Stout closes out season with win over Titans on messy field
Craig Warminski ran for 180 yards and a touchdown as the UW-Stout Blue Devils wrapped up their season with a 28-14 win over UW-Oshkosh in sloppy conditions, Saturday afternoon, at Don and Nona Williams Stadium.
Just as the game was slow to get going (the game was delayed 45 minutes to remove snow off the field), the scoring was slow to begin the game. The first five possessions of the game ended with a punt, and only one of those possessions included a first down.
Stout was able to take advantage of good field position for their first score. After taking over at Oshkosh's 42 yard line, Stout converted on two third downs before Richard Marteney kicked a 32-yard field goal to give Stout a 3-0 lead.
After forcing Oshkosh into their fourth straight three-and-out, Stout took over at the Titans' 44 yard line, their second straight possession starting in their opponent's territory. Warminski picked up a fourth-and-one conversion to set up first and goal at the nine. After a rush for a loss and a false start penalty, the Blue Devils faced second and goal from the 19. A 15-yard strike from Ross Carey to Jeremy Troupe-Masi, followed by an incomplete shot at the end zone, set up Marteney's second field goal of the game.
Oshkosh answered with their first score of the game on the ensuing possession. Fueled by a Stout personal foul penalty, and 17- and 25-yard passes, the Titans drove 65 yards in under two minutes to take a 7-6 lead into halftime.
The Titans extended their lead in the third quarter as they scored on the half's opening possession. Nate Wara completed passes of 11, 33, and 14 yards on consecutive plays, setting up a five-yard touchdown pass to Craig McClelland. The drive lasted only five plays, all of which were completed passes by Wara.
Stout answered with their first big play of the day. On third down and 12, Antawan Walker broke free for a wide open 58-yard touchdown reception down the middle of the field. A failed two-point conversion resulted in a 14-12 Titan advantage.
After three consecutive three-and-outs, Stout started a drive at the Titans' 33 after a punt of only 19 yards. Carlos Concepcion led the drive, carrying the ball five times for 24 yards, and capped it off with a seven yard reception from Carey.
Oshkosh looked to be back in the game right at the beginning of the fourth quarter. After a 59-yard pass on third-and-11, the Titans found themselves at Stout's 22-yard line. On the following play, however, Wara's pass was tipped and landed in the hands of Adam Churchill, who brought the ball back out to the 26 yard line.
Stout then put together a time-consuming possession. Pat Mengelkoch finally got involved with an 18-yard reception to start off the drive. He later caught a 10-yard pass on fourth down to extend the drive. The Blue Devils drove down to the Titans' four yard line, but could not punch it in and settled for a 21-yard field goal to grab a 22-14 lead.
The Blue Devils delivered the knockout punch with three minutes to go in the game. Leading by eight, Warminski broke free up the middle, virtually untouched, for an 86-yard touchdown run.
The slippery conditions were evident in the amount of dropped and incompleted passes. Carey completed just 12 of 34 attempts for 165 and two scores for the Blue Devils. Wara passed for 212 yards, completing 19 of his 34 attempts, throwing one pick and two scores.
Stout outgained Oshkosh, 280-77, on the ground. In addition to Warminski's 180 yards on 27 carries, Concepcion added 73 on 14 rushes. Carey scrambled for 20 yards as well.
