Cole Myhra's career-best rushing day clinched UW-Oshkosh's undefeated regular season with a 27-18 win at UW-Stout on Saturday (Nov. 10) in Menomonie.
The Titans (10-0/7-0 WIAC), ranked fifth in the NCAA Division III, find out their playoff opponent on Sunday (Nov. 11). UW-Oshkosh will host its first postseason game at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium on Nov. 17.
Myhra carried the ball 26 times for 158 yards – his third straight game with at least 140. On a 41-yard scamper during the second half, Myhra became the fifth Titan to break 1,000 yards in a season. UW-Oshkosh trailed, 18-14 at halftime, before using a Nate Wara touchdown run and two Nate Ray field goals to prevail.
UW-Oshkosh continued its first-quarter dominance with a pair of touchdowns. From midfield, Wara hit Caleb Voss for a 50-yard score. Minutes later, Wara completed third-down passes to Voss for 16 and 15 yards. Mitch Hintz ended that drive with a 16-yard touchdown catch to make it 14-0 with 4:52 on the first-quarter clock. UW-Oshkosh has outscored its opponents, 103-3, in the opening period this year.
UW-Stout (3-7/1-6 WIAC) put together three scoring drives during the second frame. Eric Brown took a pass and split the defense for a 61-yard touchdown that pulled the Blue Devils within 14-8. On their next possession, Hank Kujak found Trevor Morning for a 54-yard score that put UW-Stout on top, 15-14.
The final series of the half was set up by Tanner Kuehn's 36-yard punt return. UW-Stout marched into the red zone with carries of 13 and seven yards by Brown. As time expired, Ricky Marteney made a 31-yard field goal for the 18-14 cushion.
The Titans took the second-half kickoff and went 75 yards in 11 plays. Wara capped the drive with a one-yard quarterback sneak to take the 21-18 lead. Ray added a 22-yard field goal at the 7:02 mark of the third quarter to make it 24-18.
UW-Oshkosh increased its margin to nine points with the help of some UW-Stout penalties. A pass interference call gave the Titans 15 yards before Wara fired to Zach Kasuboski for a gain of 18. After a 14-yard run from Myhra, Ray knocked through a 22-yard field goal to lead, 27-18.
Wara eclipsed 10,000 total yards in his career, becoming the fourth WIAC player to reach the milestone. He finished with 213 yards on 17-of-27 passing and 45 yards on 13 rushing attempts. Voss paced the receivers with seven grabs for 119 yards, while Kasuboski compiled 52 yards on six catches.
UW-Stout totaled 403 yards, including 136 rushing on 24 carries by Brown. Hank Kujak hit on 8-of-18 throws for 190 yards, as Brown made two receptions for 86 yards. Morning hauled in four receptions for 79 yards.
The Blue Devils' upset hopes were diminished by 100 yards in penalties. UW-Stout converted 8-of-16 third downs and threw three interceptions.
Corey Dulak-Sigler, Kyle Heller and Ryan Stefaniak each picked off a pass for the Titans. Taylor Goodman and Nick Jolin paced the squad with 10 tackles each, while UW-Stout received 11 stops from Billy Rosenthal.
UW-Oshkosh's other undefeated seasons are records of 7-0 during 1923 and 6-0-1 during 1935.
Written by Jon Feyen, UW-Oshkosh Sports Information