UW-Whitewater passed a major test in responding to adversity on Saturday, defeating UW-Oshkosh 20-17 on a beautiful afternoon in Oshkosh. The Warhawks knew they were going to be challenged on the home turf of the Titans, who entered the afternoon 3-0 in WIAC play and ranked #20 by d3football.com. And challenged they were as the Titans made a serious bid to end the Warhawks' nation leading winning streak at 36 games. On an afternoon that saw the Warhawks lose three starters in the first half due to injury, Oshkosh seized the lead three separate times on their way to a 17-10 halftime advantage. Senior linebacker Greg Arnold made a valiant effort by starting in spite of injuring his ankle in last week's victory over UW-Stout. However, he was able to play only three plays before limping off the field for the afternoon. Defensive back Sam Overton was hurt in a jarring collision with Oshkosh running back Justin Budiak at the one yard line. Overton left the game with over 12 minutes left in the first half and did not return. Starting center Grant Poenitsch left the game with an apparent leg injury in the first half and did not return.
UW-Oshkosh struck first with a 29 yard field goal by Nate Becker with 2:04 remaining in the first quarter. The Titans carried that 3-0 lead into the second quarter until QB Matt Blanchard gave the Warhawks the lead with a 23 yard designed quarterback run, capping an 89 yard TD drive with 14:52 to go in the half. UW-O responded with a 68 yard drive, capped by a Charlie Weissman one yard touchdown run. The Warhawks tied the score on a 47 yard Eric Kindler field goal with 4:49 to play in the half, but the Titans weren't done yet. They proceeded to drive 80 yards on 10 plays, culminated by a 14 yard TD run by Jeremy Roach and a 17-10 halftime lead for the Titans. Oshkosh gained 236 yards in the first half to Whitewater's 203 yards.
UW-Whitewater's defense and Levell Coppage proved to be the difference in the game in the second half. The Warhawks' defense forced four punts, made one huge fourth quarter defensive stand on downs, and made a game sealing interception with one second remaining in the game.
With less than two minutes left in the third quarter and Whitewater still trailing 17-10, Whitewater QB Matt Blanchard hit a wide open Tyler Huber for a 62 yard gain to the Oshkosh 4 yard line. After Levell Coppage was dumped for a 4 yard loss, Blanchard hit tight end Jason Ford for an 8 yard touchdown, tying the game at 17. The game was still tied when Whitewater took over the ball at their own 20 with 5:51 left in the game. Coppage and Blanchard put together consecutive 9 yard runs to give the Warhawks a first down on the 38. Coppage gained 9 yards on two carries and Blanchard converted a third and one with a 3 yard run to midfield. Then Coppage broke into the secondary and raced 47 yards to the Oshkosh 3. Coppage ran twice advancing the ball to the one. On third and one, Blanchard faked to Coppage and sprinted out to the right. He was knocked out of bounds just short of the goal line by Austin Blashka. Kindler then kicked what turned out to be the game winning field goal with 1:18 remaining.
The Titans had one final chance to pull the upset. The Titans began at their own 25. On first down, Cole Myhra ran up the middle for 3 yards. Oshkosh then used their final time out. Nate Wara then hit Caleb Voss for 20 yards and a first down at the UW-O 48. After an incomplete pass, Wara hit Garrie Fox for 15 yards to the Whitewater 37. Defensive end Casey Casper then broke through and sacked Wara for a 3 yard loss. Wara then scrambled the Titans to the line and spiked the ball to stop the clock. After another incompletion, it was fourth down and 8 seconds remained. Wara dropped back and rolled to his right. He launched the ball into the end zone, but it was intercepted by Ryan Wenkman with one second left in the game. The Warhawks then ran out the clock with one of the sweetest victory formations they have been able to enjoy during their nation leading 37 game winning streak.
Blanchard finished the game 17-25 for 209 yards, a TD and an interception. He also gained 95 yards and scored a rushing TD in 14 carries. Levell Coppage led the Warhawks in rushing with 139 yards in 28 carries. For Oshkosh, Wara was 17-33 for 148 yards and had 2 interceptions. The interceptions were desperation passes at the end of each half. Wara also ran the ball 14 times for 53 yards. Six Titans gained at least 20 yards rushing, paced by Cole Myhra who ran it 7 times for 66 yards. On the afternoon, the Warhawks out-gained the Titans 429 yards to 362 yards.
The Warhawks return home to play their homecoming game against UW-Stevens Point at 1:00 PM on Saturday, October 29th.
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