The UW Oshkosh football team fell to UW-Platteville for the first time in 10 years as the Pioneers defeated the Titans 22-7 Platteville Nov. 4 at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.
The last time UWO dropped a game to Platteville was in 2013, when the Titans lost 17-16 on senior day at Titan Stadium.
UWO turned the ball over four times in the contest and the Titans were only able to convert on three of their 12 third down attempts. The Pioneers had 103 more yards of total offense than Oshkosh, and Platteville outgained the Titans in both passing yards (221 compared to 202) and rushing yards (145 to 61). UWP converted on five of their 18 third down attempts and was able to convert three of their four fourth down tries.
UWO quarterback Kobe Berghammer finished the game 19-40 with 202 passing yards and three interceptions. The matchup with the Pioneers was the first time Berghammer did not throw for a touchdown pass in a game since the Titans took on Whitewater on Oct. 14 of last year. Berghammer was the team’s leading rusher for the sixth consecutive game, gaining 39 yards on the ground on 14 attempts and rushing for a touchdown.
Oshkosh running back Kaio Harn rushed for 19 yards on nine carries while Doug Burson had five attempts for just three yards and fumbled once.
Jon Mathieu was UWO’s leading receiver, catching a game-high seven passes for 66 yards while fellow wide receiver Trae Tetzlaff finished the game with five receptions for 45 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, Oshkosh led by linebacker Kyle Dietzen who recorded 10 total tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry. As a team, the Titans combined for 77 total tackles, four tackles for loss and no sacks.
UWP quarterback Michael Priami finished the contest 16-31 for 221 passing yards and a touchdown. Priami’s favorite target of the day was wide receiver Brandt Stare, who caught six passes for 97 yards while his brother Garrett Stare had two receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown. Running back Tag Habedank was Platteville’s leading rusher, carrying the ball 27 times for 100 yards.
The Pioneer defense was led by Sam Smith, who recorded a game-high 13 tackles, 2.5 sacks and three tackles for loss. As a team Platteville combined for five sacks, 11 tackles for loss and seven quarterback hurries.
The 107th meeting between the two programs started with a three-and-out from the Titans, but UWO stopped the Pioneers on fourth down deep inside Oshkosh territory to keep the game scoreless.
Berghammer was picked off by UWP’s Aidan Tyk just three plays later, but once again the Pioneers were held scoreless inside Titan territory after a three-and-out.
UWO turned the ball over on downs on their next possession, and one play later the Titans paid the price after Priami threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Stare. The Pioneers missed the ensuing extra point but still led 6-0 midway through the first quarter.
Platteville added another touchdown to the board just 35 seconds later when Nicholas Allen picked off a 12-yard pass from Berghammer and ran it all the way back for a pick-six to give UWP a 13-0 lead.
Neither team would score again until late in the second quarter when Platteville kicker Jared Scheberl connected on a 20-yard field goal with 22 seconds to go in the half to increase the Pioneer advantage to 16 points.
Platteville blew the game open on their first drive of the second half after UWP capped off a 72-yard drive with a Brandt Stare 8-yard rushing touchdown. The Pioneers missed another extra point, but still enjoyed a comfortable 22-0 lead.
The Titans finally got on the board on their next possession when UWP put together a three play, 62-yard drive that ended in a 4-yard rushing touchdown from Berghammer.
Neither team would score again in the contest as the game became filled with turnovers. Berghammer had another pass intercepted in the third quarter, Scheberl missed a 29-yard field goal for UWP, Burson fumbled for the Titans in the fourth quarter and Oshkosh turned the ball over on downs late in the fourth quarter.
Platteville was able to cruise to a 22-point victory and is now tied with Oshkosh for fourth place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings.
The Titans will take on UW-River Falls for the final game of the regular season Nov. 11 at J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium with a trip to the 2023 Isthmus Bowl potentially on the line.
