Pointers Rally Past UW-Oshkosh for 13-9 Win
Box Score
Eric Reible scored his first career touchdown with 2:46 left and
UW-Stevens Point stopped a pair of UW-Oshkosh drives in the final two
minutes to pull out a 13-9 victory on Saturday in Oshkosh.
The victory kept the 23rd ranked Pointers within two games of first
place UW-Whitewater with a 2-2 conference record and 5-2 overall mark. It
also marked quarterback Scott Krause�s ninth career fourth quarter
comeback victory in his 36th consecutive start.
Reible, a freshman running back, capped a five-play, 53-yard drive
with a five-yard run on a first-and-goal play. The score came on just the
23rd career rushing attempt for the Waunakee native.
UW-Oshkosh drove to the Pointers� 45-yard line and faced a
third-and-seven play when quarterback Nick Wara rushed 11 yards for an
apparent first down, but fumbled and Josh VanderVelden recovered for
UW-Stevens Point with 1:24 left.
The Titans had all three timeouts remaining and used them after
forcing the Pointers to a three-and-out series. UW-Oshkosh took over at its
own 37-yard line with 59 seconds left, but Craig Johnson had a key four-yard
sack and the Pointer defense forced a pair of incomplete passes as the
Titans turned the ball over on downs.
After a scoreless first quarter, UW-Stevens Point mounted an
impressive 18-play, 86-yard drive that took 8:15 off the clock and resulted
in a one-yard touchdown run by Jason VanderVelden. The Pointers converted
four third downs and Krause was seven-for-eight passing on the drive. For
the game, UW-Stevens Point was eight-for-16 on third down plays, converting
eight of their first 12 attempts.
Late in the first half, UW-Oshkosh drove to the Pointer four-yard
line, but on second down, Wara fumbled and the Titans� recovered at the
11-yard line. The miscue resulted in a field goal and UW-Stevens Point led
7-3 at halftime.
In the third quarter, UW-Stevens Point�s Ryan Prochnow punted the
Titans to their own two-yard line. After two no yard gains, Wara hit Bob
Docherty for a 73-yard gain to the Pointer 25-yard line. On the next play,
Chris Kirch rushed 25 yards for a touchdown, but a blocked extra point kept
the Titans� lead at 9-7.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, UW-Stevens Point had a
33-yard field goal blocked, however, the defense forced the Titans to punt
on their next three possessions before the game-winning drive.
It was the fourth straight year among the 101 all-time meetings
between the two schools that the game has been decided by a touchdown or
less. The series is the 16th longest in NCAA Division III history and the
longest between two public schools.
Krause finished 21-for-29 passing for 200 yards and VanderVelden
rushed for 115 yards on 29 carries. Tony Romano had a career-high seven
catches for 80 yards, while Cody Childs also caught seven passes for 53
yards. Wara was 16-for-22 passing for 207 yards.
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