The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team dropped its first season opener since 2003 Saturday afternoon, falling 17-10 at Illinois Wesleyan in a non-conference affair at Tucci Stadium in Bloomington, Ill.
 
The Warhawks (0-1 overall), whose 13-game regular season non-conference winning streak also came to an end, outgained the Titans 300-259 but were stymied by three turnovers, including two botched snaps at the IWU 1-yard line and a fumble deep in Titan territory.
 
Junior quarterback Cole Wilber (Dana Point, Calif./Dana Hills) finished 22-of-37 for 258 yards and one touchdown, a 21-yard toss to junior wide receiver Canton Larson (Oconomowoc, Wis./Oconomowoc) to tie the game at 10-10 with 4:35 left in the third quarter.
 
After a UW-Whitewater turnover on the second play of the fourth quarter, Illinois Wesleyan (1-0) converted three third downs on a 14-play, 70-yard drive to take the lead for good.
 
The Warhawks had a chance to tie the contest late in the fourth quarter. After Wilber rushed for a first down to the Titans' 1-yard line on third-and-11, Illinois Wesleyan recovered a UW-Whitewater mis-snap with 59 seconds to play and converted a key third down with 40 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach.
 
After a scoreless first quarter, freshman kicker Wojciech Gasienica (Norridge, Ill./Ridgewood) put the first points on the board with an 18-yard field goal to give UW-Whitewater a 3-0 lead with 8:19 on the clock in the second quarter.
 
The Titans scored on the ensuing drive to take a 7-3 advantage. The Warhawks looked poised to respond after Wilber hit sophomore wide receiver Dylan Bernard (Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson) for a 46-yard pass down to the 1-yard line, but IWU took over after UW-Whitewater's first botched snap of the contest.
 
Junior defensive back Famus Hasty (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) tallied a team-high nine tackles to lead the defense. Junior defensive lineman Cal Durni (Brookfield, Wis./East) collected two of the team's eight tackles for a loss, and junior linebacker Bryce Leszczynski (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) and junior defensive back Brett Buehler (Sussex, Wis./Hamilton) posted seven tackles apiece.
 
The Warhawks look to rebound next Saturday, Sept. 9, at Concordia-Moorhead. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. in Moorhead, Minn.