By Kevin Cunningham
Sports Correspondent
A week after defeating NAIA’s top-ranked team, Morningside College 33-30, the No. 1-ranked UW-Whitewater Warhawks’ football team ran into another ranked foe in then-ranked No. 14 UW-Platteville.
The Warhawks played in front of its WIAC record-setting 15,287 fans at Perkins Stadium on Saturday for Family/Alumni Day. The Pioneers were known for its throwing ability heading into the game, which marked the 21st annual George Chryst Bowl.
Despite the extra time to prepare thanks to a bye week, the Pioneers were shut down through four quarters on the ground, rushing for a total of -2 yards on 26 carries. The -2 yards marked the lowest the ’Hawks have surrendered in a game since a 2011 second round playoff game against Franklin, in which the team allowed -5 rushing yards.
“The d-line and the linebackers really stepped it up,” Warhawk defensive lineman Zach Franz said. “During the week there was a really big focus to not let them run the ball on us and we just went out there and executed. Everybody did their job and did what they were supposed to do.”
Despite the game featuring two of the top offenses in Division III football, the scoreboard may as well have been turned off for the first 24 minutes of play. Neither team scored until the 5:36 mark in the second quarter, when Pioneers running back Kyle Whitman ran in a two-yard touchdown to give the road team a 7-0 lead.
Following the Pioneers’ touchdown, the ’Hawks’ offense needed a spark, and it got that off a 34-yard reverse from wide receiver Marcus Hudson.
“That was the start of it all,” Warhawk quarterback Chris Nelson said. “Once we gashed them big and got them on their feet, then we got our tempo going and I think they really struggled responding to our tempo.”
After the Hudson reverse, Nelson was faced with a third-and-14 situation. Even with that and the offense struggling to that point, he found wide receiver Adam Korpela for a 36-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at seven with 1:27 left in the half.
Following the score, the UW-W defense got a three-and-out, and then completed two passes to get the ball to the Pioneers’ four-yard line. After a delay of game penalty, the ’Hawks had seven seconds left in the half on third and goal and elected to send out Lake Bachar to kick the field goal, leading to the 10-7 lead heading into halftime.
“We were really thinking about taking another shot,” Warhawk head coach Kevin Bullis said. “But we knew it was going to be a tight game, and so to pass up points (…) we were just like, ‘let’s not be greedy here.’ And we all agreed on it. Let’s take the three points and run.”
Bullis also talked about the minimal time left starting the final drive before halftime and not kneeling it out to keep the game tied at seven going into the half.
“We felt good enough about the field position and having the wind to our back,” Bullis said. “Lake Bachar’s got a monster leg. His ability to kick a ball a long way is really cool. I could sit and just watch him kick balls in practice. It’s like watching the fireworks on the fourth of July. He hits bombs.”
Coming out of halftime, UW-Platteville got the ball but was stopped after three plays. Then after bobbling the snap, the Pioneers’ punter eventually punted it, but the ball went backwards, giving the Warhawks the possession on the Pioneers’ 20-yard line.
Two plays later, running back Jordan Ratliffe ran it in from six-yards out, giving the ’Hawks a 17-7 lead with 13:27 remaining in the third quarter. After converting six of eight third downs in the first half, the ’Hawks went zero for seven in the final 30 minutes of play.
Despite the offensive woes, the defense maintained its superiority throughout, sacking Pioneers quarterback Tom Kelly six times and eventually knocking him out of the game in the fourth quarter. UW-Platteville never got its passing game in sync, and the Warhawks would go on to shutout the Pioneers in the second half, eventually winning, 17-7.
Nelson attempted 20 passes by the time the final whistle blew and completed nine of them, while Ratliffe ran the ball 33 times for 92 yards. The two teams played nearly even in the time of possession aspect of the game, with the Pioneers controlling 30:08 of the clock.
An area speaking to the Warhawks’ defensive effort outside of the -2 rushing yards allowed can also be seen in red-zone opportunities, as the Pioneers went one of three in its scoring chances compared to the ’Hawks’ two for two.
The next game for UW-Whitewater is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff time on Saturday at No. 15 UW-Oshkosh. The contest will mark the fourth time in the last five years that both teams entering are ranked in the top-25.
The ’Hawks currently own college football’s longest winning streak of 36 games, while the Titans set a league record with 829 yards of total offense in a 69-14 victory at UW-Stout a week ago.
