Oct. 24: Be a part of Pioneer history, No. 12 Pioneers vs No. 5 Titans

Written by: Jeremy Williamson, Sports Information Student Assistant

  Pioneer Stadium will garner one of the biggest games in Division III college football on Saturday when the No. 5 Titans from UW-Oshkosh take on the No. 12 Pioneers of UW-Platteville. The Titans sit atop the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, arguably the toughest conference in the nation, with an overall record of 5-1 and an undefeated WIAC record of 3-0. The Pioneers' only loss this season came in week four against former No. 1 UW-Whitewater making their overall record 5-1 and 2-1 in the WIAC, placing them in second.

        Saturday's game continues the season-to-season endeavor that these two teams have built in anticipation to take the conference championship from UW-Whitewater as well as enter the playoffs and keep their Stagg Bowl dreams alive. In 2012 the Titans suppressed the Pioneers' shot at the playoffs, handing them their second conference loss of the season in week six, 34-13. In 2013 the Pioneers travelled to Oshkosh and defeated the Titans 17-14 with a last second field goal, sending the victor on to the NCAA playoffs. The final game of the regular season in 2014 was a Pioneer-Titan showdown, which the Titans would end up victorious, 30-27, in triple overtime.

         This season UW-Oshkosh boasts an offense that leads the conference in scoring with 40.3 points per game as well as in yards with 478.6 per game. Pioneer defensive coordinator Mike Schmidt has developed a squad that is currently third in overall defense and first in pass defense. Once again, head coach Mike Emendorfer and offensive coordinator Ryan Munz constructed a unit that incomparably leads the WIAC in passing with 317.5 yards per game, over 30 more than any other.

         Junior quarterback Tom Kelly leads the WIAC in passing per game with 1,425 yards through five games. On the defensive side, senior Andrew Belken ranks fifth overall in tackles with 50 and senior Andrew Robinson leads the conference in sacks with 5.5 and tackles for loss with 14 for a total of 70 lost yards. The Titans' Dylan Hecker leads the conference in both rushing and scoring.

        With both teams having faced the former national champion already it seems as if the winner of Saturday's contest could potentially earn the title of WIAC champion, were they to win out the rest of the season.

        Adding to the atmosphere of the Oct. 24 battle, the game is a pink out and the athletic department will be giving away a free hot dog as well as unlimited popcorn to all UW-Platteville students. With a national top-tier battle as well as free food, Saturday's event could be the largest in the history of UW-Platteville sports. You don't want to miss it.