for 232 yards and two touchdowns, Ward 54 rushes for 191 yards and one score, and Almonte 33 carries for 156 yards and two touchdowns.

Jared Pankow, Logan Taylor and Almonte lead the UW-Stevens Point aerial attack. Pankow has 25 receptions for 430 yards and three touchdowns, Taylor 15 catches for 209 yards and one score, and Almonte 13 grabs for 166 yards and four touchdowns. Steve Herra and Ward have chipped in two receiving touchdowns apiece as eight different Pointers have accounted for the team's 15 scores through the air.

Almonte, who suffered an injury and will not play against UW-Oshkosh, was also a threat in the return game, ranking fourth nationally by averaging 35.6 yards on kickoff returns and fifth in the country with a 20.1-yard average on punt returns.

The UW-Stevens Point defense is led by the 39 tackles from Juleyan Givens, 35 stops from both Brad Birkhauser and Kevin Sanchez, and 32 tackles from John Kontowicz.

Kontowicz has a team-leading 8.5 tackles for loss and six sacks while Levi Singler has added five of the Pointers' 15 sacks.

AJ Harris has collected three of UW-Stevens Point's nine interceptions, and Sanchez ranks seventh in the country with two of the Pointers' four fumble recoveries.

UW-Stevens Point placekicker Kyle Hendzel has connected on 4 of 6 field goal attempts, including a long of 36 yards, and 21 of 24 extra point attempts while Pointers punter Alex Malueg is averaging 37.7 yards on his 31 punts, including a long of 57 yards and eight boots inside the 20-yard line.

UW-Oshkosh is seeking its second-longest winning streak in the series with UW-Stevens Point. The Titans won six straight games over the Pointers from 1902-05 and 10 in a row from 1967-76. UW-Stevens Point owns the longest winning streak in the series with 12 consecutive victories from 1988-99.