The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team overcame a slow start and rainy weather Saturday, October 19 for a 38-0 triumph at UW-Stevens Point in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Goerke Park.
The Warhawks (6-0 overall, 3-0 WIAC) piled up 215 rushing yards and held the Pointers to 59 yards rushing on the other side of the ball. Junior running back Alex Peete rushed 16 times for 114 yards and three touchdowns to lead the UW-Whitewater offense. Junior wide receiver Derek Kumerow caught four passes for 47 yards, and junior wide receiver JT Parish tallied three receptions for 47 yards.
Defensively, senior defensive lineman Jordan Brand registered seven tackles, including two for a loss, and senior linebacker Jacob Erbs collected seven stops, including one for a loss. Junior linebacker Kaleb Kaminski contributed six tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, and senior linebacker Matt Anderson, junior defensive back Mark McGrath and sophomore linebacker Ryan Liszka each posted six tackles.
Erbs started the scoring for the Warhawks, ripping the ball from Pointers quarterback Matt Urmanski near midfield and rumbling 46 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-0 just over two minutes into the game. In the second quarter, Peete completed an eight-play, 84-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 with 9:01 to play in the half. UW-Whitewater’s defense forced two more punts in the quarter to help the team take its 14-point lead into halftime.
The Warhawks started the second half strong with a 10-play, 75-yard drive to take a 21-0 advantage. Peete scampered in from 19 yards out with 10:40 left in the third quarter.
The two teams exchanged punts before the defense came up with a turnover. Kaminski popped the ball loose from Urmanski and Brand recovered it at the UW-W 32-yard line.
From there, UW-Whitewater drove 51 yards in 12 plays to set up a 34-yard field goal by junior kicker Wojciech Gasienica with 12:46 left in the fourth quarter.
The Warhawks forced another fumble on the ensuing drive as freshman defensive lineman Niko Lemke came up with the strip and recovery.
UW-Whitewater took advantage of the miscue with a seven-play, 75-yard drive capped by Peete’s 3-yard touchdown three plays following a 26-yard completion from junior quarterback Zach Oles to Parish. The team took a 31-0 lead with 8:24 on the clock.
A short punt following a three-and-out gave the Warhawks a short field, and they capitalized as sophomore running back Jaylon Edmonson carried on all five plays and crossed the goal line for a five-yard score with 3:36 remaining to account for the final margin.
UW-Whitewater resumes action next Saturday, Oct. 26, at UW-River Falls. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
