RIVER FALLS, Wis. - No. 6/7 UW-River Falls kicked a 35-yard field goal in overtime to defeat the UW-Oshkosh football team, 34-31, at Smith Stadium at Ramer Field on Saturday (Oct. 10).
Oshkosh (2-3, 0-2 WIAC) held a seven-point advantage over River Falls (4-1, 1-1 WIAC) entering the fourth quarter before the Falcons tied the game with three minutes remaining in regulation. The Titans had an opportunity to take the lead in overtime, but their field goal attempt was blocked, allowing River Falls to secure the win on its ensuing possession.
The Titans outgained the Falcons, 514-303, in total offensive yards, including a 409-92 advantage through the air. Oshkosh recorded 23 first downs to River Falls' 19, while the Falcons held a 211-105 advantage on the ground.
Oshkosh converted eight of its 19 third-down opportunities and was successful on its lone fourth-down attempt. River Falls went 6-for-19 on third down and 3-for-6 on fourth down.
The Titans held a slight 30:01-29:59 advantage in time of possession.
Demir Ashiru (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) completed 23 of his 52 passing attempts for 409 yards and four touchdowns while adding 39 rushing yards on 12 carries. Ashiru accounted for 448 of Oshkosh's 514 yards of total offense.
Tommy Hammond (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central) led the receiving corps with 124 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions. Hammond scored on catches of 37 yards in both the first and third quarters and added a 42-yard reception in the second quarter.
Jackson Brush (Franktown, Colo./Legend) hauled in a team-high five receptions for 82 yards, while
Carter Howard (Kimberly/Kimberly) totaled 73 yards and a touchdown on three catches.
Nick Hermansen (DeForest/DeForest) added 40 receiving yards on two receptions.
Ben Vallafskey (Appleton/Appleton West) led the Titans on the ground with 59 yards on 12 carries, including a 19-yard rush.
Ryan Sims (Chicago, Ill./Marist) added three receptions for 31 yards, while
Nate Branch (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) caught a nine-yard touchdown pass.
Bryce Manders (Brown Deer/Brown Deer) led the Oshkosh defense with 10 tackles, including two tackles for loss.
Jacob Buck (Jackson/Kettle Moraine Lutheran) followed with seven tackles and one tackle for loss, while
Cade King (Mountain Home, Idaho/Mountain Home) added five tackles.
Dayshawn Henry (Oshkosh/Oshkosh North) recorded three tackles, including a five-yard sack.
Eli Curry (Geneva, Ill./Geneva Community) and
Michael Wind (Downers Grove, Ill./Montini Catholic) each added a tackle for loss.
Axel Vera Trejo (Appleton/Appleton East) connected on all four of his extra-point attempts and converted a 30-yard field goal.
River Falls received the opening kickoff but was forced to punt after gaining just four yards on its first possession. Oshkosh took advantage of the early defensive stop, marching 72 yards on four plays to take a 7-0 lead. Ashiru completed passes to Brush,
Brayden Larson (Tomahawk/Tomahawk) and Hermansen before finding Hammond for a 37-yard touchdown with 11:27 remaining in the first quarter.
The Falcons responded with a 15-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 6:04 of the clock. River Falls converted three third-down opportunities before Cade Fitzgerald connected with Austin Rush for a three-yard touchdown to tie the game at seven with 5:23 remaining.
Oshkosh needed just 2:05 to reclaim the lead. Facing third-and-seven at its own 27-yard line, Ashiru found
LJ Kerr (Elgin, Ill./Burlington Central) for a 16-yard gain to extend the drive. Three plays later, Ashiru connected with Howard for a 57-yard touchdown on third-and-10, giving the Titans a 14-7 advantage with 3:12 left in the opening quarter.
River Falls carried its ensuing possession into the second quarter and tied the game at 14 on a six-yard rushing touchdown from Fitzgerald with 14:29 remaining in the half.
The Falcons took their first lead of the afternoon less than a minute later. After forcing Oshkosh into a three-and-out, Taylor Sussner blocked a Titan punt and Jared Schultz recovered the ball for a 15-yard touchdown return, putting River Falls ahead, 21-14, with 13:32 on the clock.
Oshkosh responded with a 10-play, 62-yard drive to cut into the deficit. Ashiru connected with Vallafskey for 15 yards on third-and-eight before finding Hammond for a 42-yard gain on third-and-10 to move the Titans inside the Falcons' red zone. The drive stalled at the River Falls 13-yard line, where Vera Trejo converted a 30-yard field goal to make the score 21-17 with 9:03 remaining.
