The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team scored 17 unanswered points Saturday afternoon, Sept. 14 to defeat Concordia-Moorhead 20-10 in a non-conference affair at Jake Christiansen Stadium in Moorhead, Minn.
The Warhawks (2-0 overall) finished with 267 yards passing offensively and held the Cobbers to 62 yards rushing at a 1.8 yards-per-carry clip on the defensive side. UW-Whitewater also forced four turnovers, including two interceptions and two fumbles.
Junior quarterback Zach Oles finished 19-of-29 passing for 248 yards and one touchdown and rushed for a team-high 56 yards on 14 carries with one score. Senior running back Jarrod Ware rushed for 49 yards.
Junior wide receiver JT Parish collected four receptions for 99 yards and one touchdown, and junior wide receiver Derek Kumerow registered six catches for 68 yards.
Senior linebacker Matt Anderson totaled a team-high nine tackles, and senior defensive back Jacob Frey recorded eight stops.
Junior kicker Wojciech Gasienica opened scoring for the Warhawks with a 23-yard field goal midway through the first quarter after an interception by senior defensive back Garrett Purdy set up UW-W near midfield.
The Cobbers (0-2) tallied the next 10 points, finding the end zone five minutes into the second quarter and kicking a field goal with 2:38 left in the period for a 10-3 advantage.
UW-Whitewater closed the first half strong in just two plays. After a 16-yard completion to Kumerow, Oles hit Parish for a 54-yard touchdown with 1:53 on the clock to tie the game at 10-10.
Gasienica knocked through his second field goal of the game from 33 yards out five minutes into the third quarter to complete an 11-play, 58-yard drive that started the second half.
Early in the fourth quarter, Concordia drove deep into Warhawk territory, but junior defensive back Mark McGrath picked off Blake Kragnes in the end zone for a touchback with 11:52 to play in the contest.
On the ensuing drive, UW-Whitewater drove 80 yards on 14 plays, converting two third downs and a fourth down late in the drive. On second-and-10 from the Cobbers’ 14-yard line, Oles took a quarterback draw untouched into the end zone for a 20-10 lead with 4:59 to go.
The two teams exchanged punts, but the Warhawks forced and recovered a fumble on the punt return with 1:54 remaining to seal the win.
UW-Whitewater closes the non-conference regular season next Saturday, Sept. 21, at St. Xavier. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. in Chicago, Ill.
