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NCAA Division III Football Web Page (Selection Show – Sunday, 4:30 p.m.)
The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team suffered its only loss of the regular season Saturday night, suffering a 27-20 defeat at UW-Oshkosh in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Titan Stadium in Oshkosh.
The Warhawks (9-1 overall, 6-1 WIAC), who now share the WIAC championship with the Titans, seek a Pool C, or at-large, bid to the NCAA Playoffs during Sunday's Selection Show, which airs at 4:30 p.m. on
NCAA.com. UW-W was ranked first in the NCAA West Regional rankings entering Saturday's game. The NCAA Playoffs begin next Saturday.
UW-Whitewater out-gained UW-Oshkosh (8-2, 6-1) 328-236 in total yards, held a 19-12 advantage on first downs and possessed the ball for more than 33 minutes, but committed five turnovers, the most by a Warhawk team since Oct. 21, 2006, in a win against UW-Platteville.
Junior running back
Alex Peete (Ringwood, Ill./Johnsburg) rushed 20 times for 80 yards and one touchdown, and senior running back
Jarrod Ware (Bradley, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) posted 11 carries for 72 yards. Junior wide receiver
JT Parish (Cambridge, Wis./Cambridge) caught five passes for 64 yards to lead the receiving corps.
Senior linebacker
Jacob Erbs (Reedsburg, Wis./Reedsburg) totaled a game-high 13 tackles to lead the defense. Senior linebacker
Matt Anderson (Rockford, Ill./Lutheran) was one of four UW-W players who registered four stops, including one sack.
After turning the Titans over on downs to start the game, the Warhawks posted a 13-play, 61-yard drive capped by a 28-yard field goal by junior kicker
Wojciech Gasienica (Norridge, Ill./Ridgewood) to take a 3-0 lead with 6:25 left in the first quarter.
After a 15-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a UW-Oshkosh touchdown, UW-Whitewater responded with a four-play, 62-yard touchdown drive. Junior quarterback
Zach Oles (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) hit Parish for 29 yards, and Ware carried on the next play for 34 yards. Two plays later, Oles hit junior tight end
Michael Berentes (Rock Falls, Ill./Rock Falls) for a 3-yard score to make it 10-7 with 13:23 to play in the second quarter.
Later in the quarter, the Titans capitalized on a Warhawk turnover, driving 75 yards in eight plays for a 14-10 advantage at the 6:00 mark of the period.
UW-Whitewater forced another turnover on downs later in the quarter, and turned good field position into three more points as Gasienica nailed a 29-yard field goal to bring the Warhawks within 14-13 just before the half.
UW-Whitewater held the ball for more than 12 minutes in the third quarter, taking a 20-14 lead with 38 seconds left in the frame on Peete's 3-yard touchdown run, his 11th of the season.
The Warhawks forced a three-and-out early in the fourth quarter, but a 67-yard punt by the Titans flipped the field, and the momentum turned to UW-O's favor.
The Titans took the lead for good at the 9:14 mark of the fourth on a touchdown on fourth down. They added two more field goals and ended each of UW-Whitewater's last four drives with turnovers.