The Titan defense forced punts on each of the Falcons' next two possessions. Manders recorded tackles for loss on both drives, including a stop that pushed River Falls back two yards on its second possession.
Starting at their own 20-yard line with 3:50 remaining in the half, the Titans put together a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive to reclaim the lead. Vallafskey broke free for a 19-yard rush on third-and-four before Ashiru added a 14-yard run to move the ball to the River Falls 23-yard line.
A six-yard rush from
Ammiel Jackson (Milwaukee/Riverside University HS) moved Oshkosh inside the 10-yard line before Ashiru connected with Branch for a nine-yard touchdown on third down. Vera Trejo's extra point gave the Titans a 24-21 lead with 22 seconds remaining in the half.
Oshkosh received the ball to begin the second half, but Schultz intercepted Ashiru on third down and returned the ball 17 yards to the Titan 33-yard line.
River Falls capitalized on the turnover with a 32-yard field goal from Johnny Figgins, tying the game at 24 with 11:46 remaining in the third quarter.
The Titans responded by moving 40 yards downfield, highlighted by an 18-yard reception from Sims and a 38-yard catch from Brush on second-and-25. However, the drive ended when River Falls blocked a 37-yard field goal attempt from Vera Trejo with 8:18 remaining.
Oshkosh's defense held the Falcons on fourth-and-one at their own 40-yard line on the ensuing possession, with Manders stopping Fitzgerald for no gain.
The Titans appeared to take advantage of the turnover on downs when Ashiru broke free for a 39-yard touchdown run on third-and-nine, but a holding penalty erased the score. On the following play, Braden Jones intercepted Ashiru and returned the ball 30 yards to the Oshkosh 37-yard line.
The Titan defense came up with another fourth-down stop on River Falls' next possession. Facing fourth-and-five at the Oshkosh 32-yard line, Fitzgerald rushed for four yards before being stopped by
Ty Adams (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge), giving the ball back to the Titans with 4:16 remaining in the third quarter.
Oshkosh capitalized on the defensive stop with a seven-play, 72-yard scoring drive. Ashiru rushed for seven yards to move the chains before scrambling for 19 yards on third-and-20 to set up fourth-and-one at the River Falls 37-yard line.
The Titans elected to go for it, and Ashiru connected with Hammond for a 37-yard touchdown with four seconds remaining in the quarter. Vera Trejo's extra point gave Oshkosh a 31-24 advantage entering the final period.
River Falls opened the fourth quarter with a 13-play drive that consumed 5:03 of the clock. The Falcons reached the Oshkosh 38-yard line before the Titan defense forced an incomplete pass on fourth-and-eight to regain possession.
Oshkosh moved 48 yards on its ensuing possession, highlighted by a six-yard rush from Vallafskey on third-and-two and a 19-yard reception from Hermansen on third-and-nine. The Titans reached the Falcons' 13-yard line before the drive stalled, and Vera Trejo's 30-yard field goal attempt was blocked with 4:51 remaining.
The Falcons took advantage of the opportunity, driving 68 yards on six plays to tie the game. Frank Daniels connected with Ben Wesolowski for 14 yards before finding Rush for a 21-yard touchdown with three minutes remaining in regulation. Figgins converted the extra point to even the score at 31.
Oshkosh moved into River Falls territory on its next possession after Ashiru connected with Brush for consecutive gains of 21 and 14 yards. However, the drive ended when Noah Nusbaum intercepted Ashiru at the Falcons' 29-yard line with 1:20 remaining.
The Titan defense forced another punt after Wind broke up a third-down pass attempt, giving Oshkosh possession at its own 20-yard line with 35 seconds remaining.
Vallafskey opened the drive with a 19-yard rush and added four yards on the following play. Ashiru then connected with Brush for five yards, but time expired before the Titans could move into scoring position, sending the game into overtime tied at 31.
Oshkosh received the first possession of overtime at the River Falls 25-yard line. Following a one-yard loss on first down, Ashiru found Howard for an eight-yard gain to move the ball to the 18. An incomplete pass and a delay-of-game penalty forced the Titans to attempt a 40-yard field goal, which was blocked by Prince Frahm.
River Falls took over at the Oshkosh 25-yard line and gained seven yards on its first three plays. Facing fourth-and-three at the Titan 18-yard line, Figgins connected on a 35-yard field goal to secure the 34-31 overtime victory for the Falcons.
The Titans will stay on the road next week to face UW-Eau Claire on Saturday (Oct. 17) in their third WIAC matchup of the season.
