Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
LA CROSSE – The No. 10 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team tallied 20 fourth-quarter points and pitched a second-half shutout Saturday in a 30-7 triumph over No. 23 UW-La Crosse in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Roger Herring Stadium.
The Warhawks (4-0 overall, 1-0 WIAC) out-gained the Eagles 418-158 in total yards, taking the lead for good on a 28-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Cole Wilber to junior wide receiver Nathaniel Osterloo midway through the third quarter.
Wilber finished 14-for-24 passing with 244 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore running back Alex Peete led the rushing attack with 27 carries for 100 yards and a score, and junior running back Ronny Ponick added 12 carries for 54 yards and a pair of catches for 29 yards.
Junior linebacker Jacob Erbs led the defense with eight tackles. Senior linebacker Bryce Leszczynski collected seven stops, and senior defensive lineman Harry Henschler posted five tackles, including 2.5 for a loss and 1.5 sacks.
After a scoreless first quarter, sophomore kicker Wojciech Gasienica put UW-Whitewater on the board with a 35-yard field goal with 13:09 to go in the second quarter to cap an eight-play, 45-yard drive.
UW-La Crosse (2-2, 0-1) responded later in the period with a 15-play, 65-yard drive that ended in a touchdown to take a 7-3 lead with one minute to go in the half.
The touchdown pass from Wilber to Osterloo finished off a 14-play, 75-yard drive by UW-Whitewater that started the second half.
After the Warhawks forced a punt early in the fourth quarter clinging to a 10-7 lead, the offense turned the game as Wilber hit sophomore wide receiver JT Parish, who took the slant pass and sprinted past three defenders to the end zone for an 81-yard touchdown.
Senior defensive back Famus Hasty intercepted Ben Schramski on the first play of the ensuing drive, and UW-Whitewater turned the miscue into an 11-play, 55-yard drive capped by a third-down pass from Wilber to senior wide receiver Jerimie Richards from five yards out to make it 23-7 with 5:14 on the clock.
Following a turnover on downs, Peete closed out an eight-play, 39-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run, his eighth of the year, to account for the final margin. The scoring play was set up by a 30-yard strike from Wilber to sophomore wide receiver Ryan Wisniewski.
The Warhawks return to action next Saturday, Oct. 6, at 2 p.m. for a showdown against No. 12 UW-Oshkosh. The game is part of Family Fest and Football Alumni Day at UW-Whitewater, and a pregame concert featuring the Eddie Butts Band will begin at noon in the Perkins Stadium parking lot.