Titans End Warhawks 27 Game Streak
Fifth-ranked UW-Whitewater's twenty-seven game Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win streak came to an end Saturday with #10 UW-Oshkosh winning 28-13 before a WIAC record crowd of 12,318.
UW-Oshkosh went 75 yards in 13 plays on its first possession to jump out front 7-0 with 10:38 on the clock. The Titans converted on three third downs on the drive, the last time a five yard pass from Nate Wara to Caleb Voss.
Whitewater's first two possessions went three and out.
Oshkosh began a drive at their 19 with 4:59 left in the quarter. Facing a third and ten at their 40, Wara and Voss combined again, this time on a 60 yard scoring strike for a 14-0 lead with 2:00 remaining in the first.
Oshkosh totaled 177 yards in the first quarter, and held Whitewater to 25.
Midway through the second quarter Titan defensive back Tim Filter intercepted a Lee Brekke (Sun Prairie/Sun Prairie) pass, Filter's second pick of the day, returning it 19 yards to give UW-O the ball at the Whitewater 30. Facing a third and 14, Wara went up top again, connecting with Cory Wipperfurth for the 21 yard score at 5:25 for a 21-0 lead.
The Oshkosh defense stymied Whitewater in the first half, holding the Warhawks to one first down and 53 yards of offense. On the other side of the ball, UW-O totaled 245 yards (110 rushing, 135 passing). Wara went 11-15, with the three TD's, in the half.
A turnaround began with Whitewater's second possession of the second half. Matt Behrendt (Westchester, IL/Nazareth) went 5-5 on the drive, and scrambled for 14 yards, as UW-W went 62 yards for a score. Behrendt hit Joe Worth (Hartford/Union) with a 22 yard TD pass with 6:33 in the third to make it 21-7.
Behrendt went 3-3 on the Warhawks' next drive, including a TD pass to Dantrell Wright (Plainfield, Il/South) that covered 29 yards. UW-W missed the PAT kick, and the score was 21-13 with 3:56 left in the quarter.
Whitewater began the fourth quarter with a drive that advanced to the Oshkosh 28, and the drive ended with a missed 45 yard field goal.
An Oshkosh punt backed Whitewater up to their own six, and when the Warhawks couldn't move the ball, the Warhawk punt was fair caught at the Whitewater 39. Wara immediately hooked up with running back Cole Myhra on a 31 yard screen around the left side, and Myhra carried the ball two more times for the touchdown to put the game away, 28-13 with 6:48 on the clock.
Whitewater rushed for 55 yards in the loss, the Warhawks lowest total since October 28, 2006 when Mary Hardin-Baylor held UW-W to 30 yards on the ground.
After the big deficit at halftime, the Whitewater offense totaled 14 first downs, the same as Oshkosh. UW-W gained 357 yards, Oshkosh 360. Whitewater had the ball for 70 plays for 29:12, while Oshkosh ran 72 plays for 30:48.
Wara completed 16-24 for 217 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Linebacker Taylor Goodman and defensive back Frank Martin were both credited with nine tackles to lead UW-O, with Goodman adding a sack. Behrendt went 18-31 for 271 with two scoring passes and no interceptions. UW-W wide-out Steve Morris (Racine/Horlick) led both teams with nine catches for 144 yards. Warhawk linebacker Josh Williams (Milwaukee/Mukwonago) totaled 12 tackles and one tackle for a loss.
UW-W is 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the WIAC. The Warhawks will travel to Stevens Point next Saturday. The two schools met earlier this season, September 22, with Whitewater winning 34-7. That was a non-conference game, while the October 27 contest will count in league standings. Oshkosh improves to 7-0 and 4-0 in league play. The Titans will travel to UW-La Crosse for their next game.
