LA PLUME, Pa. — UW-Whitewater shutout Keystone 69-0 on Saturday to wrap up their non-conference slate with a 3-0 record. The Warhawks held the Giants to 69 total yards, including one rushing yard, and recovered four fumbles with one interception.
UW-Whitewater scored 69 unanswered points across 11 scoring drives, paired 242 passing yards with 237 rushing yards, and scored on all eight red-zone trips. The defense held the Giants to 69 total yards, five first downs, and one rushing yard, with the Warhawks recovering four of KC's seven fumbles and intercepting one pass.
The Warhawks struck first defensively when
AJ Johnson (Milwaukee, Wis./Marquette) intercepted Frankie Leyshon for a touchdown at 14:02 of the first quarter.
Noah Moris' (Union Grove, Wis./Union Grove) sack led to a
Walker Powers (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) fumble recovery at the Giants 1, setting up
Tommy Novotny's (Milwaukee, Wis./Marquette) 1-yard touchdown run, and Powers later recovered another fumble at the Warhawks' 26.
Justin Klinkner (Two Rivers, Wis./Two Rivers) added touchdown passes to
Collin Fritts (Woodville, Wis./Baldwin Woodville) and
Tyler Vasey (Crystal Lake, Ill/Prairie Ridge), with Vasey's 41-yard score capping a three-play drive as UW-Whitewater finished the quarter ahead 28-0.
The Warhawks turned the second quarter into a 28-point surge, bolstered by rushing touchdowns from Novotny and
Darrick Hill (Stoughton, Wis./Stoughton) plus Novotny's 45-yard punt-return touchdown.
Carson Clausen's (Freedom, Wis./Freedom) sack and Powers' 22-yard fumble recovery return to the Giants' 3 set up Hill's 3-yard score, and Hill later finished a three-play, 34-yard drive with a 19-yard touchdown run. UWW's defense held Keystone to zero first downs in the quarter to head into the intermission with a 56-0 lead.
UW-Whitewater held the ball for 13:45 of the third quarter, highlighted by an 11-play, 84-yard drive that
Grant Urban (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) capped with an 11-yard field goal to make it 59-0. After
Wynn Hotchkiss (Milwaukee, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) recovered a Giants fumble at the Giants' 23, the Warhawks added another Urban field goal with five seconds left to take a 62-0 lead into the final quarter.
The Warhawks used a 14-play, 90-yard drive that took 10:39 off the fourth-quarter clock, finishing it with
Tommy Lutz's (Grafton, Wis./Grafton) 1-yard touchdown run with 1:56 left.
Drew VanVleet (Richmond, Ind./Bishop Chatard) kept the drive going with a 15-yard completion to Lutz on 4th-and-5 from the Giants' 16, setting up the score. Urban added the extra point, and the Warhawks closed out a 69-0 win.
Novotny scored three touchdowns, rushing nine times for 99 yards and two scores while adding a 45-yard punt return touchdown. Lutz carried 21 times for 112 yards and a touchdown and added a 15-yard reception.
Justin Klinkner (Two Rivers, Wis./Two Rivers) completed 9 of 12 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Powers recorded five tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and a 22-yard fumble return.
UW-Whitewater returns to Perkins Stadium to kickoff Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play next week. The Warhawks are set to welcome another large crowd to The Perk for Family Fest as UWW hosts UW-River Falls for a 1 PM kick.
