MENOMONIE (October 11, 2014) - Despite holding UW-Whitewater to their lowest point total of the season, a sluggish UW-Stout offense was unable to get anything going as the Blue Devils fell to the No. 1 ranked Warhawks, 37-0.
Both teams started off strong defensively, as the first two drives of the games ended when neither team could convert on fourth down. The first score of the game didnt come until there was a minute left in the first quarter and it was the Warhawk defense, not the high-powered offense, that put the first points on the board. Warhawk defensive back Brady Grayvold stepped in front of a Garrett Peterson (So, Menasha) pass that was intended for Zak Snell (Sr, Castaic, Calif.) and returned it for a touchdown.
With the first touchdown out of the way, it was all Whitewater the rest of the game. The Warhawks scored touchdowns of two, 56, and 14 yards on their next three possessions to take a 28-0 lead into the halftime break.
In the second half, the scoring would be limited to three Whitewater (4-0, 2-0 WIAC) field goals as both defenses returned to first quarter form. It was the first time this season that Whitewater did not score a touchdown in the second half of a game. Stout also held the Warhawks to just 3-11 on third down conversions while stopping Whitewater both times the team went for it on fourth down.
Even though the Blue Devils (1-4, 0-2 WIAC) were unable to score any points, the passing game had a couple of bright spots on the day. Reciever Matt Small (Sr, Atwater, Calif.) had three catches for 73 yards, including a 42-yard reception in the first quarter, and tight end Reggie Kujak (Jr, Blair) caught two passes for a career high 47 yards. Kujak also had a 40-yard catch-and-run on the day.
Leading the way for Whitewater was quarterback Matt Behrendt, who completed 21 of 29 passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns. Behrendt's favorite targets on the afternoon were Justin Howard, who caught seven passes for 124 and a touchdown and Jake Kumerow, who had seven catches for 113 yards and a touchdown. Running back Dennis Moore carried 14 times for 94 yards and Jordan Ratliffe added 64 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
For the Blue Devils, Peterson finished with 156 yards, going 10-19 on the day. Adolfo Pacheco (So, South Elgin, Ill.) carried eight times for 39 yards to lead Stout on the ground.
Defensively, Collin Laursen (Jr, Mondovi) led the team in tackling with 13 tackles, eight solo. Laursen also recorded two tackles for loss. Tyler Naatz (Sr, Menomonie) finished with 11 tackles, including five solo, while Luke Bakkum (Sr, Oconomowoc) and Kyle Hoefft (Jr, Morton, Ill.) each had 10 tackles on the day. Lineman Alec Zoern (Sr, Germantown) also recorded two tackles for loss on the afternoon.
As a team, Stout racked up the second-most yards allowed by the Whitewater defense this season, gaining 73 on the ground and 169 through the air for a total of 242 yards of total offense. The Warhawks finished with 195 rushing and 318 passing to finish with 513 total yards, just under their season average of 538 yards per game.
Next week, the Blue Devils will travel to UW-La Crosse on Saturday, Oct. 18 for a match-up with the Eagles. Kick off is scheduled for 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on WMEQ 880 AM.
Blue Devils blanked by top-ranked Warhawks
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20141011_7c1x.xml
2014
UW-Whitewater
37
UW-Stout
0
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 UW-Whitewater (5-0) | 7 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 37 |
| UW-Stout (1-4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Oct 11, 2014