No. 16 Football squares off with No. 1 UW-Whitewater

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. -- The 16th-ranked University of Wisconsin-Platteville football team hosts No. 1 UW-Whitewater on Saturday, and the winner will take sole possession of first place in the WIAC.

• Saturday's matchup pits two of the WIAC's best offenses. UW-PLatteville ranks near the top of the conference in most offensive statistical categories, including scoring - its 31.6 points per game are good for second in the league. UW-Whitewater features the WIAC top total offense at 480.7 yards per game.

• Andy Puccini leads the WIAC with 121.3 rushing yards per game and will test the stout UWW defense that only allows 62.6 rushing yards a game.

• The Pioneer defense is holding its opponents to just 143.3 passing yards per game and will have the challenge of stopping the league best passing offense of UWW, who average 262.4 yards a game. 

A LOOK A THE WARHAWKS
The defending national champion UW-Whitewater is coming off a 24-7 victory over UW-Oshkosh, and has now won 24 straight games. UWW is averaging over 40 points a game and are holding its opponents under six points. The Warhawk defense is holding opposing offenses to just over 200 yards a game and have forced a league-best 20 turnovers. The offense is led by quarterback Matt Behrendt, who leads the WIAC with 17 touchdown passes and threw his first interception a week ago against Oshkosh. The Warhawk running game is the best in the league with 218 yards a game, and has four rushers with over 250 yards this season. Dennis Moore leads the group with 414 yards and has two touchdowns.

SERIES HISTORY 
UW-Platteville and UW-Whitewater are meeting for the 102nd time and the Warhawks hold a 29-70-3 all-time series advantage over the Pioneers. The Pioneers last win versus the UWW was in 2004, 7-6, at Platteville. 

NOTING LAST MEETING
UW-Platteville fell to UW-Whitewater, 35-16, at Perkins Stadium on Nov 2. The Warhawk defense forced five Pioneer turnovers and held the high powered Pioneer offense to a season-low 271 total yards. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers shutout UW-Stout, 21-0, for the first time in school history on Oct. 25. The Pioneers scored all three of their touchdowns in the first half. UW-Platteville outgained the Blue Devils 298-115, and also had an 18-5 first downs advantage in the opening half.