WHITEWATER, Wis. – The top-ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team used a strong offensive performance and timely defensive execution Saturday to defeat UW-Stevens Point 49-17 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Perkins Stadium.
With the victory, the Warhawks (9-0 overall, 6-0 WIAC) wrap up at least a share of their ninth conference championship in the last 10 years and the program's 34th all time.
UW-Whitewater, ranked No. 1 in the nation by both D3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association, also secures the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Playoffs, which begin Nov. 22.
The team also extended its winning streak to 26 games, the longest in college football after North Dakota State's loss to Northern Iowa.
The Warhawks posted 531 yards of total offense, including 500 through three quarters of play. UW-Whitewater forced seven punts and two turnovers by the Pointers (6-3, 3-3) to offset UW-Stevens Point's nearly 10-minute advantage in time of possession.
Senior wide receiver Justin Howard, one of 11 Warhawk seniors recognized on the field prior to their final home game, registered career highs in receiving yards (151) and touchdowns (2) to lead UW-Whitewater. Junior running back Dennis Moore added a career-best 102 yards on 10 carries, while junior running back Jordan Ratliffe tallied a pair of touchdowns on the ground.
Senior quarterback Matt Behrendt finished 21-of-32 for 294 yards and matched a season high with four touchdowns.
Sophomore linebacker Paul Foster led the defense with eight tackles, while junior linebacker Justin Dischler totaled six tackles, including two sacks, and broke up a pass. Senior defensive back Marcus McLin and sophomore defensive lineman Tim Regan added a sack apiece.
The Warhawks stopped the Pointers on the game's first possession, then marched 68 yards in nine plays to take a 7-0 advantage. Ratliffe capped the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run around left end with 9:37 left in the first quarter.
UW-Stevens Point drove deep into UW-Whitewater territory on the ensuing possession, but senior defensive back Brady Grayvold came up with his conference-leading sixth interception of the season – his 12th in the last 14 games – in the end zone to thwart the Pointers' drive inside the 10-yard line.
Following back-to-back punts, the Warhawks doubled their advantage with three consecutive plays of 24 yards or more.
Behrendt scrambled and found freshman wide receiver Ricky Finco, who made a tip-toe catch on the sideline, on first down. After a 27-yard run by Moore to the right, Behrendt connected with Howard down the seam of the field for a 24-yard score at the 14:39 mark of the second quarter.
The Pointers responded with a seven-play, 70-yard drive to cut their deficit in half, but Behrendt threw to Howard again for a score, this time from 26 yards out and on fourth down, to make it 21-7 with 8:12 left in the period.
UW-Stevens Point drew within 11 points heading into the locker room on a 26-yard field goal with three seconds on the clock.
UW-Whitewater opened the second half with a nine-play, 66-yard drive, converting two third downs en route to Ratliffe's second touchdown of the day, a 10-yard run, with 12:45 left in the third.
The Warhawks made it a four-possession game as Behrendt looked to the flat and hit freshman wide receiver Ricky Finco, who made it to the pilon for a 21-yard catch-and-run score with 4:40 remaining in the third.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Behrendt concluded a 10-play, 69-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Derric Junakin to make it 42-10 with 14:57 on the clock.
Junior running back Nick Patterson scored from 16 yards out with 3:14 to play for the final tally. The one-play drive was set up when junior defensive back Dylan Morang forced a fumble on a punt return deep in Pointers territory.
Seeking to clinch the league championship outright, UW-Whitewater closes the regular season next Saturday at UW-River Falls. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.