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Pointers Suffer
Third Loss to Top 10 Opponent
Box Score
Entering the game as the leading offensive team in
the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, it took until the fourth
quarter for UW-Stevens Point to enjoy success against the league�s top
defense in a 31-13 loss Saturday at second-ranked UW-Whitewater.
The Warhawks� defense limited the Pointers to just
47 yards through three quarters in building a 31-0 advantage en route to its
15th straight regular season victory and a 5-0 record this year. UW-Stevens
Point fell to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the WIAC and has suffered all three
losses to teams ranked in the top 10 of the NCAA Division III rankings.
UW-Stevens Point got off to a strong start,
forcing the Warhawks to punts after three-and-outs on their first two
possessions. UW-Stevens Point�s Cody Childs, the league�s leading rusher
entering the game, rushed for 10 yards and a first down on the Pointers�
first offensive play. However, that turned out to be one of the Pointers�
few offensive highlights for the first three quarters. In fact, Childs
finished the day with 26 yards on 21 carries after averaging 138.8 yards
through the first four games.
Later in the first quarter, UW-Whitewater faced a
third-and-five from its own 15-yard line when Justin Jacobs found Derek
Stanley down the right sideline for a 32-yard pass play. A roughing the
passer penalty and a late hit out of bounds added 30 more yards onto the
play and Travis Reuland finished the drive with the first of his three
touchdowns on a one-yard run.
UW-Stevens Point�s Eric Reible returned the
ensuing kickoff 75 yards to the Warhawks� eight-yard line. The Pointers
moved the ball to the two-yard line, but Ryan Graboski missed a 20-yard
field goal.
UW-Whitewater added two touchdowns in the second
quarter, getting a four-yard pass from Jacobs to Pete Schmitt and then
another one-yard run by Reuland that was set up by a 47-yard pass to Matt
Gifford down to the one-yard line for a 21-0 halftime lead.
Reuland, who scored on his first three carries,
added a third one-yard touchdown score early in the third quarter and Jeff
Schebler kicked a 27-yard field goal for a 31-0 lead.
Pointers� junior quarterback Nick Venden took over
in the second quarter for injured starter Brett Borchart and led the fourth
quarter rally. Venden started the comeback with an 87-yard touchdown pass to
Luke Gunderson for the fifth-longest pass play in school history. After a Warhawks� punt, he drove the Pointers down the field again and then lofted a
perfect pass to Brad Kalsow, who leaped between two defenders for a 13-yard
touchdown catch in the corner of the endzone. A missed extra point put the
deficit at 31-13 midway through the final quarter.
Venden finished the day nine-for-15 passing for
172 yards as the Pointers totaled 171 of their 218 yards in the fourth
quarter. UW-Whitewater finished with 383 yards as Justin Beaver had 25
carries for 146 yards rushing. Jacobs was 16-for-26 passing for 181 yards.
Brandon Czys led the Pointers'
defensive effort with 15 tackles. Luke Frisch posted the third-highest
single-game punting average in Pointers' history with a 46.2 average on five
punts, including a 70-yarder. |
