UW-Oshkosh rushed for a season-high 245 yards in a 35-20 victory over UW-Stevens Point on Saturday (Nov. 2) at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium. The Titans (7-1/4-1 WIAC) are ranked 10th by D3football.com.
Cole Myhra recorded 106 yards on 21 carries, taking three for touchdowns. The Titans also had Zach Kasuboski run for 75 yards and Nick Olla for 39. UW-Oshkosh averaged 5.1 yards per attempt against the Pointers, who had been allowing just 2.6 yards.
Midway through the first quarter, the Titans got their offense going. Caleb Voss hauled in passes on three straight plays for 38 yards. Myhra then bulled his way up the middle three yards for the game's first score.
UW-Stevens Point (4-4/2-3 WIAC) was trapped at its own two-yard line to begin the next possession. Mitch Beau dropped back and fired a pass to his left. Austin Blashka stepped in front of the receiver, picked it off and raced 32 yards for a touchdown. The Titans carried that 14-0 lead into the second quarter.
The Pointers went on a 59-yard drive but came away with no points after failing on fourth down at the Titans' 30. Olla began with a 14-yard run. UW-Oshkosh then ran a pair of option plays, with Zach Kasuboski taking the first one 22 yards. The next snap, Kasuboski started down the left sideline, cut back across the middle and sprinted inside the right pylon for a 28-yard touchdown.
Late in the half, UW-Stevens Point got on the board with some trickery. Receiver Andy Kros came in motion and took a handoff. He rolled out and threw the ball up for grabs, where Matt Sosinsky snatched a 23-yard touchdown to make it 21-6. The Pointers later missed a short field goal at the end of the second period.
UW-Oshkosh went back to its running game, keeping it on the ground for 8-of-9 plays during its third-quarter scoring march. After Joe Sommers caught a 14-yard pass, Myhra broke three tackles and spun across the goal line for a seven-yard score.
Mike Longmeyer had two of the Pointers' three interceptions in the contest. His second theft came at the 10-yard line and he returned it 30 yards. UW-Stevens Point went the rest of the way, using a 13-yard touchdown catch by Andre Bodden on third-and-long.
With their lead cut to 28-13 early in the fourth, the Titans returned to work. Four consecutive runs churned out 10 yards. Caleb Voss then caught a screen pass, avoided two defenders and raced 54 yards down the sideline into Pointer territory. Myhra capped the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run with 8:52 remaining.
UW-Stevens Point added another 13-yard scoring grab from Bodden with 0:07 on the clock.
The Pointers finished with 526 yards of offense, including 304 passing by Beau. DeJaun Wright had a 47-yard scamper among his 14 carries for 138 yards. Sosinksy topped all receivers with 12 catches for 135 yards.
UW-Oshkosh converted 8-of-13 third downs while totaling 395 yards. Voss booked 109 yards on six receptions, as Olla completed 15-of-20 throws for 150 yards.
Cody Huemmer and Branden Lloyd each marked a sack for the Titans, who were led by Luke Guenther's seven solo tackles. The Pointers used 13 stops from Cody Seibel and 10 from Zach Vallafsky.
The Titans, now tied with UW-Platteville for second place in the WIAC, have their final road game of the regular season at UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 9.
By Jon Feyen, UW-Oshkosh Sports Information