The No. 6 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team surged to a 21-point lead and recorded a clutch fourth-quarter drive Saturday to defeat UW-Stevens Point 35-27 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference affair at Goerke Park in Stevens Point.
Senior running back Jordan Ratliffe rushed for 86 yards and tied a school record with four rushing touchdowns to lead the Warhawks (6-1 overall, 3-1 WIAC), who kept pace in the race for the conference championship with first-place UW-Oshkosh.
Ratliffe's four touchdowns matched four other performances in school history, all by Levell Coppage, who last registered four touchdowns in a game on Dec. 3, 2011, against Salisbury (Md.).
Leading 28-20 late in the fourth quarter, UW-Whitewater took the ball with 5:41 left and drove to the end zone in eight plays for 58 yards. Ratliffe concluded his superb day with a 10-yard touchdown run on third-and-7 to make it 35-20 with 2:21 on the clock.
UW-Stevens Point (3-4, 1-3) quickly drew to within one possession and recovered its onside kick with 1:05 to play.
On fourth-and-10 from the Pointers' 30-yard line, Winske tallied his second interception of the game and third of the season with 37 seconds left to seal the Warhawks' victory.
Junior quarterback Chris Nelson finished 15-of-22 for 268 yards and a touchdown for UW-Whitewater, which was 4-for-4 on chances in the red zone. Junior Marcus Hudson led the receiving corps with five receptions for 81 yards and a score, and sophomore tight end Tony Gumina caught three passes for 73 yards.
Senior defensive back Ryan Winske totaled five tackles and a pair of interceptions for the defense, which posted 12 tackles for loss, including three sacks, and collected four interceptions while holding the Pointers to 62 yards rushing.
Junior linebacker Paul Foster contributed a team-best 13 stops, including 2.5 for a loss, and senior linebacker Justin Dischler added 10 tackles and an interception.
The Warhawks started scoring with a game-opening 11-play, 75 yard drive capped by a five-yard touchdown by Ratliffe with 10:40 to play in the first quarter.
After Dischler's interception stopped UW-Stevens Point deep in UW-Whitewater territory, the Warhawks drove 76 yards, highlighted by a 46-yard pass from Nelson to junior wide receiver Ryan Storto. Ratliffe plunged in from two yards out to make it 14-0 with 1:44 remaining in the opening period.
A short punt by the Pointers on the ensuing drive gave UW-Whitewater good field position for its offense. On the fourth play of the next drive, Nelson connected with Hudson for a 36-yard score to give the Warhawks a 21-0 advantage just under two minutes into the second quarter.
UW-Stevens Point cut its deficit to two possessions with 4:31 left in the second, but UW-Whitewater responded quickly. Three plays after Nelson hit Gumina for 33 yards, Ratliffe posted his second two-yard touchdown run and third of the game to give the team a 28-7 lead with 3:11 to play in the half.
While fourth-quarter picks by Winske and senior defensive back Dylan Morang helped keep the Pointers in check, UW-Stevens Point scored 13 unanswered points in the first 21 minutes of the second half.
Morang's interception set up the Warhawks' final scoring drive.
UW-Whitewater returns to action next Saturday against UW-Eau Claire for its annual Homecoming contest. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Perkins Stadium.
Fans are encouraged to make donations for Whitewater LEADS, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting literacy in the Whitewater area. All proceeds will benefit the purchasing of books as part of a partnership with the College of Education and Professional Studies, UW-Whitewater Athletics and the Warhawk Leadership Academy.