The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team took advantage of two big plays on offense and a consistent, opportunistic defensive performance Saturday afternoon to defeat 23rd-ranked UW-Stout 14-0 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown during Alumni Day and Family Fest at Perkins Stadium.
 
The Warhawks (2-3 overall, 1-1 WIAC) tallied seven sacks, forced three turnovers and held the Blue Devils to 2-of-14 on third down. The two teams finished with an identical total yardage mark of 221.
 
Junior running back Drew Patterson (Sussex, Wis./Hamilton) collected his second straight 100-plus yard effort, finishing with 28 carries for 110 yards. Junior quarterback Cole Wilber (Dana Point, Calif./Dana Hills) threw for 141 yards and a pair of touchdowns for UW-Whitewater, which recorded two first-half touchdowns.
 
Sophomore defensive back Nate Tranel (Lancaster, Wis./Lancaster) led the defense with 11 tackles, and sophomore linebacker Jacob Erbs (Reedsburg, Wis./Reedsburg) totaled nine stops. Junior defensive lineman Cal Durni (Brookfield, Wis./East) finished with four tackles, including 2.5 sacks, and junior defensive lineman Harry Henschler (Janesville, Wis./Craig) added four stops and 1.5 sacks.
 
Sophomore defensive back Garrett Purdy (Naperville, Ill./Central) registered an interception early in the third quarter, the first of his career.
 
The contest began with five straight punts before the Warhawks put the first points on the board after taking advantage of a short field.
 
Starting at the UW-Stout 42-yard line, UW-Whitewater needed only four plays to reach the end zone. Senior Tony Gumina (Sussex, Wis./Hamilton) took an inside screen pass from Wilber and ran untouched for a touchdown with 3:26 on the clock.
 
Senior punter Michael Schwichtenberg (West Bend, Wis./West) mashed a 74-yard punt that was downed at the Blue Devils' 7-yard line at the end of the first quarter. Six plays later, junior linebacker Beau Martin (Winfield, Ill./Wheaton North) recovered a fumble at the 44-yard line of UW-Stout (2-2, 0-2) to set up the only other score of the contest.
 
Patterson touched the ball on the first three plays of the ensuring drive, catching a 13-yard screen from Wilber before rushing for five yards on back-to-back plays. After a run by freshman Alex Peete (Ringwood, Ill./Johnsburg), Wilber connected with senior wide receiver Marcus Hudson (Delavan, Wis./Delavan-Darien), who was wide open in the right corner of the end zone, for a 20-yard touchdown with 11:18 left in the second quarter.
 
The two teams exchanged punts over the remainder of the half.
 
The Blue Devils drove deep into UW-Whitewater territory midway through the third quarter, but Erbs stripped Jay Alston and recovered the fumble at the Warhawks' 11-yard line.
 
The Warhawk defense turned UW-Stout over on downs on each of the next two possessions, and the offense ran out the clock over the final 6:24 of the game.

During the contest, UW-Whitewater recognized the anniversaries of several championship teams, including the 1962 conference title team, which served as the "honorary captain" of the contest. All returning alumni were recognized during a halftime ceremony.
 
UW-Whitewater hosts UW-La Crosse Friday at 7 p.m. at Perkins Stadium. All fans are invited to a free pregame tailgate concert featuring national recording artist Jackie Lee starting at 5 p.m. in the stadium parking lot (Lot 24).