Pioneers rally to win opener

Travis Nelson scored from two yards out with 3:09 remaining, capping a 90-yard drive that lifted UW-Platteville to a 15-10 victory over Buena Vista (Iowa) Saturday in the 2009 season opener in Pioneer Stadium.

UWP, directed by freshman quarterback Nick Anderson, used 12 plays and 4:18 to drive the 90 yards, and Nelson scored over the right side on a third and goal from the two.

"We had not only a freshman quarterback, but when we looked out at the end, we had a lot of new faces out there playing receiver as we had four or five receivers out who normally would be in there," Pioneer Coach Mike Emendorfer said. "Maybe we can use this as a building block in that a lot of people gained experience today. There's no way to simulate game speed conditions in practice for freshmen, and I think Nick Anderson found that out. He did exactly what he needed to on the final drive, though, delivering the ball and making great decisions."

After Tony Smidl's booming kickoff for a touchback, the Beavers were forced to go 80 yards. Quarterback Brandon Phelan converted two fourth-down passes after the score, a fourth-and-24 completion to Eric Bertleson from the BVU six and a fourth-and-5 pass to Bryce Meyer for 9 yards to the Pioneer 49, but that was as far as Buena Vista would get.

The Pioneers improved to 11-0 in season-openers under Emendorfer and nipped the Beavers for the second straight year. Last year, UWP won 21-14 in Storm Lake, Iowa.

Smidl kicked three field goals, including a 43-yarder to start the scoring in the second quarter.

"I was just hoping to kick it well," the senior said. "I was excited to just get it up there and put us on the board."

Smidl added a 22-yard field goal in the second quarter, and the Pioneers were seemingly set to take a 6-3 lead in the locker room. With 38 seconds left in the half, however, the Beavers' Alan Bladt forced a fumble, and Todd Schwartz pounced on the loose ball on the Pioneer 32. Four plays later, Phelan threw to Meyer for a 15-yard score and a 10-6 halftime lead.

Smidl added a 25-yard field goal with 14 seconds left in the third quarter in the defensive battle.

The Pioneers held the Beavers to 217 total yards, including 17 yards on the ground in 38 attempts. Tom Bruins made 9 solo tackles and 11 total stops, while Tim Stephenson dropped four runners for losses. The Beavers had 12 plays go for negative yardage, including five QB sacks.

"(Defensive) Coach (Rob) Erickson is one of the best assets we have in the program, and they did a nice job," Emendorfer said.

Phelan finished with 200 yards passing, completing 13 of 36. Anderson connected on 24 of 43 yards for 236 yards. The Beavers held the Pioneers to 198 yards until the final 90-yard drive. UWP gained 52 yards rushing on 25 attempts.

Joe Burkeland led the Pioneers with 6 catches for 89 yards, while Justin Bucko had 5 for 28. Senior Joey Martin and sophomore Darin Blaser did not suit up, while all-conference receivers Aunton Terry and Paul Pridemore each left with injuries, leaving younger players to step up in the win.

"It just means that we're 1-0, and it does built some confidence," Emendorfer said. "As a coach, I'm not very happy with some of the mistakes and turnovers. BV did an outstanding job, and their coaching staff did a good job throughout the day. I thought we had a chance to go ahead two or three touchdowns in the first half, but it didn't happen. We didn't have all our personnel in there, but we made too many mistakes that we have to fix. Still, I'm happy to be 1-0."