By Daniel Schoettler
Sports Correspondent
UW-Whitewater was ranked no. 2 in the D3Football.com poll, while their opponent Morningside College was ranked no. 2 in the NAIA coming into Saturday. If you expected a somewhat close game in a battle of no.2’s, you definitely got what you expected Saturday afternoon as the Warhawks closed out their non-conference schedule with a 35-21 win at Perkins Stadium.
“Coming into this game, we knew it was going to be a heck of a battle,” head coach Kevin Bullis said. “We played them last year and it was a dogfight and we knew it would be the same thing again and it was a great opportunity to get us ready for conference play.”
The Warhawks were the first to get a chance at scoring as they drove the ball down to the 12-yard line on their first possession only to have a Ben Franzen 29 yard field goal blocked. After a Bennett Young interception, running back Drew Patterson would run it in from five yards out to put the Warhawks up first 7-0.
“They are an aggressive defense,” wide receiver Marcus Hudson said. “We’re probably going to see that the next two weeks too.”
After a Jared Amundson missed field goal for Morningside, the Warhawks drpve dpwm the field again as senior quarterback Chris Nelson would hit Patterson on a 56 yard screen play to give the team a 14-0 lead. After a fumble recovery by John Flood, the Warhawks were in position to score again, but Franzen would miss again on a 47 yard attempt.
Morningside finally got on the board in the second quarter as Addison Ross ran one in from three yards out to a make it 14-6. The Warhawks would get back on the board in the middle of the second quarter as Nelson would hit Canton Larson on a 42 yard touchdown pass to make it 21-6.
After a Michael Schwictenberg punt that was downed at the one yard line, the Mustangs took a drive 99 yards in for a score as Trent Solsma completed a ten yard touchdown pass to Tyler Kavan to make it 21-13 at the half.
After a punt by Morningside, the Warhawks got on the board again in the third quarter as Nelson completed his third touchdown pass on the day to Tony Gumina on a 10 yard touchdown pass. Later in the third quarter, Ben Franzen missed his third field goal of the game that could have extended the lead.
Morningside scored late in the third quarter as Solsma completed a 93 yard touchdown pass to Tanner VerSteeg to make it a one possession game at 28-21 after a successful two point conversion. The Warhawks added the dagger in the fourth with 9:49 remaining as Nelson completed his fourth touchdown pass on the day to Marcus Hudson on a 34 yard pass.
Chris Nelson led the team in passing going 9-for-24 for 234 yards and four touchdowns. Cole Wilber also saw time going 5-for-14 for 82 yards and an interception.
“We went into the game thinking let’s play both of them,” Bullis said. “At the end, it felt like it wa s a game that fit Chris’ style.”
Jarrod Ware was the leading rusher for the Warhawks with 19 carries for 91 yards. Drew Patterson contributed 20 carries for 85 yards.
Marcus Hudson was the leading receiver for the Warhawks with four receptions for 142 yards. Tony Gumina also had five receptions for 66 yards.
“It felt great to be back,” Hudson said. “It tested me a lot and it is good to back with the guys.”
Bennett Young and Colin Buck both had interceptions in the game. Young also led the team in tackles with 11.
Trent Solsma threw the ball for 500 yards for Morningside going 33-for-57 with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Tyler Kavan ran the ball for 20 carries and 82 yards to lead the Mustangs in rushing.
Tanner VanSteeg was the leading receiver for Morningside with 272 yards on nine receptions and a touchdown. Jaso Vanderkooi also had nine receptions for 103 yards.
“It’s nice to see all that because now we’re seeing everything and we won’t be surprised as often now because we have seen a variety of different stuff,” defensive back Bennett Young said. “You’ll see that in conference because a lot of teams are set and based on how they want to run things in conference because our conference is really good.”
The Warhawks close out non-conference play 3-0 with the 35-21 win. They will start off the conference schedule next week against UW-Platteville on the road for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
