By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
Waverly, Iowa — The No. 5 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team fell to undefeated No. 3 Wartburg College 31-28 in a NCAA Quarterfinal matchup Saturday in Waverly, Iowa.
The Warhawks started off fast. After taking the opening kick, it took just three plays for UWW to get on the board as Tamir Thomas hauled in a pass for a 69-yard score. The Jeff Isotalo-McGuire kick made it 7-0 less than two minutes into the game.
UW-Whitewater’s defense held the driving Knights to a field goal on Wartburg’s first drive of the game before the teams traded punts.
The Warhawks went 84-yards on nine plays bolstered by a 60-yard Alec Ogden to Tommy Coates connection. Thomas punched it in from a yard out and the extra point made it 14-3. With the offense surging, head coach Jace Rindahl opted for a little trickery on special teams and UWW perfectly executed the onside kick to bring the offense back out near midfield.
The Wartburg defense held and Ogden dropped back for a short punt to pin the Knights inside their own 10. On the second play of the WC drive, Ethan Gallagher jumped a passing lane for the interception and the Warhawk offense took over at the Knights’ 39-yard line.
Thomas took the handoff up the middle for 26-yards to open the drive. After a pair of short gains on the ground, Ogden found Coates in the end zone for a five-yard touchdown. Isotalo-McGuire split the uprights on the point after for a 21-3 UWW lead less three minutes into the second quarter.
Wartburg responded in their next drive marching 71-yards on eight plays to narrow the gap to 21-10. The momentum continued to shift as the Knights capitalized on a sack-fumble and recovery on the next drive. Wartburg went 42 yards in nine plays to pull within four, 21-17, with just under two minutes to go until the intermission.
A quick three-and-out for the Warhawks gave Wartburg the ball with over a minute left and 75-yards to go. UW-Whitewater’s defense stiffened and forced a punt but were pinned inside their own 20 with 48 seconds left in the half.
After a quick first down, an incomplete deep ball and a short run, the Warhawks were content to run the clock out and head into the locker room with a 21-17 advantage.
The Knights claimed the lead in their first drive of the second half. A long, 13-play, 82-yard drive was capped on a one-yard run. The extra point gave Wartburg the 24-21 lead. The momentum stayed with Wartburg as a miscue on special teams gave the Knights the ball back at the UWW 37.
The Warhawks needed a stop and the defense provided one. After a 21-yard gain on the first play, UW-Whitewater held the Knights on the next three downs. On fourth and three from UWW’s 14, Matt Burba got into the backfield and took down the WC quarterback for a sack and a loss of five yards.
Despite a couple of big plays including a 37-yard Ogden-Coates connection, the offense stalled and the 22-yard field goal was no good. Wartburg took over at their own 20 with just over 13 minutes left in the game.
The defense got it done again with a three-and-out to force a Wartburg punt. UWW took over at their own 39 and had seven consecutive plays with gains of five or more yards including a 20-yard reception by Zach Sherman. Ogden found Tommy Coates from seven yards out to reclaim the lead for the Warhawks, 28-24, with eight minutes to go.
UW-Whitewater’s defense continued to surge. On second down, Joey Antonietti perfectly read a quarterback draw and hit the Knight QB in the backfield for a loss of yards. Kyle Koelblinger broke up a possible first down catch on the next play to force a punt. UWW’s offense jogged back on to the field with just over six minutes to go, starting the drive at their own 38.
Wartburg countered with a three-and-out of their own. Kamrin Hutt’s punt was fair caught at the Knights’ 23 with 3:56 remaining.
After a pair of incompletions, Egon Hein tallied a fantastic open-field tackle on a short pass to force fourth down. The Knights called timeout facing fourth-and-four at their own 44. Nile McLaughlin found his receiver on a slant route for a 28-yard gain to extend the drive. Following an incompletion on first down, Wartburg back Hunter Clasen picked up nine yards on a pair of carries and the Warhawk defense had forced another fourth down.
The Knights brought out a unit of defensive players typically used in short gain situations, but Wartburg opted for the pass and McLaughlin hit Thomas Butters for 13-yards and a first down. Koelblinger took down Clasen in the backfield for the loss of a yard but the shifty back hauled in a reception on the next play and got a timely block to scamper into the end zone. The extra point gave the Knights a 31-28 lead with 51.4 seconds remaining.
UW-Whitewater’s final drive started at their own 31. Ogden found his top target, Coates, for a 16-yard gain up the middle. The Warhawks called timeout at their out 47 with 46 seconds left. Ogden was pressured but escaped and was able to throw the ball away – second-and-ten with 40.1 ticks left. Pressured once again, Ogden nearly found Thomas at midfield, but the incompletion likely helped UWW as the clock would have continued to run – third-and-ten with 33.1 remaining. On the next play, Ogden was hit as he threw, and Wartburg came up with the interception. The Knights took the knee to run out the clock.
Ogden was 26-39 for 366 yards and three touchdowns. Coates was the top target with nine catches for 88 yards and a pair of scores. Thomas added 74 yards on the ground.
Defensively, Burba registered two sacks in the game while Antonietti led the way with 10 tackles. Gallagher added nine with an interception.
Rindahl led the Warhawks to an 11-2 mark this season in his first year at the helm. Wartburg advances to face North Central in a semifinal next Saturday.
