The UW Oshkosh football team opened up the 2024 season the way that they ended last season – beating a top 25 team at home. In last year’s season finale, the Titans beat No. 11 UW-River Falls 38-31 and last Saturday, the Titans upset No. 9 ranked Wheaton University (Illinois) 21-14 at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.
UWO, now ranked No. 17 in the latest D3football.com top 25 poll thanks to the win over the Thunder, came into this game with junior Quentin Keene making his first start of his career on Saturday. Keene went 11-for-22 on his passing attempts, throwing for 270 total passing yards and two touchdowns.
UWO head coach Peter Jennings said he liked the composure that he saw from Keene in his first start. “Quentin did a great job staying calm and delivering catchable balls,” Jennings said. “His poise under pressure was a huge part in getting us the win.”
The game itself was a defensive battle. The first quarter ended in a scoreless tie, and neither offense found paydirt until the second quarter. In fact, the UWO defense did not allow a Wheaton first down in the entire opening quarter. In their first drive of the second quarter, the Titans broke open the scoring with a 63-yard touchdown pass from Keene to wide receiver Trae Tetzlaff to make it 7-0.
The Thunder looked like they were going to respond on their next drive until Oshkosh linebacker Kyle Dietzen stuffed Wheaton quarterback Mark Forcucci on a fourth-and-2 at the UWO 45 yard line.
The Titans were not able to do anything after the fourth down stop and gave the ball back to the Thunder offense. On this drive, Wheaton was finally able to crack the Titan defense thanks to two big third down catches by Thunder wide receiver Ben Bonga. Wheaton was able to put together a long drive and tie the game thanks to a 5-yard TD catch by Bonga.
Starting their last drive of the first half at their own 20-yard line, Keene connected with tight end Clayton Schwalbe for a 14-yard gain. That play helped set up a 65-yard touchdown pass from Keene to wide receiver Jon Mathieu to regain the lead for the Titans at 13-7.
UWO’s extra point attempt was blocked, giving the Titans a 13-7 lead going into halftime.
The blocked extra point looked to be huge as Wheaton started the second half on offense and scored a touchdown thanks to a 1-yard run from running back Giovanni Weeks to make it 14-13.
On their second drive of the third quarter, the Titans drove it all the way down to Wheaton’s 6-yard line. On third-and-6, Keene not only got sacked but fumbled the ball and Wheaton recovered. The Thunder put together a drive that reached the UWO 35, but the Titan defense forced a punt. UWO got the ball back and drove all the way down to the Thunder 38-yard line until a holding call set the Titans back and killed the drive.
But the Titans got one more shot, after the defense held the Thunder to a quick drive. The UWO got the ball back with 4:21 left in the game. The Titans last drive didn’t get off to a promising start as an ineligible man downfield followed by a sack made it second-and-22 for the Titans, and on fourth-and-13 with two minutes to go, as it looked like Wheaton won the game thanks to an incomplete pass intended for Tetzlaff.
UWO got new life off of a pass interference call. The penalty gave the Titans 15 yards and a new set of downs to work with. Oshkosh took full advantage of the penalty as two big plays from Mathieu and running back Justice Lovelace set the Titans up in red zone territory. The Titans got it down all the way to the 1-yard line and on third-and-1, they were able to punch it in thanks to a 1-yard rush from Lovelace. UWO went for two points to make it a seven point game and converted the attempt to make the score 21-14 with only eight seconds left. The Titans were able to stymie the Thunder’s last gasp with an interception from Ben Wollefer, who was named WIAC Football Defensive Player of the Week.
Jennings said he was proud at how the whole team came together in the win.
“This was a true team effort,” Jennings said. “Every phase of our program had a hand in our success. To say I am proud is an understatement.”
One of the biggest things to note from the game is the defense. A year after Wheaton put up 30 points on UWO, The Titans held the Thunder to only 14 points, its lowest point total since 2021.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier. The Titans will continue their non-conference portion of the schedule at home next week as they take on Linfield University (Oregon). The Wildcats are ranked No. 21 in the nation and are coming off of a 31-7 win against their last opponent.
Jennings said he knows that these last two wins are huge for the program but they need to keep focused for the future.
“Our toughest task ahead is always our upcoming opponent,” Jennings said. “We will stay focused on our growth, urgency and execution.”
The Titans will kick off their second game of the 2024 campaign against Lindfield Sept. 14 at 1:30 p.m., at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.
