No. 8 Football Shuts Out No. 10 UW-Oshkosh

The No. 8 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team remained unbeaten for the 2018 season and improved to 2-0 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Saturday in a 20-0 victory over 10th-ranked UW-Oshkosh in front of 11,628 fans at Perkins Stadium.

 

The Warhawks (5-0 overall, 2-0 WIAC) held the Titans (3-2, 1-1) to 18 rushing yards on 36 carries and scored touchdowns on a pair of big plays in their first shutout against UW-Oshkosh since 2001.

 

Sophomore wide receiver JT Parish finished with three receptions for 197 yards and two touchdowns, his second and third scoring plays for more than 75 yards this season. Senior quarterback Cole Wilber passed for 255 yards and two scores, and sophomore running back Alex Peete posted 74 yards on the ground.

 

Senior defensive back Bailey Breunig led the defense with seven tackles, including one for a loss, and added a blocked punt in the second quarter. Senior defensive lineman Harry Henschler tallied six tackles, including two sacks. Junior linebacker Jacob Erbs contributed five stops, including 2.5 for a loss.

 

After the two teams came up empty in the first quarter, Breunig busted through the line early in the second to block a UW-Oshkosh punt and give UW-Whitewater the ball at the UW-Oshkosh 6-yard line.

 

Three plays later, sophomore kicker Wojciech Gasienica kicked a 24-yard field goal to give the Warhawks a 3-0 advantage with 10:33 to play in the second quarter.

 

UW-Whitewater forced a punt on the next possession, and on the first play of the ensuing drive, Parish caught a deep pass from Wilber for an 82-yard touchdown to give the team a 10-0 lead at the 7:04 mark.

 

The teams exchanged punts before Wilber found Parish for a 39-yard gain late in the first half to set up a 27-yard field goal by Gasienica that put the Warhawks ahead 13-0 heading into the locker room.

 

Following a Titan punt to start the second half, Wilber hit Parish in stride down the right sideline for a 76-yard touchdown to make it a 20-point advantage just over five minutes into the period.

 

UW-Whitewater stymied UW-Oshkosh the rest of the way, stopping the Titans on two separate fourth downs over the final quarter to clinch the team's largest margin of victory in the series since 2010.

 

The Warhawks continue the conference slate with a trip to UW-Eau Claire next Saturday, Oct. 13. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.