Titans Return To Quarterfinal Round Of NCAA Championship
Dylan Hecker rushed for a career-high 198 yards and three touchdowns as UW-Oshkosh pulled away for a 31-14 victory over Saint John's University (Minn.) during the second round of the NCAA Division III Football Championship on Saturday (Nov. 26) at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.
UW-Oshkosh (11-1), ranked fourth in the country by D3football.com, will play at third-ranked University of St. Thomas (Minn.) next Saturday (Dec. 3) in the quarterfinal round of the national tournament. University of St. Thomas (12-0) won its second round contest, 55-6, at home over Coe College (Iowa) (11-1) on Saturday.
UW-Oshkosh, making its second straight and third overall NCAA postseason appearance, has reached the quarterfinal round for the second year in a row after advancing to the semifinals in 2012. The Titans have won seven of their nine NCAA postseason games.
Ninth-ranked Saint John's University (10-2), which won national championships in 1976 and 2003, concluded its third consecutive and 23rd overall appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Johnnies, who have the third-most victories in Division III Championship history, own a 37-21 record in NCAA postseason play.
The Titans, who never trailed the Johnnies, owned a 430-222 advantage in total yards against Saint John's University, including 332-166 rushing.
The Johnnies entered the contest ranked fourth in the country by allowing just 62.7 rushing yards per game while the Titans listed seventh nationally by averaging 278.3 yards on the ground. Saint John's University, which surrendered its most rushing yards in 20 games, had allowed a combined 372 yards on the ground during its previous seven contests.
Clinging to a 17-14 lead after three quarters, UW-Oshkosh linebacker Branden Lloyd stuffed Saint John's University running back Dusty Krueger for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-1 from the Titan 27-yard line on the first play of the fourth period. Two plays later, UW-Oshkosh's Devon Linzenmeyer took a pitch from quarterback Brett Kasper and raced 72 yards untouched down the sideline to give the Titans a 24-14 advantage.
Hecker, who averaged 9.4 yards on 21 carries, provided the final score with a 20-yard touchdown run with 2:32 remaining. Hecker's third touchdown was his team-leading 15th rushing score of the season and his program record-setting 43rd of his career.
UW-Oshkosh had six offensive plays of 20 yards or more while first-time opponent Saint John's University's longest play went for 17 yards. The Titans have compiled 77 plays of 20+ yards this season, including 26 on touchdowns.
UW-Oshkosh finished the contest with four rushing touchdowns while averaging 9 yards per carry on 37 rushes.
Linzenmeyer had seven carries for 72 yards and his 10th rushing score of the year, and Dom Todarello contributed four rushes for 54 yards. Linzenmeyer, whose 72-yard run was the longest against the Johnnies in 106 games, added three receptions for 18 yards.
Kasper completed 12 of 22 passes for 97 yards against a Saint John's University defense that ranked second nationally by yielding just 206.1 total yards per contest.
UW-Oshkosh's Sam Mentkowski registered three grabs for a team-best 22 yards.
Johnny Eagan paced UW-Oshkosh with a career-high 10 tackles. He also notched his team-leading fifth interception of the season.
Cameron Brown recorded eight tackles for the Titans, who also received seven stops from Reese Dziedzic and six each from Dallis Ramos-Deleon, Jake Thein and Cole Yoder, who also snagged his fourth interception of the year.
The teams combined for just 70 yards during the first quarter, which featured just four total first downs and a pair of punts from both teams.
UW-Oshkosh gained 36 yards on 12 plays during the game's opening possession, but Titans placekicker Eli Wettstein's 45-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Jack Pietruszewski after a drive that spanned nearly eight minutes.
The Johnnies' first drive of the second period stalled when Lloyd sacked Saint John's University backup quarterback Ben Alvord on fourth-and-10 from the UW-Oshkosh 34-yard line.
On the next Saint John's University possession, Eagan intercepted a pass by Johnnies starting quarterback Jackson Erdmann, and the Titans began the ensuing drive near midfield. Todarello rushed for 45 yards on the following play, and Hecker ran into the end zone on third-and-goal from the 2-yard line three plays later to give UW-Oshkosh a 7-0 lead with 7:48 remaining in the second period.
The Johnnies, who lost in the second round of the NCAA postseason for the third straight year, responded with an 11-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a 3-yard touchdown pass from Erdmann to Zack Sundly that knotted the score at 7 with 2:28 left in the first half. Erdmann completed three passes – all to Sundly – for for 22 yards on the scoring drive while Krueger logged six carries for 42 yards.
UW-Oshkosh answered quickly and reclaimed the lead for good before intermission as Kasper completed five consecutive passes to reach the Johnnies' 20-yard line. Kasper began the string of completions with a 12-yard pass to Linzenmeyer and a 27-yard connection with Chad Redmer, which advanced the ball to the Saint John's University 39-yard line. The Titans reached the Johnnies' 9-yard line following a pass interference penalty, and Wettstein drilled a 26-yard field goal four plays later to give UW-Oshkosh a 10-7 advantage with 32 seconds to go in the second quarter.
The Titans, who have trailed for less than 12 minutes the entire season, have outscored their opponents by a combined 296-47 score during the first half this year.
Following a punt by Saint John's University on the first drive of the second half, Hecker raced 57 yards on the second play of the following possession before he finished the six-play, 80-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown run that increased the Titan lead to 17-7 at the 11:25 mark of the third period.
Saint John's University linebacker Carter Hanson intercepted a Kasper pass during the Titans' next possession and returned the ball 16 yards to the UW-Oshkosh 16-yard line. The Johnnies advanced the ball to the Titans' 3-yard line with three straight running plays, and Erdmann connected Sundly once again on second-and-goal to trim the Saint John's University deficit to 17-14 with 5:33 remaining in the third quarter.
Erdmann concluded the contest 7-for-15 passing for 44 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Alvord completed both of his passes for 12 yards. Saint John's University entered the game leading the nation with a 186.83 passing efficiency rating.
Krueger led the Johnnies backfield with 26 rushes for 119 yards. He was held without a touchdown for the first time in five games as he entered the contest with nine of Saint John's University's 32 rushing scores on the year.
Sundly had a game-high six receptions for 38 yards and two scores for Saint John's University while Johnnies leading receiver Evan Clark, who entered the contest ranked 11th nationally with 11 touchdowns, was limited to two catches for 3 yards.
Lucas Glomb and Jeremy Piper headlined the Johnnie defense with eight tackles apiece, including six solo.
UW-Oshkosh has won 17 of its last 18 home games and outscored opponents, 718-194, in those contests.
UW-Oshkosh and University of St. Thomas, last year's national runner-up, have split four prior matchups. In the most recent meeting, the Tommies eliminated the Titans from the 2012 NCAA Division III Championship by a 28-14 score during the semifinal round.
2016 NCAA Division III Football Championship Interactive Bracket