The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team scored 24 second-half points Saturday to turn a one-possession game early in the fourth quarter into a 37-17 victory over UW-Stout at Perkins Stadium to clinch at least a share of the program's 37th Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship.
Saturday's win, coupled with UW-Oshkosh's win, sets up a winner-take-all game for the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship next Saturday, Nov. 16, in Oshkosh.
The Warhawks (9-0 overall, 6-0 WIAC) performed superbly on special teams, leading to their average starting field position of their 46-yard line, compared to the 24-yard line for the Blue Devils (3-6, 2-4).
Junior
Andy Cooper (Munising, Mich./Munising) averaged 45.8 yards per punt and pinned UW-Stout inside its own 20-yard line four times.
Junior kicker
Wojciech Gasienica (Norridge, Ill./Ridgewood) knocked through three field goals, including a season-long 41-yarder, and converted all four of his extra points in the contest.
Junior wide receiver
Ryan Wisniewski (Sparta, Wis./Sparta) led the offense with 11 receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Junior quarterback
Max Meylor (Mt. Horeb, Wis./Mt. Horeb) posted 167 yards passing for two scores and rushed for 25 yards and one touchdown.
Junior defensive lineman
Mackenzie Balanganayi (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) tallied a team-high eight tackles, including 3.0 for a loss and 2.5 of the team's seven sacks. Senior defensive lineman
Jordan Brand (Chicago, Ill./St. Rita) contributed seven stops, including 1.5 sacks.
The two teams exchanged punts to start the game before UW-Whitewater took advantage of a short field for a 28-yard field goal by Gasienica with 8:32 left in the quarter.
UW-Stout tied the affair on a field goal just over seven minutes later before the Warhawks took the lead for good on a five-yard run by junior quarterback
Zach Oles (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) nine seconds into the second quarter.
Gasienica made it a 10-point game with a 41-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
Following a defensive stop to start the half that gave UW-Whitewater field position inside Blue Devil territory, Gasienica knocked a 38-yard field goal through the uprights to make it 16-3 with 12:28 remaining in the third quarter.
UW-Stout posted a 15-play, 96-yard drive to draw within 16-10 with 1:25 to go in the third. The Warhawks responded quickly as Meylor found Wisniewski for a 39-yard pass before completing the three-play drive with an 18-yard touchdown run up the middle for a 23-10 lead with 10 seconds left in the period.
The Blue Devils started the fourth with another touchdown to make it 23-17 with 13:27 to play.
After a UW-W turnover and a UW-Stout punt, Meylor completed four passes in five plays to move the Warhawks 54 yards, capping the drive with a 7-yard pass to Wisniewski for a 30-17 advantage at the 8:04 mark.
UW-Whitewater came up with a defensive stop on fourth-and-1 near midfield, and following a punt, tallied another fourth-down stop.
Meylor's 14-yard pass to Wisniewski capped the scoring with 2:25 on the clock.
Next Saturday's game at UW-Oshkosh will kick off at 6 p.m. and air live on television on My24.
