Titans Advance To Title Game Of NCAA Championship
UW-Oshkosh is headed to the title game of the NCAA Division III Football Championship for the first time in program history after holding on for a 10-3 semifinal round victory over John Carroll University (Ohio) on Saturday (Dec. 10) at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.
Following a scoreless first half, UW-Oshkosh quarterback Brett Kasper capped a nine-play, 71-yard drive to open the third quarter with a 3-yard run into the end zone. The rushing score was the first in Kasper's career.
UW-Oshkosh's Eli Wettstein drilled a 32-yard field goal to extend the Titan lead to 10-0 with 10:12 remaining in the contest, but John Carroll University trimmed its deficit to 10-3 on the ensuing possession with a 24-yard field goal from Matt Danko with five minutes left.
The Titans then picked up one first down and took more than three minutes off the clock before punting the ball back to the Blue Streaks with 1:48 to go. Starting at its own 20-yard line with no timeouts, John Carroll University marched to the UW-Oshkosh 35-yard line in 10 plays, but Titan linebacker Branden Lloyd sacked Blue Streaks quarterback Anthony Moeglin near midfield as time expired.
The 13 total points marked the lowest-scoring semifinal contest in NCAA Division III history.
UW-Oshkosh (13-1), ranked fourth in the country by D3football.com, advances to play top-ranked University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl at 7 p.m. (ET) on Friday (Dec. 16) in Salem, Va.
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (14-0) won its semifinal contest by a 14-12 score over seventh-ranked and defending national champion University of Mount Union (Ohio) (12-2) in Belton, Texas. University of Mary Hardin-Baylor will be playing in its second national championship contest. The Crusaders lost the 2004 title game, 28-21, to Linfield College (Ore.).
UW-Oshkosh, which played in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division III Championship in 2012 and in the quarterfinal round in 2015 during its two previous postseason appearances, will be meeting the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor for the first time.
In Saturday's semifinal matchup, sixth-ranked John Carroll University (12-2) outgained UW-Oshkosh, 264-214, including 157-81 rushing, but the Titans did not commit a turnover while Blue Streaks quarterback Anthony Moeglin threw three second-half interceptions. UW-Oshkosh owns a 15-2 turnover advantage in its four NCAA postseason games this season.
The Blue Streaks, who ran just 20 of their 70 plays in Titan territory, did not reach the UW-Oshkosh 20-yard line until seven minutes were left in the fourth quarter.
John Carroll University had just seven plays in the red zone and only one play longer than 14 yards – a quarterback scramble by Moeglin late in the fourth quarter. UW-Oshkosh's lone play of more than 18 yards was a 28-yard rush by Dylan Hecker on the second offensive snap of the third period.
The Titans, who entered the contest ranked ninth nationally with 274 rushing yards per game, were held to their lowest rushing output in 30 games after gaining 133 yards on 39 carries. UW-Oshkosh had just 78 total yards during the first half, including 20 on the ground in 14 rushes.
John Carroll University also held advantages in total offensive plays (70-57), first downs (16-12) and time of possession (31:01 to 28:59).
Hecker led UW-Oshkosh with 74 yards on 18 rushes while Devon Linzenmeyer added 42 yards on 14 carries.
Kasper completed 11 of 17 passes for 81 yards, including three passes for 34 yards to Sam Mentkowski. Dom Todarello had three grabs for 33 yards for the Titans.
UW-Oshkosh's Cameron Brown had a career-best three pass breakups and matched his season high with eight tackles.
The Titans also received six tackles apiece from Lloyd and Jake Thein, and five each from Reese Dziedzic, Jamier Szymanski and Brad Walovitch.
Christian Bettin, Justin Watson and Cole Yoder each notched interceptions for the Titans while Lloyd registered both the team's sacks. Bettin's first career interception and 22-yard return led to the Titans' field goal.
The teams exchanged punts on the first two possession of the game before John Carroll University mounted a 13-play, 48-yard drive that stalled on an incomplete pass on fourth-and-10 on the UW-Oshkosh 32-yard line.
The remainder of the first half concluded with eight more punts – four from both sides – and a two-play drive by the Titans at the end of the second quarter. UW-Oshkosh ran three plays in Blue Streaks territory during the final 19 minutes of the first half while John Carroll University never crossed midfield.
UW-Oshkosh's touchdown drive to begin the third quarter was highlighted by 38 rushing yards from Hecker, 17 yards on the ground from Linzenmeyer and a 10-yard pass completion on third-and-6 from Kasper to Max Fuller to reach the Blue Streaks' 34-yard line. On first-and-goal from the 3-yard line, Kasper faked a handoff, rolled left, spun out of a tackle and fell backwards into the end zone.
The first three John Carroll University drives of the second half ended in interceptions as Yoder corralled a bobbled pass at the UW-Oshkosh 30-yard line on the Blue Streaks' first possession of the third quarter, Watson secured his own tipped pass at the Blue Streaks 45-yard line on the second drive, and Bettin stepped in front of a Moeglin pass at the John Carroll University 34-yard line.
Bettin returned his interception to the Blue Streaks 12-yard line. However, the Titans lost two yards on three plays until Wettstein nailed his 32-yard field goal with 10:12 remaining.
Moeglin accounted for all 61 yards on the ensuing possession, completing 4 of 8 passes for 30 yards and adding two carries for 31 yards. Moeglin's 7-yard pass to Marshall Howell on third-and-7 advanced the ball to the UW-Oshkosh 7-yard line. The Blue Streaks were held to no gain on first down, and Moeglin's next two passes fell incomplete. Then Danko drilled his fourth field of the season to break up the UW-Oshkosh shutout. The Blue Streaks had a 6-yard pass to reach the Titan 1-yard line, but UW-Oshkosh won a challenge as the replay showed an incomplete pass.
Hecker began the next Titan drive with four consecutive carries for nine total yards, including a 5-yard rush on third-and-4 from the UW-Oshkosh 41-yard line. The Titans ran on the next two plays, burning the final two John Carroll University timeouts, before punter Turner Geisthardt pinned the Blue Streaks at their own 20-yard line with 1:48 left.
Moeglin completed four passes on the final drive, including three straight for 24 combined yards to reach the Titans 42-yard line. Following a 7-yard run by Moeglin that gained a first down at the UW-Oshkosh 35-yard line, the Blue Streaks stopped the clock with 12 seconds remaining, and Lloyd sacked Moeglin for an 11-yard loss of the next play.
Moeglin concluded the game 19-for-39 passing for 157 yards with three interceptions. He added eight carries for 35 yards.
Ro Golphin led John Carroll University with 42 rushing yards on nine carries while Sam Kukura rushed eight times for 31 yards. Golphin also chipped in three receptions for 17 yards.
Mark Baniewicz recorded five catches for 40 yards for the Blue Streaks, who also received four grabs for 35 yards from Howell and three receptions for 29 yards from Eddie Williamson.
John Carroll University's Jovon Dawson led all players with 11 tackles, including four for loss.
The Blue Streaks, who entered the game with 46 sacks, were held to just one quarterback takedown by Ray Brown, who registered five tackles. Conner Bogard and Anthony Christopher had seven and six tackles, respectively for John Carroll University.
The Titans, playing John Carroll University for the second time in program history, defeated the Blue Streaks by a 33-14 score in this year's season opener in Oshkosh.