Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
The No. 2 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to clinch the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title outright Saturday in a 34-16 victory at UW-Stout.
The Warhawks (10-0 overall, 7-0 WIAC), who clinched the program's 35th WIAC championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Playoffs last week, will find out their first-round opponent and game location Sunday at 5 p.m. in a live selection show on NCAA.com.
Trailing 16-10 at halftime against the Blue Devils (3-7, 1-6), UW-Whitewater held the ball for more than 20 minutes and forced three of UW-Stout's four turnovers in the third and fourth quarters.
Freshman running back Cam Maly led the Warhawks with career highs of 36 carries for 165 yards and three touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Marcus Hudson, junior tight end Tony Gumina and sophomore wide receiver Canton Larson tallied four receptions apiece to lead the passing attack.
Sophomore linebacker Bryce Leszczynski paced the defense with 12 tackles, including two for a loss. Junior linebacker Matt Seitz recorded seven tackles, and senior linebacker Paul Foster added six tackles, including one for a loss.
UW-Whitewater was first on the board five minutes into the contest. After sophomore quarterback Cole Wilber hit Gumina for 16 yards on a third-and-7, Maly sprinted in from 29 yards out with 9:27 to play in the first.
The two teams then traded field goals as junior Will Meyer hit from 35 yards out to give the Warhawks a 10-3 advantage with 3:33 left in the period.
The Blue Devils took advantage of two turnovers and a three-and-out possession in the second quarter to take a six-point lead into the locker room.
After a Warhawk punt to open the second half, senior defensive back Mickey Morgan intercepted Jay Alston in UW-Stout territory to help set up a two-yard touchdown run by Maly that put UW-Whitewater ahead for good with 8:36 remaining in the frame.
Following another Blue Devil punt, Maly struck again, this time from 26 yards out on fourth and three, to give the Warhawks a 24-16 advantage with 5:32 on the clock.
Senior defensive back Colin Buck registered his conference-leading seventh interception of the year on the first play of the fourth quarter to stop a UW-Stout drive in UW-Whitewater territory.
The two teams exchanged punts before Meyer connected for his second field goal of the contest, a 32-yarder, to make it 27-16 with 6:02 to play.
Senior defensive lineman Brandon Tamsett, who finished the game with two tackles for a loss, recovered a fumble on the ensuing drive to set up the Warhawks for another touchdown on a 5-yard run by sophomore running back Ronny Ponick with 2:30 left in the contest.
Check back to uwwsports.com on Sunday and early next week for the latest postseason information.