Editor’s note: The below information was posted to the UW-W Athletics site. Parking must be purchased in advance; cash is not accepted. Passes may be purchased here – only general parking is left. There has been a change to the Carry-In Policy and factory sealed water bottles are now permitted. This link will direct you to information on Tailgating Policy.
Ketterhagen Ford Football Preview — Game 2 vs. SJU
The No. 8 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team host No. 4 Saint John’s University at Perkins Stadium for the Warhawks’ home-opener Saturday, September 9. Kickoff is slated for 1 pm.
The Warhawks moved up three spots after last week’s 27-23 win at No. 14 (formerly No. 19) John Carroll to eighth in the latest D3football.com poll. The Johnnies moved up two spots to fourth in the latest poll after defeating Trinity (Texas) 34-31 at home last Saturday.
UW-Whitewater put together a phenomenal second half posting 24 points en route to the comeback win at JCU a week ago. The Warhawks trailed 13-3 after the first half but held the Blue Streaks to 10 points in the second half. UWW put up over 500 yards of offense in their first outing of the season included 232 yards on the ground. Nick Wind (Downers Grove, Ill./Montini Catholic) corralled an acrobatic catch in the corner of the endzone for the game-winning catch while Thomas Wojnowski (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek) picked off the JCU quarterback with five seconds left to seal the game.
Alijah Maher-Parr (Wauwatosa, Wis./Arrowhead) averaged over seven yards a carry to lead the ground game. Alec Ogden (Marshall, Wis./Monona Grove) was 23-41 for 230 yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air. He added another touchdown with his feet. Tommy Coates (Chicago, Ill./De La Salle Institute) was Ogden’s favorite target with nine catches for 77 yards while Steven Hein (St. Charles, Ill./North) hauled in six catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Parker Breunig (Sauk City, Wis./Sauk Prairie) and Wojnowski tallied interceptions. Hawk Heffner (Grafton, Wis./Grafton) led the Warhawks with eight tackles.
SJU put up 17 points in the fourth quarter alone to send their season-opener into overtime. Johnnie kicker Connor Murphy split the uprights in the first OT possession. SJU’s Cayden Saxon picked off a pass on Trinity’s first play of their overtime possession to seal the win. The Johnnies gained just 87 yards on the ground, but averaged 8.5 per passing play with four touchdowns through the air.
Aaron Syverson was 24-33 for 281 yards and four touchdowns without tossing an interception. Troy Feddema had 18 carries for 91 yards on the ground. Alex Larson was the top receiver with 60 yards on seven catches.
Defensively, Jacob Munoz led the SJU defense with nine tackles, two tackles for a loss, a sack and a forced fumble.
ON THE AIR
Saturday’s game will air live online on the WIAC Network and locally on UWWTV. The contest can be heard on 105.9 FM The Hog in the Whitewater area, or online at www.1059thehog.com, or on ESPN Radio in the Madison and Milwaukee areas.
SERIES
This is the seventh meeting between the Warhawks and the Johnnies with UWW leading the all-time series with four wins. The two squads met in the 2022 season-opener in Collegeville, Minnesota. SJU won that battle of Top 25 teams 24-10.