PLATTEVILLE, Wis. -- In a matchup of top-15 teams, the 14th-ranked University of Wisconsin-Platteville football team used a 24-0 halftime lead to defeat No. 13 UW-Stevens Point 31-13 on Saturday at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.
The Pioneer (5-1, 3-0 WIAC) outgained the Pointers (5-1, 2-1 WIAC) 459-203, including 313-62 in the opening half. UW-Platteville's defense also held UWSP to just four first downs in the first half.
Offensively, Bryce Corrigan had two main targets, Russell Martin and Trevor Whitehead. Martin caught nine passes for 215 yards, including an 68-yard touchdown catch. Martin's 215 yards marked the fourth most receiving yards in a game in program history, and the first 200-plus receiving yards, since Aunton Terry tallied 213 in the Pioneers' season opener in 2008. Whitehead caught nine passes of his own for 92 yards, and is now second in school history with 2,310 career receiving yards. Corrigan ended the day 26-39 for 318 yards and two touchdowns.
The Pioneers opened the game with a 19-yard field goal by freshman Pat Frio. Corrigan completed a three-yard touchdown pass to Mitch Munda, capitalizing on a UWSP miscue that put UW-Platteville on the Pointers 41-yard line with 4:07 left in the first quarter.
Andy Puccini, the WIAC's leading rusher, recorded touchdown runs of one and 23 yards in the second quarter to give the Pioneers a 24-0 halftime lead. He would finish his afternoon with 122 yards on 32 carries.
The Pointers got back into the game with two touchdowns in just over a three-minute span. UWSP's first score was set up by a 28-yard punt return by Deion Jones that gave the Pointers the ball on the Pioneers 17-yard line. Kyle Larson connected with Logan Taylor for an 11-yard touchdown with 2:39 left in the third quarter.
Less than a minute into the final period, Larson found Jared Pankow for a 35-yard touchdown, leaving the score at 24-13 following a missed extra point.
The Pioneers then fumbled the ensuing kickoff, but the defense held strong, as UWSP missed a 44-yard field goal attempt.
Three plays after the missed field goal, Corrigan completed a 68-yard touchdown pass to Martin, putting the Pioneers' lead back to three scores, 31-13.
Andrew Belken led the defense with a game-high 13 tackles, followed by Jacob Zilbar with 10 tackles. Defensive back Rob Austin held UWSP's leading wide receiver, who averaged over 100 yards a game, to just 39 yards and tallied nine stops. Alex Johnson and Levi Epley each recorded seven tackles and Johnson also had two sacks.
The Pioneers travel to UW-Stout on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. at Don and Nona Williams Stadium.