OSHKOSH, Wis.- In a game that endured a pair of extended lightning delays that pushed the official game length to five-and-a-half hours, UW-Oshkosh football scored 24 unanswered points to defeat NCAA Division II Roosevelt University (Ill.) in its home opener on Saturday (Sept. 20).
The Titans (2-1), ranked 19th in the nation by D3football.com and 21st by the American Football Coaches Association, tied the game midway through the third quarter with a 43-yard pass from Quentin Keene to Londyn Little and tallied 17 more points in the last 24 minutes while the Lakers (1-2) were held off the board, helped by three interceptions by the Oshkosh defense.
UW-Oshkosh registered a season high 478 offensive yards including 237 on the ground and 241 through the air. The Titans averaged 6.5 yards per play, 5.6 yards per rush, and 12.7 yards per completion. Among their five touchdowns, three came on the ground and two came in the air. Oshkosh had 24 first downs in the contest, scored in three of its five red zone chances, and intercepted three passes. The three interceptions are the most the Titans had in a single game since recording five in the 2019 regular season finale against UW-Whitewater.
Quentin Keene completed 18 of his 31 passing attempts for 222 yards and two touchdowns After his 43-yard touchdown, he added a 21-yard pass to Little in the fourth quarter. He also rushed four times for 10 yards and a touchdown.
Of UW-Oshkosh's 237 rushing yards, 143 came from Ben Vallafskey. He averaged 8.3 yards per carry and scored his first touchdown in black and gold with a 44-yard carry.
Little paced Oshkosh's receiving corps with two touchdowns on six catches for 99 yards, followed by Jon Mathieu's four catches for 45 yards and AJ Korth's two catches for 41 yards.
Kyle Dietzen recorded a career high 12 tackles for the second week in a row, notched four solo tackles, an 18-yard sack, and forced a fumble. Kenny Satori broke the double-digit tackle barrier for the first time in his career with 10 (four solo), registered a tackle-for-loss, and hurried the Lakers' quarterback twice.
John Abernathy punted three times on Saturday, totaling 120 yards.
UW-Oshkosh started slowly in the first quarter, posting a three-and-out and stalling just past the 50-yard line in its first two drives while Roosevelt scored its first touchdown in eight plays. The Titans stopped the Lakers on their second possession, capped off by a 4-yard tackle-for-loss by Ben Wellhoefer. UW-Oshkosh reached the Lakers' nine but couldn't capitalize when Axel Vera Trejo missed the field goal.
Dietzen sacked Lakers quarterback Zach Zella in the first play of the second quarter, dropping him at the 2-yard line where he fumbled the ball and Curtis Jaskulke jumped on it to give the Titans possession. Keene flaired right, crossing the goal line and tying the game at 7-7.
UW-Oshkosh got the ball back after a Lakers punt and marched down the field in 11 plays, including a 15-yard catch by Mathieu, a 24-yard reception by Korth, and a 14-yard rush by Vallafskey. Kellan Mella took the snap and pushed through the line to hand the Titans' their first lead of the game.
The Lakers scored again in the following drive and went up, 21-14, just before halftime with another score. The first lightning delay occurred at halftime, which extended the break.
Coming out of the long break, Roosevelt got tied up around the 48-yard line and punted to Jackson Brush, who signaled a fair catch at the 5-yard line. It took Oshkosh six plays to tie the game again at 21-21 after the second delay, capped off by Keene's 43-yard pass to a wide open Little with 9:05 left in the third quarter.
UW-Oshkosh regained control of the ball after a three-and-out for the Lakers that included a pair of incomplete passes when Mathieu caught the punt at Roosevelt's 48. Once they reached the 22-yard line, Keene tried to connect with Hunter Gibson in the end zone in three consecutive plays before Vera Trejo was brought onto the field to connect on a 39-yard field goal.
Both teams punted in their next possessions and Oshkosh came up empty in their next drive when another field goal missed the uprights. Johnny Spallasso intercepted Zella's first pass attempt of the fourth quarter and Chad Gerig intercepted Zella again in the next drive before Vallafskey increased the edge to 31-21 on his 44-yard carry.
Zella completed a 28-yard pass and Cam Davis rushed five yards, crossing the 50-yard line again, but Oshkosh's defense had him locked in and Kellen Wright grabbed the ball out of the air for the third interception, returning the ball to the Titans' 39. Vallafskey and Doug Burson rushed for a combined 26 yards to start UW-Oshkosh's last drive before the third lightning delay forced the game to a halt yet again.
Undeterred by the delay, the Titans grinded their way into the Lakers' territory, eventually scoring when Keene and Little connected for a 21-yard catch that ended in the end zone.
The Lakers got the ball back at their 24-yard line with six seconds left and kneeled the ball to run out the clock.
The Titans have their bye week coming up and open conference competition on Saturday, October 4 by welcoming No. 12/13 UW-River Falls (3-0) to J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium for Hall of Fame Day. UW-Oshkosh is 30-37-1 all time against the Falcons, including 7-3 in the last 10 games.