The UW-Oshkosh defense has come up with key takeaways in timely situations on more than one occasion in this young season. Photo by Doug Sasse, d3photography.com

By Brian Lester
D3sports.com

Justice Lovelace is one of those players who rises to the occasion in a big moment.

In each of UW-Oshkosh’s first two games, the sophomore running back has been clutch in crunch time, scoring the game-winning touchdown over nationally ranked Wheaton and Linfield, who were No. 9 and No. 21, respectively, at the time.

“You have to be ready when you are called on in those situations,” Lovelace said. “It’s built up through practice and your teammates and coaches trusting you. I’m confident in my abilities and the abilities of my teammates to make things happen.”

It’s that confidence that has been instrumental in fueling the Titans’ hot start. Unranked to start the year, they are No. 14 in this week’s D3football.com Top 25 poll.

Confidence flows through the team, with multiple players ready to step up.

Like defensive back Ben Wellhoefer and linebacker Kyle Dietzen. Both are juniors. Wellhoefer picked off a pass with eight seconds to play against Wheaton, erasing any hope for a miracle finish. But he only takes a shred of the credit.

“The play happened because of other people. Kyle got the strip sack and the running back had to throw. The play was made because others set it up. I got the recognition even though I probably did the least out of everyone who should have gotten the recognition.”

Dietzen got his turn to snag a game-sealing pick against Linfield, getting his hands on a ball that easily could have gone for a touchdown as he recorded the interception at the 1-yard line.

“The play they ran before was pretty similar,” Dietzen said. “They ran a slant in the middle and I had busted coverage on it. I went to the flat to cover and our other linebacker (Mitch Borkovec) made a heck of a play, batting the ball down. On the next play, I was just in the right position to get the ball.”

Not that it comes as a surprise to anyone, especially head coach Peter Jennings.

“You put great players in position to succeed, and that’s what we’ve been able to do,” Jennings said. “You want guys to play well in crunch time. When they do, great things happen.”

For those scoring at home, the two eye-opening victories out of the gate stretch the streak of wins over a ranked opponent to three as Oshkosh closed out 2023 with a 38-31 win over 11th-ranked UW-River Falls.

Jennings can’t help but be proud of what his team has done so far this year, beating Wheaton 21-14 and Linfield 28-21 in overtime.

“It’s a euphoric feeling to have,” Jennings said. “To put the work in, and see the buy in, and see the culture continue to develop, and then see it all come to fruition with two great wins, it’s very fulfilling. Our guys have performed at a high level against great competition.”

Outsiders might be surprised by the early-season jolt of success for the Titans, who went 6-4 a year ago but believe they can achieve so much more in 2024.

To those within the program, they saw this coming.

“All offseason we were confident in our abilities,” Dietzen said. “We started out unranked but knew we were better than that. “We showed the country where we were and where we knew we were from the beginning.”

There is certainly a sense of satisfaction in proving others wrong. Of course, the joy of a big victory only lasts so long.

“You win and celebrate it, and then get back at it Monday,” Lovelace said. “I’m glad we have two wins under our belt, but we have to focus on the next opponent. “Winning makes it easier to go through film and everything else with getting ready for another game.”

Win or lose the first two weeks, the Titans went into their games against teams among the nation’s elite knowing they would come out of them with something gained.

“It does a lot for a program,” Jennings said. “If you lose those games, you know you played great competition and that they will expose your weaknesses, so you know what to work on heading into conference play.

“If you win those games, it shows well for the program,” Jennings continued. “But you know your weaknesses will still be exposed and you can go back to the drawing board and fix those.”

In terms of strengths, this Oshkosh team brings it on game day.

“We play with a lot of grit and effort,” Lovelace said. “Both games took all four quarters to win. And the last game took more than four. We’ve worked hard all offseason for this, practicing fourth quarter and overtime situations to be ready to excel in those periods.”

Wellhoefer said preparation during the season continues to be key.

“It starts early in the week, with watching film, seeing what the other team is doing and trusting yourself in practice when you are doing your reps,” Wellhoefer said. “Then you get the game having the confidence of being ready and being in the right position to make a play.”

That includes on defense, which is playing with a ton of confidence.

“A big thing we said this year is we were going to have swagger,” Dietzen said. “We walk out there confident, standing up straight and come out ready to play.”

The swagger is even more evident now. That doesn’t mean, however, the Titans are content.

“We have to battle every week,” Dietzen said. “That’s what the WIAC is, and that is what we are preparing for.”

A battle might be an understatement. There are three WIAC teams ranked ahead of Oshkosh in the national poll. UW-Whitewater is third, UW-La Crosse is fifth and River Falls is seventh.

“We’ve played two fantastic opponents and I’m sitting here looking at our schedule and saying ‘it doesn’t get any easier,” Jennings said.

No it does not. NCAA Division II Michigan Tech is next. A bye week follows before the Titans travel to UW-Whitewater and host UW-La Crosse in back-to-back weeks.

One thing the Titans won’t be in any game moving forward is rattled.

“They are unfazed. Absolutely unfazed,” Jennings said. “We talked a lot this offseason about being tough and about finishing plays and finishing the task at hand. The guys have taken that to heart and we’re seeing it on the field. “They don’t give up. They don’t get worried. They don’t panic. They move on to the next play. It’s a special characteristic for a program.”

What is ahead for Oshkosh remains to be seen. But there is an expectation that Jennings has for the program no matter what the scoreboard says on game day over the next eight weeks of the regular season.

“We might finish 2-8, but if we focus on being the best version of ourselves day in and day out, ultimately, the wins come for our guys on the field and in the classroom. We want to reset the standard every day and see us focus on personal growth.”